LEAKS

Fixing Leaks Protects the Supply of Water

Even a little leak can waste a lot of water and money on your water bill. City of Fort Bragg staff will notify you of a suspected leak after your monthly meter reading if 24 hours of continuous water use has been detected or your usage is significantly higher than normal. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 10% of households have leaks wasting 90 gallons of water per day or more. Checking for and fixing leaks is often easy. We can help. Thank you for being diligent partners in protecting our water supply by finding and fixing leaks!

See video below on how to check for leaks:

LEAKS CAN RUN, BUT THEY CAN'T HIDE. BE A LEAK DETECTIVE

CHECK FOR LEAKS

1.  Check your toilets and irrigation system.

These are common sources of leaks. Open the tank on the back of the toilet and add several drops of food coloring, or use the FREE toilet leak detection kits available at our office during business hours. Wait 15 minutes. If colored water shows up in the toilet bowl, there is a leak. Replace or re-adjust the flapper and check for leaks again. 

Check your irrigation system while it is both off and on. Things to look for that indicate leaks include tall vegetation or moss growing around sprinkler heads, wet spots on soil or pavement, eroding soil, dry spots in your lawn, etc. 


2.  Use your water meter

Follow our meter reading instructions to help verify if you have a leak.


3.  Get help

Schedule a FREE water meter profile call with our finance department. We can help you confirm if you have a leak and offer advice on how to address it.  You can also hire a local professional plumber if you know you have a leak, but can't find it.



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FIX YOUR LEAKS

1.  Do-it-yourself

Depending on what kind of leak you have and how handy you are, you may be able to fix your leak on your own. You can find how-to videos and other helpful local resources at WaterSavingTips.org.

2.  Leave it to the professionals

Hire a local plumber to fix your leak. The cost eventually pays for itself in money saved on your water bill! 

Apply for an Adjustment to Your Bill

Once the leak has been fixed, the Finance department will grant an adjustment for a leak or unexplained high water use once annually. Adjustments are applied as a credit to the customer’s account and are not available as a refund unless the account is closed.  If you have experienced a leak or unexplained high water use, please fill out the LEAK ADJUSTMENT FORM to qualify. Email the form to water@fortbragg.com.

See our LEAK ADJUSTMENT POLICY