Water Meters

The City of Lodi has begun installing water meters on all unmetered properties in its service area. This is in accordance with California Assembly Bill 2572, which requires the installation and use of water meters throughout the State. To date, over 11,500 residential water meters have been installed as part of the City’s Water Meter Retrofit Program. This is in addition to the existing 1,600 commercial, industrial, and institutional meters.

California Assembly Bill 2572 Purpose

AB 2572 was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in September 2004 to reduce water-waste and encourage conservation. Studies by the California Public Utilities Commission have shown that communities with metered water systems use 7 to 20% less water than non-metered areas. All residential and many commercial customers are currently charged a flat-rate fee for water, which is billed monthly, based on the number of bedrooms being served, regardless of how much water they use. For example, a single person living in a four bedroom home is being charged more than a family of four living in a three bedroom home. A metered system discourages waste and rewards conservation by accurately measuring water usage and billing each household and business based on their actual water consumption. 

Customers are probably already familiar with this type of "usage billing" for other utility services like electricity, gas and telephone.

The City of Lodi provides very high quality water to more than 63,000 people. By working to conserve this critical resource, our residents can continue to count on a reliable supply of high quality drinking water for generations to come.

State Law & the City of Lodi's Water Meter Plan

Since 1992, State law has required water meter installation as part of all new construction. In 2004, the Legislature passed AB2572, requiring all water suppliers to install water meters on all customer connections by January 1, 2025.

The law requires all metered services billed at a metered rate, so that water bills reflect water consumption. The City of Lodi currently charges residential customers a flat rate based on the number of bedrooms in the dwelling.

Water Meter Billing

Residents began receiving $300 bills for future water meter installations on April 2, 2011. The following are answers to some questions raised by residents.