What a Water Leak Costs per Month in Phoenix and the Valley, by City
A leak is billed at the most expensive rate on your water bill, because cities charge more per gallon the more you use. This page works out what common leaks add to a monthly bill in 16 Valley cities and water districts, using the rates each provider had in force in September 2026, with a calculator for your own numbers.
200 gallons
a day or more is what a running toilet wastes, according to the EPA. That is about 6,000 gallons a month
$49.17
a month is what that toilet adds in Phoenix at summer rates, the highest here. In winter it is $39.55
$13.86
a month for the same toilet in Paradise Valley, the lowest of any provider here
$193
a month for a pool autofill stuck at 30 gallons an hour in Goodyear, the highest of any provider here
Leak cost calculator, using September 2026 rates
gallons wasted per month
added to the water bill per month
added per year if left alone
added sewer charge per month for the following year, if the leak runs through the winter averaging months
Leak sizes are from the EPA WaterSense program: a running toilet wastes 200 gallons or more a day, a faucet dripping once a second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, a shower head dripping 10 times a minute wastes more than 500 gallons a year, and the average household's leaks add up to nearly 10,000 gallons a year. The pool autofill figure is an assumption, not a measurement: 30 gallons an hour is half a gallon a minute, a modest trickle. Change it to match what you see.
The same leak in every city, at September 2026 rates
Each figure is the added volume charge for a home that already uses 8,000 gallons a month. Sort any column by clicking its heading.
Rates are each provider's published single family residential schedule for the smallest meter, inside city limits, read on September 20, 2026 from the source linked in each row. Running toilet is 6,000 gallons a month. Stuck pool autofill is 21,600 gallons a month (30 gallons an hour). Phoenix is shown at June to September rates. Taxes, the state water quality fee of less than one cent per 1,000 gallons, Phoenix environmental charges and sewer charges are not included. Goodyear includes its Central Arizona Project fee and Avondale includes its two percentage fees because both apply to every gallon. EPCOR has a rate case pending, the tariff Liberty has posted for Litchfield Park carries a blank decision number, and Scottsdale has proposed new rates from November 1, 2026, so check the source link. Tempe and EPCOR do not print an effective date on their rate pages.
Why a leak costs more than you would expect
Every provider on this page except Phoenix uses rising tiers: the first few thousand gallons are cheap and each block after that costs more. Your normal use fills the cheap tiers. A leak sits on top of that, so every gallon of it is charged at your highest rate. In Cave Creek the top tier is more than seven times the first one. Phoenix works differently, with one rate per season and a higher price in summer, so the same leak costs about a quarter more from June through September than it does in winter.
In at least six of these cities a winter leak also raises the sewer charge for the following year, because sewer is set from winter water use. That is the part most people never connect to the leak.
Questions about leaks and water bills
The EPA's WaterSense program puts a running toilet at 200 gallons a day or more. That is about 6,000 gallons a month, which for many Valley homes is close to doubling indoor water use. Because most cities charge more per gallon the more you use, that extra water is billed at your highest rate, not your average one.
As of September 2026, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Peoria, Tempe, Goodyear and Avondale set your sewer charge for the whole year from how much water you use in the winter months, on the theory that winter water goes down the drain and summer water goes on the yard. A leak running through those months raises your sewer charge for the next twelve months, long after the leak is fixed. Most of these cities let you ask for an adjustment if you can show a repair receipt.
Turn off every tap and appliance, then look at the water meter. If the small leak indicator is turning or the numbers move over 15 minutes, water is going somewhere. Put a few drops of food coloring in each toilet tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing: color in the bowl means the flapper leaks. For a pool, mark the water line and compare it over a day with the autofill shut off.
An autofill is a float valve that tops up the pool on its own. When the float sticks or the valve wears, it runs nonstop, and because the extra water simply overflows or masks a leak in the pool, nobody notices until the bill comes. We see it often. The repair is usually a small part, and we have fixed them for as little as $25.
Every rate was read from the provider's own schedule in September 2026, and the table shows the effective date each provider prints. Water rates usually change once a year. Scottsdale has proposed new rates from November 1, 2026 and EPCOR has a rate case pending, so figures for those areas will change first. We recheck the page when rates change.
No. They are the added water volume charge only, worked out from each provider's published residential rates for the smallest meter, starting from a home that already uses 8,000 gallons a month. Taxes, Phoenix's environmental charges and sewer are not included unless the page says so. Your own base use, meter size and any outside city surcharge will change the result.
Many do, once, with proof of repair. Policies differ by provider and change, so call the number on your bill and ask for the leak adjustment policy. Keep the plumber's invoice. We write ours so they show the date, the location of the leak and what was repaired, which is what utility offices ask for.
For information purposes only. This page is a general guide compiled from public sources as of September 2026. It is not professional, legal, financial or engineering advice, and it is not a quote or a guarantee. The calculator gives estimates of the water volume charge only and will not match your bill exactly. Figures, rules and programs change, and your own home, bill or project may differ. Confirm anything important with the source linked on this page or with the agency or utility concerned before you act on it. American Discount Plumbing accepts no liability for decisions made using this page.
Bill higher than it should be?
American Discount Plumbing finds hidden leaks with acoustic and thermal equipment and fixes what we find, from a worn toilet flapper to a slab leak. Owner Pavel Farcas will tell you plainly what it is and what it costs to fix. Family owned since 2000. Licensed, bonded and insured, AZ ROC #150707.
Related: slab leak repair, toilet repair, burst pipe repair, how old the plumbing is in each city, high water bill and nothing looks wet.
