Water Meters

Meters at Your Service Location

The City of Jackson uses Hershey meters. Water meters measure units of water. A unit of water is 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons. In most cases, the water meter is generally located in the ground near the curb in front of your residential property.

Reading Your Water Meter

To read the meter, remove the lid from your water meter box at the curbside. Be careful -- lids can be heavy and sometimes bugs and small animals hide inside the meter boxes. Replace the lid each time you finish looking at the meter to avoid a safety hazard.

Since we bill by units (100 cubic feet) of water, the last two numbers on the register are not read for billing. Unfortunately, not all meters are the same. The sweep hand (the black pointed hand) may measure tenths of a cubic foot or one cubic foot or other amounts depending on the meter size.

Leaks & Leak Detection

Both residential and commercial accounts lose a significant amount of water every year to leaks. The average residential home loses 14% of the water delivered to leaks.

Water leaks at commercial facilities can often waste much larger volumes of water because of their increased water service size and complexity of tracking water on site.

Checking for leaks and monitoring your water and sewer bills closely can help reduce the likelihood leaks will go unnoticed. In an average residence, 22 gallons of water are lost to leakage each day, and the most common culprits are leaking toilets or dripping faucets. This daily leakage volume is about equal to the amount of drinking water a family of 3 needs for two full weeks! The annual water and sewer cost for 22 gallons of leakage is $70 per household.

Courtesy Leak Adjustment

Customers may qualify for bill adjustments when property-side leaks impact utility bills. Each account is eligible to receive one adjustment during a 12-month period for an underground or outdoor leak that does not go into the sewer system and one adjustment for a leak that does go into the sewer system (such as a toilet leak). Customers may request adjustments after leaks have been repaired. A city staff person will check the water meter to verify that the leak has been fixed.

Customers must make reasonable efforts to locate the leak and initiate repairs within 30 days of the city's or customer's initial notification of increased usage. Repairs must be completed within 90 days after the customer was notified of increased usage. 

Exceptions for extraordinary circumstances may be considered through the appeal process. Water loss due to theft, vandalism, and construction damage is not covered and is the responsibility of the customer. Contact Customer Service at 601-960-2000 to report a leak or if you have further questions. Fax repair statements to 601-960-1130. Please add your name, address, water/sewer account, and a brief explanation of what was repaired number on the fax.