Find a Hidden Water Leak in Your Pueblo Home (Water Meter Test)
Your Pueblo Board of Water Works street meter is the most reliable tool for confirming a hidden supply-line leak. Every gallon that leaves the distribution system passes through that meter, including water lost to a slab leak, a pinhole in copper pipe, or a buried underground main line break. If the meter moves with every fixture and appliance off, water is going somewhere it should not.
This tool quantifies that loss using real Pueblo Water 2026 rates and points to the most likely source based on the flow rate. It works for any reading unit your meter displays. If your water bill has doubled with no obvious cause, this is the right first step. If the meter shows no movement but your bill is still elevated, the cause may be intermittent and may require professional acoustic detection.
How to Run the Meter Test
- Turn off every water fixture and appliance in the home, including the dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker, and any irrigation timers.
- Walk out to your Pueblo Board of Water Works street meter (the rectangular box set into the ground near the curb) and write down the current reading exactly.
- Wait at least 2 hours without using any water. Four hours gives a more reliable reading for slow leaks.
- Read the meter again and enter both numbers below.
Enter Your Meter Readings
Frequently Asked Questions
Pueblo Board of Water Works meters sit in a rectangular metal or plastic box set into the ground near the curb. Lift the lid and you will find either an odometer-style dial showing total gallons or cubic feet, or a digital display. Write down the full number including all digits. To test for a leak, note the reading, wait two hours with every fixture off, then read again. Any increase with no water use confirms an active supply-side leak.
A slow dripping faucet wastes roughly 20 to 30 gallons per day, about 600 to 900 gallons per month. A running toilet wastes 200 to 1,400 gallons per day depending on the flapper failure. An active slab leak can waste 1,400 to 4,300 gallons per day. Pueblo Water bills in tiers, so large losses push consumption into higher rate bands and the bill impact compounds.
Yes. A running toilet passes water from the supply line through the tank and into the bowl continuously, and every gallon registers at the street meter. With all other fixtures closed, a moderately running toilet will show measurable meter movement within 15 to 30 minutes. If you isolate the toilet by closing its supply shut-off and the meter movement stops, that confirms the toilet as the source.
An intermittent leak may not be active during your test window. A toilet flapper that only seeps after a flush, or a supply valve that weeps only under certain pressure conditions, can cause a higher bill without showing on a static meter test. Re-run the test over a longer period (4 or more hours), or call for professional acoustic electronic detection that identifies low-flow leaks the meter test may miss.
Yes. A slab leak is a supply-line failure under the concrete foundation, and supply-side water passes through the street meter. The meter will show movement with all fixtures off if a slab leak is active. The meter test confirms the leak exists; professional acoustic and thermal detection then locates it precisely before any concrete is opened.