Indoor Leaks 

• Toilet flappers (can be silent)
• Dripping faucets or showerheads
• Other leaking valves
• Water softeners
• Reverse osmosis systems
• Hot water leaks

Outdoor Leaks 

• Failing or stuck valves (irrigation, pools, spas and ponds)
• Broken sprinkler heads and pipes
• Holes in drip lines and missing emitters
• Cracked auto-fills for pools and spas
• Supply lines to irrigation, pools, spas and ponds
• Hose bibs

Customer water use portal: log-in (or sign-up) for AquaHawk, the City's online customer water use portal to view your hourly water consumption, manage your water usage and set and customize alert settings. For tips on using AquaHawk to assist in finding leaks, see the Using AquaHawk to Assit in Finding Leaks PDF.

Water meter box: Check your meter box for pooling water. Standing water inside the box often indicates there is a leak.

Irrigation systems: Standing water or areas of consistently moist soil can indicate an irrigation or service line leak. Check the sprinkler head at the lowest elevation of the yard, pooling water can indicate an irrigation valve leak. Irrigation leaks may not always be visible, there could be a leak underground without signs of water pooling or damp soil at the surface.

Indoor pipes: If you hear water running in your home, but don’t have a tap turned on, you may have a leaky pipe. Hot water is the most common indoor leak, check your natural gas bill to see if there are spikes in usage.

Toilets: Put two-three drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If after 15 minutes the coloring has dripped into the bowl without flushing, you have a toilet flapper valve leak.

Faucets and showerheads: Check kitchens, laundry rooms and bathrooms for dripping fixtures. If you have consistent drips or streams, you need to tighten your taps. If that does not work, you may have a leak.

Water usage on utility bills: If the water usage on your utility bill is higher than average, you may have a leak in your home or on your property.

The Public Works Utilities and Operations (PWUO) Department provides water consumption checks free of charge. To request a check for your property, email PWWeb@cityofdavis.org or call 757-5686. PWUO staff will check for continuous use at the meter and contact you with their findings. PWUO staff will only check the meter and city infrastructure; any leaks on the customer side of the meter are the customer’s responsibility. 

The City of Davis does not offer refunds or credit for water consumption charges due to water leaks. Water that passes through the City’s water meter is billed to the property owner. It is the property owner’s responsibility to maintain all water infrastructure (pipes, irrigation, valves, etc.) past the City’s meter. *Some Commercial and Multi-Family Residential properties own and are responsible for some water infrastructure prior to the meter. For more information, please contact the City of Davis Water Division at 530-757-5686.

If you see water pooling in or spilling out of your water meter box, please contact Public Works Utilities and Operations before taking further action so that a meter investigation can be conducted.

* Please click on image to enlarge. The image above is a simplified illustration to demonstrate the location of the water meter box and water lines for a property, the actual location of the water meter box and water lines is different for each property. The water meter box is usually found near the sidewalk in the yard or driveway.