Water meters are important to determine who should pay for the water. Most water bills are divided into two parts: per month and per usage. There is a fixed cost to providing the water in the first place, and this cost is divided equally among all the system's users. There is also a cost per unit of water provided. A typical U.S. family of 4 in a suburban city will pay between $15 and $50 per month for water and sewer services

Water meters are read by one of several methods-

The water client writes down the water meter reading and mails in a postcard with this info to the water department A water meter reader comes to the premises and enters the water meter reading into a handheld computer . the meter reading is echoed on a display unit mounted to the outside of the premise, where a water meter reader records them; A small radio is hooked up to the water meter to automatically transmit readings to corresponding receivers in handheld computers, utility vehicles or distributed collectors a small computer is hooked up to the water meter that can either dial out or receive automated phone calls that give the reading to a central computer system.
Most American cities are increasingly installing automated reading systems to prevent fraud, to lower ever-increasing labor and liability costs and to improve customer service and satisfaction.

Water Meter Facts
Quick introduction to water meters

Water meters

Knowing how to read your water meter will allow you to monitor your own water consumption and at the same time detect any leaks in your household plumbing. Your water bill is based on your water consumption, so the repair of small leaks in your plumbing system now, will save you money. Knowing more about water meters will help you

Understand how you are being billed.
What follows is some useful information on how to use your water meter to your advantage. We assume you have a newer (metric) water meter. If you have an older meter which measures in gallons, the same facts apply, but the measurements will be in gallons instead of cubic meters. Not all water meters are the same but this is a guideline

Reading Your Water Meter
Your household water meter reads in cubic meters, and displays your total consumption to the nearest tenth of a cubic meter, much like the odometer in your car measures total distance traveled. Every 0.1 cubic meters (100 liters) of water consumed causes the sweep hand (see picture) to make one complete revolution and the measured total to increase by 0.1 cubic meters. (Black wheel on odometer.)

Monitoring Water Use on your water meter
You can calculate your water consumption over a period of time by taking the meter reading at the beginning and end of the period. The difference in the readings is your consumption for that period.

Calculating Water Use on your water meter
You can calculate how much water various activities and appliances use in the same way. Record the water meter reading before and after the activity, and take the difference. Make sure that all other water use in your home stops while you're doing the activity, or the volume that you calculate will be incorrect for the activity that you were testing.

Discovering Water Leaks with your water meter
To find out if you have water leaks, try the following experiment the next time you leave your home for several hours or more. Prior to leaving, turn off all of your water fixtures, including humidifiers, air conditioners and ice makers. Then record the meter reading. If the reading has not changed when you return, your household plumbing is watertight. If your meter reading does change, you