How accurate is my water meter?

The design of our residential and commercial water meters does not allow for the Town of Flower Mound to adjust or reset the read dials of the meter. With age, the meters slow down and can stop registering completely, but they can not arbitrarily run faster. The mechanical parts are not capable of speeding up to register a significantly higher reading than actual consumption.

All meters are calibrated and tested in the factory before they are shipped. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) requires meters to be within 98.5 percent and 101.5 percent accuracy to be usable. This means they only allow for an error rate of 1.5 percent. After the first 2,000 gallons, your water bills are charged per 1,000 gallons. This means if your usage was exactly 1,000 gallons, the registered consumption could actually be 15 gallons higher or lower each month and be within AWWA guidelines.

If your average billed consumption is 7,000 gallons, that means at 98.5 percent you could actually have used a minimum of 6,895 gallons or 105 fewer gallons per month. If the meter was running at 101.5 percent, that would amount to 1,260 gallons over the course of a year, or $0.44 per month. You could also be undercharged the same amount based on the acceptable meter variance. However, rarely does a meter test high enough on all flow rates to exceed 100 percent. More often, the meter slows down to where it under-registers or even stops.

If you feel strongly that your meter is not working properly, you may request it be tested at one of the Town's third-party testing facilities. The charge for a 5/8" by 3/4" meter test is $50 plus labor and administrative and meter fees. If the test results show that your meter is running above the AWWA standards, you will not be charged for the test or other related fees.

Please contact Utility Billing at 972.874.6010 to update your personal contact information to include a phone number and email address.