Water Meters and Monthly Bills Meet Rural Brazilian Communities: Sociological Perspectives on Technical Objects for Water Management

•The SISAR manages a community-led water management model in Northeast Brazil.•We analyzed this model in two rural communities using Actor-Network Theory.•Two key technical objects were identified: the water meter and monthly bill.•A lack of superior guidance led local users to adopt the objects in unexpected ways.•Some used water with precaution; others did not, to their financial detriment.