Water is an incredibly precious resource and providing a clean, safe supply for our community to use is one of our Council’s highest priorities.
We put a lot of leg work into reading water meters on properties throughout the South Wairarapa’s three main towns and Pirinoa in June each year and we are currently sending out invoices for excess water use, progressively throughout the month of July.
Every household connected to the Council’s water supply receives an allocation of 250m3 (or 250,000 litres) of water per serviced water rating unit each year. For excess water usage above this allocation, each additional m3 is charged $2.50.
If you receive an invoice and are concerned that it looks higher than your actual water use, please double check the reading on your water meter as a first step. If the reading is consistent with the invoice and looks higher than you expect, it could indicate a leak on your property, so please get in touch with us.
If you’re concerned about an excess charge, we can help you to work through possible leaks and determine whether you qualify for a waiver.
If you have any questions or concerns about your water meter reading and an excess water invoice, please contact the water team by email at water@swdc.govt.nz or phone us on 06 306 9611, extension 874.
How to read your water meter
A. This is your unique water meter ID
B. The digits with the red background show litres used. These numbers help to track daily use.
C. The digits with the black background show the total cubic metres used. This is the reading water invoices are based on. If you want to keep track of your yearly water usage, recording this number in June each year will mean you can keep track of how much water you have used in real time.
D. Every rotation of this red arrow = 1 litre used.
E. If the dial is spinning, then water is currently being used. This dial is useful for detecting leaks – if it’s spinning when all the taps are off and the cisterns are full, you may have a leak.
Frequently asked questions
Why have we only just found out about our water meter reading?
The analogue meters used throughout most of the district have to be read by boots on the ground, which means at a cost to ratepayers. For this reason, we read the meters once a year, unless the property is known to be a high user of water, such as a commercial venture or a vineyard.
How do I catch a leak?
With the well drained soils of the Wairarapa, leaks can be tricky to catch outside of the annual water meter reading cycle but being vigilant and regularly looking at taps around your property and at your meter can both help.
What can I do to stick to my allocated water use?
We encourage people to check their meters regularly. That way they can keep an eye on consumption and catch leaks before they become a big problem.
Above: South Wairarapa water meter.