Meter Tampering is Against the Law

Meter tampering is not only against the law in Virginia, it can wreak havoc in a water system. The photo on the left shows an S bar or Cross bar that the PSA crew removed from one of our customer's meter boxes recently. The customer had illegally installed a shutoff valve on the S bar and the valve eventually began leaking. By the time we found it, it had leaked an estimated 300,000 gallons at a rate of approximately 10,000 gallons per day. The $ bill shown gives perspective not only on the size of the piping but also on the significant cost to the PSA and our customers in terms of time and money. The only thing our water customers are allowed to do as far as their water meters/boxes are concerned is turn off the water in case of a leak or plumbing repair, and check the flow through their meter (pictured on the right). We appreciate the large majority of PSA customers who cooperate with us and do not tamper with their meter box.