« Back to News & Notices

Why is my water bill so high?

September 20, 2024

Summer of 2024 Water Usage. Guidance from RWD Chairman, Jim Hampshire

To: PV North, PV South & Shelter Lake Homeowners.

A number of Homeowners have expressed concern about higher water bills. The summer of 2024 has been especially hot and dry.

There are five main causes that can result in a homeowner’s water bill increasing.

  1. Swimming Pools. A pool can evaporate 20,00 gallons of water a month. An auto float system automatically refills the pool water level. This may cost $146 per month.
  2. Leaking Toilet. A leaking toilet can run as much as 2 gallons a minute or 86,400 gallons per month at a cost of $630 a month. Homeowners should check every toilet in the house to insure they are not leaking water. If your sceptic sprinklers come on frequently, you may have a toilet leaking. If you are on the sewer system, you may be losing water into the sewer without seeing it. Look at the water in the bowl and see if there are small ripples in the water at the back of the bowl; if so, your toilet is leaking. If you don’t know how to check the flapper or how to adjust the water level in the toilet, Call a Plumber!
  3. Broken Water Line. If you see a wet spot or green spot in your yard between the water meter and your house, you may have a broken water line leaking. Call a Plumber!
  4. Excess Irrigation Watering. In hot summer weather, many homeowners increase their watering of trees, shrubs, and grass. Many homeowners run their sprinkler system at night and do not observe it in operation.
  5. Broken Sprinkler Head. If you see a large green spot around a sprinkler head, it may indicate that it is broken or malfunctioning. A broken sprinkler head may lose 100 gallon a minute. It is best to check the operation of your system once a month. Landscape watering may double or triple your water bill.

If you see a major increase in the number of gallons of water used on your water bill, you should evaluate the above five items for the possible cause.

Pecan Valley Rural Water District 5

Chairman of the Board, Jim Hampshire