Water Meter Maintenance
Water meters need to be read and maintained routinely. Parked vehicles, overgrown plants, yard debris, and construction materials prevent meter readers and maintenance crews from accessing meters, causing costly delays. You can help by minimizing plantings in the area around your meters. If plantings obstruct meters, you’ll be asked to prune or remove them, or Springfield Utility Board (SUB) can do the work if you prefer.
Contact SUB at (541) 746-8451 if you are unable to find your water meter or need other assistance regarding your water meter.
Shutting Off Water
Knowing where your water meter is located and ensuring it is not obstructed will help you shut water off quickly if a pipe bursts or a major appliance fails or in non-emergency situations, such as when replacing a water heater or installing a sprinkler system.
Your home may have an interior shut-off valve in the locations listed below:
- Crawl space or basement, where the water line enters the home
- Garage where the water line enters the wall or ceiling, near the water heater or laundry hookup
- Outside near the foundations, often protected by a concrete ring or clay pipe
If no interior shut-off valve exists, you may find a customer-owned shut-off valve at the meter box on the side of the meter closest to the house. If no customer-owned shut-off valve exists, you are encouraged to install one. Only SUB employees are permitted to operate the utility-owned shut-off valve, which is located on the side of the meter closest to the street.
Water Shut Off Emergency
SUB does not allow a property owner or contractor to operate the utility-owned shut-off valve unless SUB provides approval under emergency conditions. If you have an emergency and need help shutting off your water at the meter, please call (541) 726-2396.
If a customer operates the utility-owned shut-off valve – with or without SUB’s approval – and SUB’s facilities are damaged, the property owner will be responsible for all costs to repair or replace these facilities to original conditions.
Meter Covers
Variations of Actual Meters
Please note that SUB can turn off your water at the meter during normal business hours; however, a fee applies to after-hours work. Damage to the water meter caused by anyone other than a utility staff member is the financial responsibility of the homeowner and not SUB.
