Volunteers from South Wairarapa sports and community groups are out and about this month on the Council’s annual water meter read.

During June the volunteers are out reading more than 4,500 meters to raise money for their community or sports group.

Maggie Forest, South Wairarapa District Council’s meter read co-ordinator, says the data they collect from the readings is vital to helping monitor the district’s water consumption.

“We are very mindful that drinking water is a precious resource but a lot of it is lost in leaks, and a lot of those leaks are on private property.

“So, an excess meter reading is often a trigger for property owners to go looking for a leak, and get that leak fixed. And that’s good for all of us.”

The water allowance for connected households and businesses in South Wairarapa is 350m3 – or 350,000 litres – of water per connection every year, paid for through their rates.

It is a high allowance, so it is quite unusual for a household in the region to use more than that.

If a property owner receives a bill showing they have exceeded their allowance, and there is no obvious reason, they could well have a leak. Proof of repair could mean they qualify for a fee waiver.

To make life easier for the meter readers, the Council is urging property owners to find their meter (which is with their water toby) and clear any vegetation around it, so it’s visible.

Most meters are on the street, but if it’s on private property and a dog is present, people are asked to make sure their meters can be safely accessed.

The Council would also love to receive a good ‘before and after’ shot of tidy meters. “We’ll put the best one up on our Facebook page to show others how it’s done,” Maggie says.

Just message the Council via messenger in Facebook with your exemplary pic.

Council’s annual water meter reading covers Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough and Pirinoa.

If you are unsure where your toby is, check out the Local Maps app.

Click on the “water” tile and zoom in on your town – the toby is a yellow dot.

Tips on finding leaks and more information about water meters can be found on the Council’s website, in the services section under “water”.