Homeowners Hamper Access to Water Meters

Every year employees with the City’s utilities division make repairs on and/or replace thousands of water meters in the Arvada water system.   Unfortunately, every year the staff also finds a number of meter pits that are inaccessible due to landscaping changes.

Water meter pits are usually located one to two feet behind the sidewalk and are covered by round lids with the imprinted words “water meter.”   Access to the water meter is needed not only to ensure that each property owner is being billed properly, but also to provide emergency turnoffs (such as a broken internal pipe) when residents are not home or are unable to turn water off inside the house.

Homeowners should keep in mind that City staff need access to the meter lids.  Accordingly, bushes, trees, walls, fencing, and other forms of landscaping should be designed to allow an access space of at least two feet from the sides of the meter lid.  A bush or tree placed too close to the meter pit may grow into an asymmetrical shape due to the need to trim the plant along the meter pit side.

Please help maintain access to your water meter by keeping bushes and trees trimmed away from the meter lid, and by clearing snow and ice off the meter lid.

For more information contact the City’s utilities division at 720-898-7792.