Reading Your Water Meter

How To Read Your Water Meter

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 no harmful insects or other animals.

Read Your Water Meter
All customers within the City of Pismo Beach have their water use measured by a meter. This results in each customer paying their share of operating the system based upon the amount of water used.

How to Read Your Meter
There are two basic types of water meters - the straight-reading meter, which resembles an odometer in a car, and the round-reading meter, which has several separate dials.
To read your meter, look at the straight row of numbers on the dial. The last two numbers are ignored, as they represent a fraction of one billing unit. For example, the meter shown reads 538.

A few customers may have "round read" type meters. This meter has several small dials on the face. It is more complicated to read, so if you have this type, feel free to call 805-773-4656, and our water division staff will meet with you to help you read it.
Water Meter