Tobies to be replaced in Stratford as water metering streams ahead
Stratford District Council (SDC) is installing new manifolds, also known as tobies, at properties in Stratford from mid-April 2024 through to March 2025. The work is part of the move to an electronic metering system in Stratford township, so we can read meters automatically, identify leaks easier and faster, and move towards a fairer system of charging for the provision of water.
SDC Services Asset Manager John Cooper says, “Council has already started universal water metering for users of our Toko and Midhirst water supplies and it’s been a great success so far.”
“We’ve been able to save a significant amount of water already by identifying and fixing leaks, which would otherwise have continued to go unnoticed. We’re pretty excited to see how the Stratford stage of the project is going to improve our overall water supply.” Letters to let affected residents know when they can expect the work to take place, will be delivered before the installation of the manifold at their property boundary. Sections of the reticulation network will need to be periodically shut-off for the installations, but residents don’t need to be at home at the time.
Once people get their letter, it’s important they let us know if their property needs uninterrupted use of water for medical reasons, or if they’re a business operating under the Health Act, so SDC can make sure water is available during the manifold installation.
John says that the installation of manifolds is just one step in SDC’s larger project to introduce universal water metering to Stratford, and people shouldn’t be concerned that they’re instantly going to be charged a whole heap of money for their water use.
“The way we’re going to structure our fees for Stratford will be part of a future Annual Plan process and residents can have their say on what we propose. Council will also make sure that people have time to track and make changes to their water use before we start metered charging,” John says.
For more information about our universal water meter project, visit