I finally figured out why my water bill was so high

Last Tuesday, I noticed a small patch of my lawn in Phoenix was way greener than the rest. I checked the meter and it was spinning even with everything off inside. I dug down about a foot and found a tiny crack in the main line from the street. The plumber said it was probably leaking 20 gallons a day for weeks. Has anyone else had to fix an underground leak like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_drew1mo ago

Did the city actually refund you for the wasted water? I had a buddy in Mesa who found a leak under his driveway and the utility fought him tooth and nail over it. They ended up splitting the difference with him but it took like three months of phone tag to get anywhere.

grant4783mo ago

Glad you caught it. Those hidden leaks are brutal on the bill.

xena_bailey183mo ago

Twenty gallons a day adds up fast. Did you have to pay for all that lost water, or did the city adjust the bill? My friend in Tempe had a similar leak and they fought the utility for months.

phoenix_bailey3mo ago

Oh man, that's rough for your friend. I sent the city a copy of the plumber's invoice showing the leak repair date. They recalculated my bill based on my normal past usage, not the spike. It took two billing cycles to see the credit, but I didn't have to argue. Just had to show the proof.