Public Utilities - Water Division

About Your Water Meter

General Information

Your water meter, owned and maintained by the City of Clearwater, is a highly accurate and dependable water measuring device. Located in a small box in the ground near the street or the edge of the property, it registers all the water used in your home or building. The meter is read each month by a City of Clearwater meter reader. To assist the reader, please keep the meter box free of garbage cans, boxes, piles of yard waste, or parked vehicles. Please do not install fences or plant trees or shrubs which restrict access to your meter. Our field personnel appreciate your cooperation!

To read your Meter: Like reading the odometer on your car, you read your water meter by recording all numbers from left to right, including any zeros to the right of the movable numbers. The sweep hand on the meter makes one complete revolution for every seven and one half gallons of water used. (Note the tens digit advance with each sweep.) If you have any questions about reading your meter, please give us a call at (727) 562-4960. Write down your reading. In a week or so, check again and subtract this reading from the previous recording to determine your consumption during this period. Then divide your consumption by 100 to determine the number of units you've used.

Remember: 1 water unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons of water

"Creeping" Meter

If you or maintenance person observes that your meter is "creeping"--a small dial on your water meter moving very slowly--this is an indication of a leak or drip somewhere in your system. If the leak seems serious, you may wish to turn off your master valve, until the problem is located and repaired. It is to your advantage to repair all leaks and drips as soon as detected.

Meter Maintenance

The City of Clearwater has a schedule to check your meter periodically to be sure it is working correctly and to repair it if necessary. The meter won't cheat you--meters in need of repair will under-register, rather than over-register, your water usage. However, if you feel strongly that your meter is not working properly, you may request that your meter be tested. The charge for a meter test is $50, but if test results show that the meter is over-registering water usage, you will not be charged for the test.

Meter Change-Out Program

The City of Clearwater regularly replaces meters which are ten or more years old. When your meter is changed, meter shop crew will knock on the door and notify you that your water will be turned off briefly while your meter is changed. There is no direct charge for a new meter.