Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) has issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to providing accurate water meter readings and reliable customer billing. The utility reports that approximately 99 percent of customers receive accurate meter readings and bills each month. This figure reflects the effectiveness of DWU's established meter reading, billing, and validation processes.
The city operates approximately 330,000 active water meters. Fewer than one percent of these meter readings require additional review through DWU's validation process. A water meter is a device used to measure and record the amount of water delivered to a property. Most residential water meters are located underground in a meter box near the curb or property line. While meter sizes vary depending on the service connection, each serves the same purpose: measuring water consumption for billing, system monitoring, and customer account management.
Water meters are read manually by trained meter readers. Most residential meters used by DWU are positive displacement mechanical meters. These meters contain moving parts that naturally experience wear over time. Rather than registering more water as they age, mechanical water meters may gradually lose some of their ability to measure very low water usage. To help maintain measurement accuracy, DWU operates an ongoing meter replacement program. Following established industry standards, meters are routinely evaluated and replaced based on factors such as age, condition, performance, and operational needs. Most meters are considered for replacement within a 10- to 15-year service life.
