View Leak Detection Tips Infographic as PDF(PDF, 915KB)
Most household water leaks are due to toilets or irrigation systems. You can detect these leaks before they impact your water bill using these steps:
Test Your Toilets Regularly:
1. Put dye in toilet tank (Remove the tank lid and put in several drops of food coloring.)
2. Wait 30 minutes (Do not flush. This allows time for dye to travel from the tank to the bowl.)
3. Check bowl for dye (If the dye has seeped into the toilet bowl you have a toilet leak and likely need a new flapper valve.)
Did you know? Toilets can leak/run without you hearing it! Toilets can leak as much as 300 gallons per hour!
Irrigation:
If the leak is not your toilet(s), it may be on your irrigation system.
1. Turn off the shut off valve to completely cut water to the irrigation system. (Just turning off a cycling mechanism will not stop a leak.)
2. After a day or two with no water pressurizing the irrigation system, check your water use in WaterSmart to see if the leak stopped. If it stopped, you have an irrigation leak.
Did you know? Irrigation systems can leak even when the system is not cycling/on!
Sign up for Leak Alerts
Have you signed up for the WaterSmart customer portal? Customers can now log on to view their water use and set up leak alerts. Alerts can help you detect your leaks ASAP! Visit santacruz.watersmart.com to register or log in.
Contact (831)420-5230 or WTCA@santacruzca.gov for help signing up for WaterSmart or information about other common leak detection steps.
View Leak Detection Tips Infographic as PDF(PDF, 915KB)
Santa Cruz Municipal Utilities (SCMU) accepts applications for Leak Bill Adjustments from customers who have experienced a high bill due to an extraordinary water loss event, such as a service line leak. The application for Leak Bill Adjustment can be found on the WaterSmart Portal.
Please review the examples below to see if your leak may qualify for adjustment, or skip to the full Leak Bill Adjustment Policy.
If you are applying for a Leak Bill Adjustment on a dedicated irrigation account, visit the Irrigation-Only Account Leak Bill Adjustment Application.
Examples of Qualifying Leaks
If your total water bill during the time of the leak does not exceed Tier 1 for your customer type, then the leak volume does not qualify for a re-rate.
You can find more information about our billing rates HERE.
| Example of Leak |
Qualify for Leak Adjustment? |
| Dripping hose bib or hose left on |
No |
| Leak ran for more than 30 days |
No |
| Underground service line or behind wall pipe bursts. Total bill does not exceed Tier 1 |
No. This does qualify as extraordinary, but the water billed for the month does not exceed Tier 1 |
| Underground service line or behind wall pipe bursts. Total bill exceeds Tier 1 |
Yes. The volume of the leak will be calculated and re-rated at the lowest tier available
Example bill adjustment calculation: If the leak was 8 CCFs, and 5 of those CCFs were billed at a Tier 2 level ($14.98/CCF), those 5 CCFs would be re-rated at the Tier 1 rate ($11.01/CCF). Resulting in a re-rate bill credit of approximately $19.40 ($14.98 x 5 – $11.01 x 5 = $19.40).
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I know if my leak is eligible for Leak Adjustment?
First, to be eligible the leak must be “out of your control,” meaning the leak is behind a wall, under a structure (house or building), or on a mainline (to the house or to an irrigation system). Leaks that can be seen, such as running toilets, faulty irrigation timers, leaking irrigation systems, and/or forgotten hoses are not eligible.
Second, the leak must be of a high enough volume that you are billed at one of the higher Tier 2 or Tier 3 rate levels. To be eligible for Leak Adjustment, your bill for the billing period when the leak occurred must exceed Tier 1. If it does not exceed Tier 1, a bill adjustment cannot occur since you are already being charged the lowest rate (i.e., no adjustment can be made).
Third, the leak has been repaired. You will be asked to provide documentation of the repair work completed. Acceptable documentation may include before-and-after photographs of the leak and its repair and/or a plumber’s invoice.
How are Leak Adjustments calculated?
If your leak is “out of your control” and your bill during the leak period exceeds Tier 1, SCMU staff will use data from your water meter to determine how much of your water use during the billing period was the leaked water. The cost of that leak volume that was charged at the Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 rate will then be re-rated to the Tier 1 rate. If your water bill does not exceed Tier 1, you will not be able to receive a re-rate. Once the re-rate dollar amount is calculated, you will receive a bill credit on your account in that amount.
What does it mean to "exceed" Tier 1?
Residential and Irrigation customers are billed using volumetric rates, which means you are charged a higher rate as you use more water. The lowest volumetric rate is Tier 1. To be eligible for a Leak Bill Adjustment, your bill for the billing period when the leak occurred must exceed Tier 1. If your bill does not exceed Tier 1, a leak adjustment cannot occur since you are already being charged the lowest rate (i.e., no adjustment can be made). You will be able to see if you exceed Tier 1 by looking at your SCMU bill.
Can a business account apply for Leak Adjustment?
Yes, if you have an SCMU business account within the City of Santa Cruz, and your leak was “out of your control” (meaning behind a wall, under the building, or on the main water line supplying the building), you can apply for Leak Adjustment. Instead of a leak adjustment on your water use, business accounts (with a qualifying leak) will receive a discount on their sewage rates based on the volume of the water leak. SCMU business accounts that do not receive sewage services from SCMU (i.e., outside of the City of Santa Cruz) will not be eligible to apply for a Leak Bill Adjustment.
Can an Irrigation-only account apply for Leak Adjustment?
Yes, but only if the leak was on the main water line that supplies water to the irrigation system. Leaks within the irrigation system, such as irrigation timer malfunction, a stuck valve, a broken pipe, or a blown sprinkler head, are not eligible for Leak Bill Adjustment.
Is there a limit to the number of times I can apply for a Leak Adjustment?
No. If you have the unfortunate experience of more than one significant plumbing leak that is out of your control (mainline, in a wall, or under a building), you would be allowed to apply again and receive another re-rate credit without any calendar restrictions.
Why did SCMU change from Leak Forgiveness to Leak Bill Adjustment?
All SCMU customers now have access to electronic data from their water meter and have been encouraged to sign up for WaterSmart leak alerts. This means that the most common leaks are now within customers’ control, as customers can more closely monitor their water use and receive leak notifications before the leak significantly impacts their bill. By making this change, SCMU is better aligned with industry standards, and is minimizing the financial impact that leaks have on SCMU’s operating costs.
Leak Bill Adjustment Policy
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define the conditions which authorize the granting of billing adjustments related to leaks.
Policy
It is the Department’s policy to grant a billing adjustment for extraordinary and non-recurrent plumbing problems which are beyond the customer’s control. Billing adjustments may be granted only when the Department finds all of the following conditions to exist:
(1) A written request for consideration of a billing adjustment has been received in a timely manner;
The customer shall apply for a leak billing adjustment on forms provided by the Department. The Department shall only accept adjustment forms received no more than 30 days after the utility bill date of the first billing cycle containing the leak. Failure to receive and respond to the bill in a timely fashion for reasons including, but not limited to, disruptions in mail delivery, online access problems, or the customer being out of town does not justify an extension.
(2) The plumbing leak was outside of the customer’s control;
The Department shall consider only below-floor or foundation, behind-wall, or underground service line leaks to be outside of a customer’s control. Leaks occurring anywhere on the customer’s plumbing system that can be accessed, monitored or maintained (e.g. toilets, faucets, plumbing fixture supply lines) are considered to be within the customer’s control. Furthermore, irrigation system leaks, including any components installed underground, shall likewise be deemed to be within the customer’s control. Inefficient or unintentional water use (e.g. a hose left running, irrigation cycle errors, etc.) does not constitute a plumbing leak and is not eligible for a leak billing adjustment.
(3) The plumbing leak was extraordinary;
The Department shall consider a leak to be extraordinary when the leak is newly emerged and lasts less than 30 days. Leaks which last more than 30 days are considered ongoing (i.e. not extraordinary) and are not subject to consideration. It shall be the customer’s responsibility to enable leak alerting and respond timely to leak alerts. In instances where a leak is not detected by the metering system, the Department shall evaluate the circumstances of the ongoing leak on a case-by-case basis and consider a billing adjustment not to exceed 45 days of leaked consumption.
(4) The leak has been repaired.
The Department shall consider the leak repaired upon the customer’s submission of a written description of the time, extent, and circumstances of the leak, how it was fixed, and supporting documentation of the repair. The customer’s leak description and repair documentation must be included in the leak billing adjustment form provided by the Department. Acceptable documentation may include before-and-after photographs of the leak and its repair and/or a plumber’s invoice. Absent sufficient documentation of the repair, the Department may request further proof of the repair including, but not limited to, visual confirmation of the repair by Department staff, corroboration of the repair by a repairperson (if other than the customer), or proof of purchase of repair parts.
Where the customer has satisfactorily met all the above conditions for consideration of a leak billing adjustment, the volume of the leak will be determined, and a billing adjustment will be processed. The Department shall utilize hourly or quarter hourly meter reading data to calculate the leak volume and adjust the water consumption-based charges of the leak to the lowest volumetric charge available for the customer class. For customers with variable quantity sewer rates, the department shall adjust the quantity sewer rate to the volume attributed to regular non-leak consumption. When hourly or quarter hourly meter reading data is not available to calculate the leak volume, a comparison of the service period containing the leak to the account’s regular non-leak consumption shall be used as an estimate of the leak volume. The Department shall not consider a billing adjustment in instances where metering equipment has been damaged or tampered with.
Effective Date
This policy shall be effective January 1, 2026, and remain effective until revised or rescinded.