Automated Meter Read (AMR) Meters

Meter Reading

The City of Oxnard attempts to read your meter monthly (generally every 27 to 33 days) to record the amount of water delivered to your residence or business. 

Automated Meter Reading (AMR) meters  

Leveraging advanced technology is just one example of the many ways the City of Oxnard’s Water Resources Division is demonstrating its commitment to “meeting the challenges of tomorrow, through better planning today”. In 2001, the Water Resources Division began installing Automated Meter Reading (AMR) meters.

The biggest benefit of this program is by far the time savings gained in reading meters. Once installed, meter readings are accomplished by simply driving past the meter location. The meters transmit a radio signal that automatically transfers billing data to receivers our meter readers carry on their routes. These meters allow the Water Resources Division to collect billing data much more quickly and accurately.

Learn How to Read Your Meter

To help you understand how much water your home or business uses, you will want to know how to read your meter. Reading your own meter helps to conserve water, detect leaks, and even determines the amount of water used by your outdoor sprinklers.

To read your meter use the following tips: 

• The meter is usually located near the curb, sidewalk or alley.
• Usually it is in the ground, housed in a concrete box marked WATER.
• Carefully remove the meter box lid using a tool such as a large screwdriver. Be careful to watch for insects,
  particularly spiders. Some meters have covers over the face of the meter; lift this cap to see the meter.
• When you have finished reading the meter, put the meter cap down and carefully replace the meter box cover.

Reading Your Meter
Reading your residential water meter is similar to reading the odometer in your car. Most meters have a eight-digit number on the face called the readout. Read all the numbers from left to right that appear above the words “Cubic Feet.” The first digit on the left, before the dicimal, represents one cubic foot, the second from the left represents 10 cubic feet, the third from the left represents 100 cubic feet, or one HCF, and so on. This shows the total of water used since the meter was installed. This figure is in hundred cubic feet (HCF). 1 HCF=748 gallons. (see illustration).

Determine your Water Use
To calculate your water use, pick a starting point at which to read your meter; record the reading and date. A day or two later, read your meter again. Subtract the first reading from the second to find out how much water was used.
* We’ve provided a worksheet here which will help to calculate your household water use using the steps below.

Water Equivalents Table

Check for Household Leaks
The little red triangle or circle on the face of the meter is a low flow indicator. It will rotate with even a very low flow through the meter. To check for leaks, turn off all known water uses inside and outside the house. If you have an automatic ice maker, make sure it is not operating. When all water is turned off, the low flow indicator should not move. 

If the low flow indicator is moving, there is water flowing somewhere on your property. Try turning off the house shut-off valve (usually located where the waterline enters the house). If the low flow indicator is still moving, there is water flowing outside the house (most likely the irrigation system). If the low flow indicator stops moving with the house valve off, water is flowing inside the house (this could be a toilet leak, a leaky pipe, or any number of problems).

For tips on saving water, go to the water conservation page.