Detecting Leaks

• Turn off all the water in your house.  Make sure that the toilets, the ice maker and water heater are not filling.
• Look at your meter.  If the dial is moving you have a leak.  Check all of your toilets and faucets.
• If the dial is not moving, and you DO NOT have a booster pump and pressure tank, write down the reading and wait about 15 minutes – DO NOT USE ANY WATER.
• Look at the meter again to see if any water went through it.  If no water went through it, you probably do not have a leak.   However, waiting longer between the readings will help determine if there is a slow or intermittent leak.
• If you DO have a booster pump and pressure tank:  with the water turned off at the house, monitor the pressure gauge on the tank.   If it goes down, you have a leak.   Be sure to turn off the pump power at the breaker box to keep it from running and burning out.
• To help determine where a leak is located you may want to try turning off toilets one by one and checking the meter or tank pressure after each one.
• To check for an outside leak, turn off the master valve where the water enters the house and check the meter or pressure gauge as described above.  If you do not have a master valve you can turn off everything inside your house including the toilets.

How to Read your Meter

• Your meter should be located at the edge of your property.  You will need a wrench to open the top.  Be careful when you lift the lid because there may be wires connecting the lid to the meter. It is not unusual to find insects or groundwater inside.   Inside you will find a register similar to one of the ones in the photos below.  Always replace the lid when finished.
• SR2 Meters
  • The dial spins around when water is moving through the meter.  Each pass equals one tenth of a gallon.

• iPearl Meters
  • A "+" sign in the round circle (leak indicator) below the numbers will indicate water flowing through the meter. 

• To figure your reading (shown in images above) drop the last two numbers before the decimal point & any numbers after.  
• Usage is determined by subtracting the previous reading from the present and multiplying by 100

LEAK ADJUSTMENT REQUEST FORM 

Water Adjustment 

In order to submit a request for a water adjustment, the leak must have been subsurface (not above ground or inside) and repaired. Adjustments will only be considered if the usage that was billed is at least double (2 times) the average usage that is normally billed for the account.  Adjustments only apply to one billing period, unless it is clear to staff that the leak crossed billing periods. Under no circumstances will a credit be issued for more than two (2) billing periods. Authority customers may receive up to two (2) water leak adjustments every five (5) years.  An adjustment will not be considered until the repair is made and verified by PSA personnel. The following items are required:

1. Repairs must have been made within 45 days of the billing date or notification of the leak, whichever occurs first.   
2. Request for a credit must be submitted to the office within 60 days of the billing date.
3. The leak must be verified by one of the following:
   1. An Authority employee
   2. A plumber’s bill stating what repairs were made
   3. Photograph of the leak or repairs
   4. A signed statement describing the leak, the date of the repairs, and a description of the repairs made.

Sewer Adjustment 

Sewer Adjustments are available for the following situations:

Credits are only issued for the filling of a swimming pool of 10,000 gallons or more. The billed usage must be at least 10,000 gallons greater than an average bill for the property. The sewer adjustment will be calculated at 100% of the difference between actual usage and the average consumption. In order to receive credit, customers must notify the PSA of their intent to fill the pool, the date of the pool filling, and the approximate volume of water used. This adjustment may only be given once in a calendar year.

The watering of new landscaping for newly constructed buildings. Contractors or new owners may request a one-time credit for sewer charges for water used in the initial lawn establishment for a newly constructed building. The PSA must be notified in advance by the contractor or new owner to qualify for an adjustment on the next bill.  The credit will be for 100% of the sewer charges for an unoccupied building.  For an occupied building, the PSA will bill the sewer based on an average bill for the number of occupants. This adjustment may only be given when advance notice is given to the Authority so that the amount used for such purpose can be verified by Authority Personnel.  

A water leak that is verified by Authority Personnel and that has no possible means of entering the sanitary sewer lines.  A customer may receive an adjustment of 100% of the difference between the actual sewer usage and their average consumption.  The adjustment is limited to two consecutive billing periods and customers are only eligible for an adjustment once per rolling year. The following items are required:

1. Repairs must have been made within 45 days of the billing date or notification of the leak,   whichever occurs first.   
2. Request for credit must be submitted to the office within 60 days of the billing date.
3. The leak must be verified by one of the following:
   1. An Authority employee
   2. A plumber’s bill stating what repairs were made
   3. Photograph of the leak or repairs
   4. A signed statement describing the leak, the date of the repairs, and a description of the repairs made.

If you would like to be considered for water and/or sewer adjustment, please complete the following:

Leak Adjustment Request