Water Meters

Had a  phone call from a homeowner who objected to having had to call Bellingham Public Works to shut off his water at his meter. He explained to me that he should be able to shut off his water at his meter any time he wants because it's his water and his water meter.

While meters are new to Bellingham, they aren't new to the rest of the county or even the nation. Go 1" outside of City of Bellingham boundaries and everyone has a water meter. So therefore, like our beloved Traffic Guy, I'll explain the oh-so-obvious facts.

1. It ain't your water meter. The meter belongs to the company/agency/city that sells you water.

2. Since it ain't your water meter, you can't touch it. If you do and it breaks, you're in a World of Hurt. There are fines and much ridicule for breaking their meters. The reason for this seemingly fascist law is that the water meter is attached to the infrastructure that serves everyone else. Again, it ain't your meter.

3. You buy the water only after it passes through the meter. Everything after the meter, is yours: pipes, water, usage, everything.

I did install a water shut off under that caller's house for under $500.00.

Bellingham Wa water meter

Bellingham Wa water meter