Today I saw an article in the Waikato Times (shown here on stuff: http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/9282623/Water-meters-may-be-closer-than-you-think) that made me think about the metering system for water.
I live in Hamilton, and have noticed over the past few years the water restrictions and the blatant flouting of the rules by some residents (not sure if home owners or renters, but who as a renter would water the lawn?)
In that sense, water meters would be a benefit for the rest of the rate payers, as they are charged for the water they use. At the moment every rate payer is lumped with the same portion of rates going to water, regardless of what we use.
Personally, if water meters go in at home i will be re-plumbing part of the house (toilet, washing machine, hose) to water tanks. I will also be installing a grey water tank under the deck and use that for the garden.
By doing so, i hope to achieve lower water rate bills, but also to reduce the loads on the system.
Currently i water the garden over summer from two 1000L tanks connected to the garage and this is more than enough to survive the summer (last summer was particularly hard).
What are your thoughts on meters? I know Tauranga had them installed and saw a big drop in water usage and no longer have the need for water restrictions. The install cost and now the upcoming replacement cost is a factor though, is it worth it, or is it worth investing in the infrastructure and fixing leaks?