Leak Adjustments

You may request a billing adjustment if you have a water leak on your account. To qualify for an adjustment, your water usage must be at least twice the normal monthly average. CUD policy allows us to assist a customer once a year with an adjustment.

To qualify, you must first complete a CUD leak adjustment form and provide proof of repair (in the form of receipts and/or photos) within 90 days of the repair to qualify for a Leak Adjustment. CUD’s Leak Adjustment Policy is found at the bottom of the electronic Leak Adjustment Form. Once CUD has studied your request, you will receive a letter from our Leak Adjustment Department notifying you whether your account qualifies for a Leak Adjustment. This process takes approximately two to three billing cycles.

Please note: Builders, developers, apartments, commercial, industrial, and master metered accounts do not qualify for leak adjustments on water service.

If your accounts qualifies, an adjustment will be made after any needed repair(s) and your bill has returned to normal usage. You will be notified via mail as to the adjustment that was made on your account.

How to Check for a Leak

CUD only provides services from the water meter to the road. Any issues from the meter to the private service line and inside the house are the customer’s responsibility. Here’s why: Once water passes through the meter on customer’s side, CUD has no way of knowing whether usage is from regular consumption (laundry, filling a pool, watering/irrigation, dishwasher, etc.) or a leak.

Here are some ways to check for water leaks in and around your home:

• Make sure that all inside/outside faucets are turned off. CUD recommends leaving outside hoses unhooked when not in use to prevent a burst in the hose or inside the spigot line – and to prevent particles from backing up into your indoor plumbing from the hose.
• Check underneath all sink cabinets for dampness or drips.
• Be careful with all electrical equipment, check for any signs of possible leaks in the washer and dishwasher, as well as behind the refrigerator (for any signs of a leak in the icemaker line).
• Toilet leaks are not always seen and/or heard. To check the toilets in your home, use this four-step process …
  • Take the lid off the back of all toilets (even those used not on a regular basis).
  • Drop 10 to 20 drops of red, green, or blue food coloring in the back of each tank. You may also use a dry drink mix (such as Kool-Aid) that is red, green, or blue (one packet per tank). Do not stir or flush.
  • Let the coloring sit for 20 minutes, with no stirring, flushing, or usage.
  • If the coloring appears in the toilet bowl, there is a leak. If this is the case, once the adjustment, part replacement, or repair is made, test the toilets using this method once again, to ensure that there are no more leaks.

• When the ground is dry, check your front yard for standing water, soft areas of ground, or areas that are extra green compared to other areas of the yard. This may indicate a leak in the service line (from the meter to the house).
• If you have a crawl space, check the plumbing underneath your house.
• If you have a concrete slab, and you have noticed abnormally warm areas in your flooring, there may be a leak in your hot water line.
• Once you have checked for a leak and made any needed repairs, you will need to visit your meter to see if it is still creeping (showing signs of a leak). If water is in use or if there is a continued leak, you will notice that the red star on top of the meter dial is spinning. If there is a slow leak, there may not be any activity on the meter. The most accurate way to check your meter is the two-hour method.
  • If you don’t know where your meter is located, contact our office at (615) 893-7225 and we will be happy to assist you.
  • Pick a minimum of a two-hour period during which there is no water usage.
  • Make sure all inside/outside faucets are turned off, and turn your icemaker off.
  • Go to your meter and write down the reading or take a picture of the meter reading.
  • Check to see if your meter reading has changed. If so, there is still a leak because, with no usage, there is still flow going through your meter. At this point, you will need to check for leaks or contact a plumber.
  • If the meter reading has not changed, everything should check out correctly.