We had an electrician friend upgrade our service panel and install grounding rods. I've read that you have to drive the rod flush to or below ground. Please see these pictures. Is this okay? Do I need to be concerned?
The conduit has copper on the inside and there is bare copper at the connection point of the grounding rod.
Also, do I need to find the water meter so that I put a jumper across it?
The rod must be at least 8 feet in the ground, and should be below or flush with the ground level. If the electrode is above the ground, it has to be protected from physical damage.
So if the rod is 8 feet in the ground, you'll simply have to protect the aboveground portion from physical damage.
National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation.
(G) Rod and Pipe Elecgtrodes. The electrode shall be installed such that at least 2.44 m (8 ft) of length is in contact with the soil. It shall be driven to a depth of not less than 2.44 m (8 ft)... The upper end of the electrode shall be flush with or below ground level unless the aboveground end and the grounding electrode conductor attachment are protected against physical damage as specified in 250.10.
250.10 Protection of Ground Clamps and Fittings. Ground clamps or other fittings exposed to physical damage shall be enclosed in metal, wood, or equivalent protective covering.
At one time piping to the house and in the house were metal, copper, galvanized, black. Jumping over the meter was required. Now a lot of service to the water meter is plastic. PVS, Pex, well pipe (black) etc. If you have any type of plastic pipe coming into your meter, then jumping the meter is useless.
