Queenstown Lakes District Council utilities manager Mark Kunath told the Wanaka Community Board yesterday that every month the council fielded a "high number" of requests for service from Lakes Engineering by residents who could not locate their toby, or water mains tap.
The tap turns off the water supply to a property.
Mr Kunath suspected most of the people who rang the council could have found their toby themselves.
"It can cost $200 [in time] and we are looking at charging for location requests," he said.
Board chairman Lyal Cocks agreed with Mr Kunath that people should be able to find their property's water toby.
"It should be like your mains power switch - everyone should know where it is,"
"In most cases, it [the toby] is just inside the property, or just outside," Mr Kunath said.
Council customer services staff received 203 requests for service during May, including 28 relating to lost tobies.
