Saving Cents … and Making Sense of Your Monthly Water Bill

Alright – so you’ve just received your most recent water bill from CVWD and it’s a bit higher than what you normally pay. This may indicate that there is a water-related issue either inside or outside your property.

The good news is that there are some easy steps you can take to potentially reduce your next bill and the ones that follow while also conserving plenty of water in the long run.

• Make an appointment to have technicians conduct a meter reading and a meter leak check.

• If you have an iPerl smart meter, ask us to download the last 30 days of water usage. This will allow you to review all of the data that was registered through the meter during that time period

You can also:

• Request a free indoor/outdoor water audit by an independent contractor. That person will inspect your home and outdoor irrigated areas and offer suggestions for more efficient water usage.

• If you have automatic sprinklers, check the timer. Power surges or failures can cause problems (i.e. resetting to factory defaults).

• You know your property better than most. Take a brief walk around to look for leaks. Locate your water meter and check the leak indicator, which will be the last number on the far right (Sensus, iPerl), or a small triangular shaped dial that rotates when water is flowing through the meter. If either the last number or the dial is moving, you may have a leak.

• You can also take a meter reading and then a follow up reading two hours later (make sure no water is used during this time). If the reading has changed, you may have a leak.

If you do have a leak, the next step is to determine if it is inside or outside of your house (you may possibly have an underground leak).

• Locate your home’s main shut off valve and turn off the water. Typically the valve is near the garage or directly behind an outdoor faucet. (Never turn off the water at the District’s meter.)

• Again, check the leak indicator for movement or use the meter reading method, making sure not to use any water during this period. If the leak indicator stops moving or there is no change in the meter readings, the leak is inside. If the indicator continues to move or there is a change in the meter readings, the leak is outside.

If you don’t know where your meter is located or would like to speak to one of our helpful technicians, call our Customer Service Dept. at (818) 248-3925.

For additional information on how you can save time, water, and money, visit us online at www.cvwd.com. We take pride in delivering high-quality water through a reliable system at the most reasonable cost to our customers. We’re here to help, and appreciate the opportunity to serve you!