Metering water use

If you are a water licence holder, the volume of water taken under your licence must be measured using a water meter. As a water licence holder, you are responsible for installing and maintaining your water meter(s).

Measuring water use accurately is important for the long-term sustainable management of our precious water resources needed for agriculture, industries, regional communities and water-dependent ecosystems. It also helps water users remain within water allocation limits.

For assistance with:

• submitting a meter reading please go here.
• notifying the department of work or changes to your meter please go here.

Relevant policies and legislation

• All meters must comply with the South Australian Licensed Water Use Meter Specification.
• The South Australian Licensed Water Use Meter Policy sets out the State Government’s overarching position on metering licensed water use.
• The legislative powers and provisions relating to metering licensed water use can be found in the Landscape South Australia (Water Management) Regulations 2020 and the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.

From 1 July 2019, all new and replacement meters for licensed water use must comply with national metering standards.

This means that water meters must be:

• pattern approved,
• validated by a certified person following installation - a list of current certified installers/validators can be found here, and
• maintained in accordance with national metering standards.

Meters installed before 1 July 2019 must comply with the relevant State-wide requirements in the South Australian Licensed Water Use Meter Specification.

To assist you in understanding your metering obligations, please refer to the ‘User Guide to the South Australian Licensed Water Use Meter Specification’ and our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

South Australia reports annually on progress regarding implementing the national metering standards. View the report.

Validation information

All meter installations must be validated by a nationally accredited and certified meter installer (CMI) who must complete and provide a validation certificate within 28 days of the installation of a meter. Validation certificates can be found here.

When a certified person performs a validation on a new or replacement meter, they are required to install security seals on the meter installation. The type of seal to be used must be a South Australian Government badged security seal purchased through Irrigation Australian Limited.

Metering exemptions and flexibility

The South Australian Licensed Water Use Metering Policy requires all licensed water use to be metered, resulting in approximately 95% being metered. However, in limited low risk circumstances, exemption from metering may be granted (for example stock and domestic water sources or to permit water use from multiple sources to be recorded through a single meter). All exemptions are consistent with national guidelines described in the 'Best Practice Guidelines for Minimum Metering Thresholds'.

Metering exemptions or flexibility can be granted upon application by the licence holder(s). Where metering exemptions or flexibility applies, further details can be found in the meter implementation plan for that area (meter implementation plans are listed below under ‘further information’). In instances where the requirement to meter is exempt, the associated allocation is deemed as 100% used (e.g., if the allocation is 50ML, then 50ML is deemed used) which has implications for carry over and allocation trades/transfers.

Further information

• Fact sheet for Validators
• Fact sheet: Overview of National Metering Standards
• User guide – South Australian Licensed Water Use Meter Specification
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): South Australia's Metering Framework
• Meter Implementation Plan for the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse
• Meter implementation plan for the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area
• Meter implementation plan for the Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area
• How to read your meter fact sheet
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Barossa Prescribed Water Resources Area
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Clare Valley Prescribed Water Resources Area
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Mallee and Peake, Roby and Sherlock Prescribed Wells Areas
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas
• Meter Implementation Plan for the Central Adelaide Prescribed Wells Area
• South Australia’s progress implementing AS4747 compliance

Contact us

Please contact the appropriate water licensing office if you have any further questions regarding your metering obligations.