There are several reasons why you would want to be able to locate and read your water meter.

1)You may have just moved into or out of a house/apartment in the middle of one of our billing periods and are required to supply a meter read. For a new applicant in order to have the account set-up in their name on the Service Application a read is required. For closing an account a read may be needed along with a signed Refund form requesting the balance of a water deposit. Reading the meter yourself will save you $75.00, which is the charge for a special meter reading if done by a city employee.

2) You might be interested in just how much water you use in a day. By reading your meter at the beginning and the end of the day you can compare the two totals to tell how much water you and your family used.

3)You may need to check for leaks. Turn off all water using appliances in your house, (do not flush the toilet). It is important to note that the large sweep hand is used only for testing purposes. Here are some hints to help you find and read your water meter:

STEP 1: Locate Your Meter

Your water meter is generally located near the curb in front of your home or place of business in a direct line with the main outside faucet. It is housed in a concrete box usually marked "water".

Carefully remove the lid by using a tool such as a large screwdriver. Please, do not use your fingers. Insert the tool into one of the holes and pry the lid off. Visually examine the area around the meter to make sure there are not harmful insects of other animals.

STEP 2: Read Your Water Meter

All customers within the City of Grass Valley have their water use measured by a meter. The type of meter used by the city is the straight-read meter which resembles the odometer in a car. The reading is taken from the figures under the word GALLONS. The meter reader does not read the stationary zero. You would subtract your new read from the one on your bill. If checking for leaks check the position of the meter dial and wait. If after 15 minutes, the dials haven’t moved, congratulations! You have a relatively water-tight home. But if the dials have moved, start checking house connections, faucets and the toilets for water leaks. If you have everything turned off and are sure the toilets and connections aren’t leaking and yet the dials are still turning, you may have a hidden leak in an underground pipe. If you believe this is the case, you may need to call a plumber for assistance.

STEP 3: Checking the Lawn Sprinklers

Turn on the lawn sprinkler and watch the meter dial move for exactly one minute. One complete revolution of the sweep hand represents 10 gallons. Count the number of revolutions and multiply it by 10 to get the amount of gallons used per minute. Now estimate how long you usually leave the sprinkler running. The hundreds of gallons of water going into your lawn and garden each week may come as a surprise to you.

Step 4: Volume of water used in the shower

Do the same procedure when someone in your family steps into the shower. Check the volume of water used and multiply it by the number of minutes a normal shower takes in your family. If your shocked at how much water is used in the shower, maybe you need a low-flow showerhead.

All City of Grass Valley meters measure water in gallons. Monthly quantity is charged in dollars per thousand gallons. Base water service charges include 1000 gallons per month per meter.