Bills, meters and blue tags
High Water Bill in Boise: Tracking Down Where the Water Goes
"I got a bill from the city and it's telling me I have a leak." In Boise the water bill comes from Veolia and the sewer charge from the City, and a hidden leak can push up both. Before anyone gets the ground microphone out, it's worth finding out whether the water is going somewhere you'd recognize.
Your call is handed to a Boise plumbing office, and the hand-off can leave a short silence. Leave the call open until a person comes on.
Worth ruling out first
A toilet flapper that leaks into the bowl, which you can test with a few drops of food coloring in the tank. A water softener stuck cycling. A change to the irrigation timer, or simply a hot month. Guests, or a new appliance. A hose left running on a drip line. And check whether the bill was based on an estimated read instead of an actual one.
The overnight meter check
Read the meter before bed, make sure nobody uses water overnight and the softener isn't set to regenerate, then read it again first thing in the morning. Any change means water is leaving the pipes. Then do the fifteen-minute test with the house shutoff closed, which splits inside from outside. The full meter check
The blue tag
The City of Boise's leak adjustment page refers to Veolia leak check notices, known as blue tags. If you find one on your door, keep it with your bills and run the meter check. If you later ask the city for an adjustment, it asks for either Veolia readings or a blue tag showing no leak after the repair. What to send with a leak adjustment
Why a winter leak costs twice here
The City sets your Water Renewal, or sewer, charge from two Veolia meter readings taken between October and April, averaged together. A leak in those months pushes up that average, and the higher sewer charge stays with you.
The city considers adjustments for increases between October 15 and April 15 caused by something unforeseen, like a leak. It asks for Veolia readings showing reduced use after the repair and/or a Veolia blue tag showing no leak, plus a professional repair invoice or receipts. Requests without complete information are denied. How winter readings set the sewer bill
Blue tag on the door?
Short pause, then a person.
When the numbers point to a hidden leak
Then it's detection, starting with which side of the house shutoff it's on. Outside: the water line from the meter or sprinkler lines. Inside: a slab, a wall or ceiling, or the crawl space.
Before you hire anyone
Ask for an itemized invoice that names the leak, where it was and what was repaired. The city wants that for an adjustment, and a line that just says "plumbing repair" doesn't help. Ask how locating is billed, and confirm their Idaho license through DOPL and their insurance.
Your call is handed to a Boise plumbing office, and the hand-off can leave a short silence. Leave the call open until a person comes on.
Questions about high water bills
Will Veolia come out and find the leak for me?
Veolia's side ends at the meter box. Leaks between the meter box and your house, and inside it, are the homeowner's to find and repair.
Can I dispute a high bill?
Water bills go to Veolia. For the sewer charge, the City of Boise says adjustments apply to the next billing cycle unless the bill is disputed within 15 days of receiving it.
How much water does a small leak waste?
A toilet that runs all the time or a steady drip adds up fast over a month. The meter test shows how much is actually going.
My bill is high every summer. Is that a leak?
Usually it's irrigation. Boise summers are hot and dry. If the meter is still overnight with everything off, it isn't a constant leak.
Related: water line leaks · sprinkler line leaks · crawl space leaks · who fixes the line from the meter