Non-urban metering

From 1 April 2019 water users need to comply with the requirement for new and replacement meters, faulty meters and inactive works under the NSW Government's new metering rules.

By 1 December 2020 water users across NSW with surface water pumps 500mm and above, need to have their metering equipment installed and certified by a DQP.

By 1 December 2021, all works in the northern inland regions need to have their metering equipment installed and certified by a DQP.

The following groundwater sources are included in this regional rollout date:

• NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources
• Northern Western Unregulated and Fractured Rock Water Sources
• NSW Great Artesian Basin Shallow Groundwater Sources
• NSW Murray–Darling Basin Fractured Rock Groundwater Sources
• NSW Murray–Darling Basin Porous Rock Groundwater Sources

Read more about at-risk groundwater sources here.

By 1 June 2023, all works in the southern inland regions need to have their metering equipment installed and certified by a DQP.

Read more about at-risk groundwater sources here.

By 1 December 2024, all works in the coastal regions will need to have their metering equipment installed and certified by a DQP.

View the list of exemptions to the metering rules below.

• Works used solely to take water under a basic landholder right (BLR)
• Inactive works
• Works that cannot physically comply with the non-urban metering rules
• Works that are not nominated against a water access licence
• Small, low-risk works used solely to take water under a stock and domestic water access licence (Note: This is a temporary exemption until 1 December 2024)
• Works required to connect to telemetry but are in a telemetry blackspot area.

For more information regarding exemptions please visit the NSW DCCEEW website.

Under the new metering rules you’ll need to be fitted with a pattern approved meter by your rollout date.

See this list of pattern-approved non-urban water meters (PDF) by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

If your existing meter was installed before 1 April 2019, it may be possible to keep it. Read more from NSW DCCEEW about how to keep your existing meter.

Telemetry is the most efficient way of reporting water usage.

A local intelligence device (LID) uses telemetry to automatically transmit usage data from your meter to NSW DCCEEW, NRAR and WaterNSW.

If you install telemetry on your LID, your annual telemetry service charge of $254.80* will be automatically credited on your WaterNSW bill each year until you reach the total rebate amount of $975 - just over four years. The rebate is not available to water users with a government-owned meter.

*This is the annual telemetry service charge between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, and is subject to change thereafter.

Read more about telemetry here.

LIDs:

Surface water works (with the exception of pumps below 100mm that are not part of the multiple pump threshold), need to be fitted with a compatible LID under the new metering rules.

Contact a DQP to discuss your LID needs.

Your data:

WaterNSW collects and stores the data we receive from compatible LIDs in a secure cloud-based, data acquisition service (DAS).

Your data will be used by NRAR, NSW DCCEEW and WaterNSW to help with billing, compliance and other water management activities.

Read more information in the DAS user guide (PDF).

DQPs, also known as certified meter installers (CMIs) are trained to install metering equipment and ensure it’s working properly.

They can also give you advice about the best metering equipment to use and help you comply with the new metering rules.

You must use a DQP to install and validate your metering equipment.

Find a DQP Find a Hydrographer

DQPs will use our DQP portal to complete and submit the forms and certificates required to show that your metering equipment is compliant with the new rules. DQPs can access the portal here.

After each rollout date, all water users, even those who have installed a meter, may have ongoing recording and reporting requirements that are required under clauses 244, 244A and 250 of the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018.

To understand your ongoing recording and reporting requirements, please use our online interactive recording and reporting tool. Our easy-to-use tool will ask you three simple questions to determine what your ongoing recording and reporting requirements are.

Find more information on recording and reporting

Our 24/7 online Water Accounting System (iWAS) allows you to easily access and manage your water account anywhere, anytime. The easiest way to complete your recording requirements is by using iWAS. Login or register to complete your requirements today!

All regulated river licence holders need to place a water order before pumping water. Any water take (determined by your meter reading), will need to be linked to a water order.

As part of the non-urban metering framework, WaterNSW will continue to manage the compliance and ongoing maintenance of existing government-owned meters.

We are committed to making sure these meters are compliant under the NSW non-urban water metering framework.

If you are currently using a government-owned meter, we’ll be in touch before your rollout date. However if you have any questions regarding your government-owned meter, please contact us on 1300 662 077 or email meter.maintenance@waternsw.com.au.

If you no longer want WaterNSW to provide and manage your government-owned meter, please complete this online opt-out form and we will contact you to discuss the next steps

Please note if you opt-out of the government-owned meter program you will be responsible for your metering equipment and ongoing compliance obligations, this includes engaging your own DQP.

You can find more information using our:

• Government-owned meter - fact sheet
• Government-owned meter - meter service charge fact sheet
• Government-owned meter - buried meter fact sheet
• Government-owned meter - S91i process fact sheet

If you’re not using your work, you can make it inactive and be exempt from the new metering rules. Once it’s inactive, you won’t be able to use it to take licensed water.

Unregulated and groundwater customers will be billed on a one-part tariff once the work is made inactive.

Note: A work that has not been constructed does not need to be made inactive.

To make a work active again, you’ll need to provide evidence that your work is compliant with the non-urban metering rules.

Complete this form to make your work inactive.

Read more about inactive and active works here.

It is your responsibility to check whether the size and type of work installed on your property is the same as what is listed on your approval. You can view your approval details by visiting the NSW Water Register.

Notify us if you have a smaller work

Some water users may have works installed which are smaller than what is listed on their approval. Under recent amendments to the metering regulations water users can now notify us of the actual size of their work if it is smaller than what is listed on their approval. This means that you will be required to comply with the installed size, not the size listed on your approval.

Notify us of a smaller work

Please note: By notifying us that you have a smaller work installed than what is listed on your approval, this does not amend your approval. Therefore, the fee associated with amending a work approval does not apply.

What if your work is larger than what is listed on your approval?

If your work is larger than what is listed on your approval, you are in breach of your approval conditions and may be subject to NRAR compliance checks.

You can apply to amend your approval to increase the authorised work size here. However please note, this is subject to the regular assessment process.

For more information, please visit NSW DCCEEW website.

Follow these three steps if your metering equipment isn’t working properly:

1. Report the faulty meter to us within 24 hours of noticing it isn't working properly.

Report a faulty meter using our s91i self-reporting form.

Please note:

• You’ll need to specify how you’ll measure water while your meter is faulty
• If you don’t report a faulty meter within 24 hours, it’s a breach of the Water Management Act 2000
• If you have a government-owned meter, please email meter.maintenance@waternsw.com.au, to provide WaterNSW permission to manage the s91i process on your behalf. WaterNSW will provide updates on the status of the repairs and you will be required to maintain a logbook for the duration of the s91i.

2. Repair or replace the meter within 21 days and have it certified by a DQP.

If you can’t repair or replace the meter within 21 days of reporting it, you can apply for an extension.

Click here to apply for an extension.

Find a DQP here.

3. Submit a completion form within 28 days of repairing or replacing your equipment including:

• The log book used to record water taken while the meter was faulty
• A copy of the validation certificate completed by the DQP
• Up to two photos of the new or repaired metering equipment

Submit a completion form.

Read more about faulty meters here.