There are several reasons why you'd want to be able to locate and read your water meter. First, 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. The second reason is to check for leaks. If you turn off all the taps in your house, look at your meter and it is still turning, chances are you have a leak somewhere.

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 or black plastic box. 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.

STEP 2: Read Your Water Meter

All customers within the Benton Water Dept. coverage area have their water use measured by a meter. These results in each customer paying their share of operating the system based upon the amount of water used.

There is one basic type of water meter -- the straight-reading meter which resembles an odometer in a cars.

STEP 3: How to Read Your Meter

Benton Water uses Sensus water meters. All have a meter register that looks very much like the odometer in your car, and have seven digits to read. The meter register gallons of water. The billing system is programmed to take these meter readings and calculate the correct water usage in thousands of gallons.

Sensus SR II Water Meter - This is the newest water meter in most homes.  Your reading is digital and is read by the numbers under the lines above.  To look at your reading, lift the lid and the display will appear after a few seconds.  If you lid on the meter is left up, the display will disappear.  Activation for a lid left open requires shutting the lid for a few seconds and then opening the lid back up.     

Water Master Meter Information