Leak detection kits are available at the Customer Service Counter.  For assistance, please contact Customer Service Division at
(972) 721-2411. See the Drought Contingency and Water Conservation Plans

• Checking your meter for leaks

• Toilet Leaks

• Faucet Leaks

• Sprinkler Leaks

• Adjustments for costs of water leaks

Remember that you can still have a leak even if you do not visibly see a leak or your water meter moving.

Checking Your Meter for Leaks

Water meters measure the amount of water that flows from the water main into each home. Water meters are read once each month for billing. To determine the total gallons of water used during the month, subtract last month's reading from this month's figures.

Your water meter is the best way to tell whether you have a leak, how bad your leak is, and how much water your appliances use.

If you have one of the newer meters, you can easily check for a leak yourself. First, turn off all running water.

On your water meter there is a small pinwheel, triangle, or circle on the register. This is a low flow indicator. If this indicator is moving after you have shut off all running water, then you have a leak. Be aware that toilets, faucets, and lawn sprinklers do not always leak.

Note: If you notice water spewing from the meter or the meter connections (the nuts and bolts that connect the meter to the cut-off valve or your water line) call the city for repair at (972) 721-2261. If you notice a leak on the line that goes to your house, call a plumber.

Toilet Leaks

Toilet leaks can waste as much as two hundred gallons of water a day.

When there is a leak in your toilet, you usually can not see or hear it. When a toilet has a leak, it will drain to a certain point in the tank, and then run to fill the tank again. It will then shut off until it leaks down to the same point.

If you suspect you have a leaky toilet, add some food coloring to the tank and let it sit for half an hour. Then check the bowl to see if the water has changed color, which would indicate a leak.

Faucet Leaks

A steady drip form a faucet can waste as much as twenty gallons a day. If your faucet has an old gasket, it may require a lot of pressure to shut it off fully. With different people using the faucet, it may not always be shut off completely, so be sure to check that your faucets aren't running.

Sprinkler Leaks

Sprinkler heads sometimes remain partially open leaking unseen water on to the lawn. When they are turned on again, the valve may then close properly. Lawn sprinkler heads use between 3 and 5 gallons per minute, which adds up very quickly.

Suggestion: Read your water meter before you turn on your system and then read it when it has shut off. Subtract the two numbers to see how many gallons of water the sprinkler heads have used.

Adjustments

If you do find a leak on your property the Customer Service Division (972) 721-2411 can help alleviate the cost of the wasted water by giving one leak adjustment per calendar year for up to two months service.

The customer must provide a copy of receipt for the repair to Customer Service. This should include what the problem was and the date of the repair. Customer Service will then use an average from the months prior to the problem to figure the adjusted amount.