Your right to take water under a water entitlement carries with it a responsibility to meet particular obligations and conditions, which include using an approved meter.

You have an obligation to ensure that your meter is operational and report any faults.

What is a faulty meter?

Taking water through a faulty meter is an offence under the Water Act 2000.

Water meters are considered faulty if they:

• can't be read, e.g. if the glass on the meter is frosted or broken, if the meter dial or display is obscured, or if telemetry fitted to the meter is not functioning to allow remote reading of the meter
• can't record the volume of water taken in accordance with acceptable tolerances outlined in the Queensland interim water meter standard for non-urban metering (PDF, 470KB)
• leak water or air that affects the flow of water through the meter (including leaks to connections or fittings to works to which the meter is attached)
• don't have a tamper-proof seal, or the seal is broken or damaged.

Reporting a faulty meter

You must confirm that your meter is not faulty each time you submit a meter reading.

If you become aware of a fault, you must tell us within 3 business days. Please contact your local business centre.

If we find that your meter is faulty (for example during a field inspection), we will give you a notice directing you to repair or replace your meter.

Requirement to repair or replace your meter

If you become aware that your meter is faulty, or if you are notified that your meter is faulty, you must take the following actions within 60 business days:

• Repair or replace your meter.
• Organise a validation inspection.
• Once the meter has been repaired or replaced, provide us with a completed:
  • water use assessment report (PDF, 677KB)
  • validation certificate.

Requests for an extension to this time will be considered on a case-by-case basis.