Avoid a Surprise in Your Water Bill

On occasion outside water meters stop measuring usage. If the City Staff notices your readings are substantially down from previous months this could result in a significantly higher water bill when it is caught up with the inside meter. To prevent the possibility of this happening, be sure to check your inside and outside water meters to verify they match. If there is a discrepancy contact City Hall so our Water Superintendent can assess what steps need to be taken, either fix or replace the meters. If you want the City to check the meters for you, call City Hall 712-756-4314. The meter on the left is the water meter in your basement connected to your incoming service line. The meter on the right is your outside reader that is read by the City Staff on a monthly basis. The way to check them is to match the meter on the outside to the meter in the basement. The basement meter is the true reading of water usage in your house. The outside meter is more apt to be incorrect/slow due to equipment failure, stuck numbers or broken wire, etc. The readings should match, with the exception of the last digit. The last digit on the outside meter will always be “0” while the last digit on the basement meter will change. The usage will be based off of the outside meter, so it will always end in a zero.