Meter Services

The Meter Services Division is responsible for reading all residential and commercial water meters within the City of Mesquite on a monthly basis. Meter readers read approximately 500 meters per day using hand-held devices and work with the City's Water Billing Office to ensure monthly water bills are accurate. All metered accounts are billed for their monthly water consumption.   

Commercial Customers:

Meter Services also provides construction meters to Contractors working in the City of Mesquite. The Meter Shop hours are Monday-Friday, from 7-11 a.m. and 12-4 p.m. To purchase a meter/meter box or to rent a fire hydrant meter, please see Water Meter Fees for pricing information and instructions or call 972-216-6948.

How to determine your monthly water usage:

If you receive a monthly water bill at your residence, then your water usage is monitored by a city-owned water meter. Water meters have numerical readouts that make it easy for you to keep track of the amount of water running through the meter to your home on a monthly basis. To track your usage, please follow the following steps:

  • Locate your meter: Your meter is normally located in the parkway between the sidewalk and curb and is inside a meter box with a lid. If you open the meter box, keep in mind that you will be held liable for any repairs or tampering fees if the meter is damaged.
  • Remove the cover of the meter box: Insert a  meter key (these can be purchased at a plumbing supply store) into the small hole in the cover and pry it up carefully. Do not open your meter box by hand since insects, spiders, or snakes often nest inside water meter boxes.
Water Meter Box
  • Locate the register: Lift the metal lid of the register and wipe off the plastic cover if it is dirty or muddy. When you look at your meter, the register is similar to an odometer which has rotating numbers.
  • Reading the register: The large sweep hand on the dial measures water use in gallons. One gallon of water passes through the water meter as the sweep hand moves from one number to the next (e.g., 0 to 1). A complete rotation equals 10 gallons. Your meter also has a low-flow indicator, the small triangle (shown below) that turns as water moves through the water meter.

The last number on the right is a static zero (painted on the dial). The number to the left of the zero represents the current number of gallons flowing through the meter. As shown below, it would be 50 gallons (5 x 10 gallons).  Because the City bills in "thousands of gallons", it is important to understand what number the Meter Reader records each month when your meter is read. In the example below, the number recorded by the Meter Reader is 1957. That number is then subtracted from the previous month’s reading to determine the amount of water passing through the meter. If the previous month’s reading was 1864, the amount billed would be for 9,300 gallons (93 X 100). However, if you have a meter that is 1-inch or larger, please contact Meter Services for reading instructions.

REGISTER
  • Determine your billing cycle: To accurately track your water usage, you will need to contact Water Billing at 972-216-6208 to determine the first day of the billing cycle that your meter will be read. Record the number on the meter on the first day of the billing cycle. After 30 days, record this number again and subtract the first reading from the second in order to determine your water use in gallons for the month.  Remember to multiply by 100 since the City bills in one thousand gallon increments.
  • Calculate the cost of your water usage: Once you know how many thousand gallons of water that went through your meter, use the Billing Calculation Chart to calculate your monthly utility bill. Please note that your bill reflects usage for the prior 30 days.
  • Monitoring how much water your household uses: Reviewing your readings over the course of several months will help you spot patterns in your usage, which can be helpful if you are taking steps to conserve water, as well as money! Your water bill also has a 12-month usage graph and can help you track how many thousands of gallons you typically use from month to month.
Consumption History
  • Check for leaks. Sometimes you may receive a bill that seems unusually high. In this case, it’s possible that you have a leak. To get to the bottom of things, shut off all toilets, faucets and shower heads in your residence. Also, if you have an automatic irrigation system, make sure to check all of its components for leaks. Then, check the meter again. If the sweep hand is moving, it means that water is moving through the meter. Another way to identify a potential leak is by watching the flow indicator (small triangle on the water meter). The flow indicator (as shown below) will spin when a leak is detected.  If you determine you have a leak, please contact a licensed plumber to repair the leak. If the leak is on the City side of the meter, please contact Meter Services at 972-216-6948.
Flow Indictor