Water Billing

Explore this page to learn more about water billing in the Lachlan Shire . 

How to Read Your Water Meter

Learn how to read your water meter(PDF, 554KB)

Water Usage Record

Your water meter is a great way to monitor your household water consumption and detect leaks. Open the water usage record document(PDF, 456KB) to start monitoring your water consumption today. 

Check for Leaks

  • Check for damp or extra green areas around your garden
  • Check for damp patches around water pipe installations
  • Check for malfunctions with automatic watering systems in the garden
  • Check for swimming pool leaks
  • Check if tree roots have invaded pipes
  • Check taps, evaporative air-conditioners, hot water systems and other water appliances
  • Check your toilet - a quick trick is to place food colouring in the cistern and after 20 minutes (without flushing) see if the colouring has seeped into the toilet bowl
  • Check for rusted or damaged pipes and joints
  • Check concealed areas, such as concreted carports - this may require the employ of a licensed plumber.

Detecting a Leak With Your Water Meter

Your water meter is a great way to monitor your water usage and detect leaks early. To identify a leak on your property by using your meter, follow these steps:

  1. Choose a day when no one will be home and ensure all taps and water-using products are turned off
  2. Take a meter reading before you leave in the morning or after the last person has gone to the toilet or brushed their teeth at night
  3. Take a second reading upon your return home or in the morning before anyone uses water
  4. The longer the timeframe between readings, the better (some leaks are slow and hard to detect)
  5. If there is a difference between your readings, you may have a leak somewhere in your property and you should contact a licensed plumber to investigate.

I Have a Leak - What Should I do?

Council owns the mains, the water meter and the pipes connecting these. The repair and replacement of these is Council’s responsibility. If the meter tap or pipes before the meter is leaking, please contact Council.

All pipes and fittings after the meter are the property owner’s responsibility to repair and maintain. If you have discovered a leak, this should be attended to promptly. If you cannot conduct the repair, you should engage a licensed plumber to undertake the repairs for you.

Please note, any water registered passing through your water meter, and including water lost through leaks, will be charged to your water account.

What to do if - You Have a High Water Meter Read

It is really important to know what is going on at your house when it comes to water and usage particularly as the days heat up and our patterns of water use increase. It might be that you’ve noticed some greener patches around your yard, you can constantly hear running water, or that you have received a higher than usual water bill. Your might have an undetected leak at your premises.

  • Check the meter and ensure the read corresponds to what appears on your current water and sewer account. (Read the black number dials on your meter) If it is incorrect please take a photo as proof of the discrepancy and contact Council.
  • Read the meter and wait a few hours and re-read meter and compare the figures. If no water has been used in this time, the figures should remain the same. If the read has increased or you notice the dials are slowly moving that may indicate a water leak. You may need to contact a certified plumber to inspect and carry out any repairs if necessary.
  • Check for leaks and inspect household appliances, pipes or fittings. This could include toilet, dishwasher, washing machine, hot water system, evaporative air conditioner. Faulty or leaking appliances can lose considerable amounts of water in a short period of time.
  • New watering systems could also be a contributing factor to an increase in water usage.

If you have experienced an undetected leak at your property, you may be eligible for a one-off adjustment on your water consumption. Please contact Council for more information.