High Water Bill in Laurens? Run This Checklist First

Compare gallons, not dollars

Start with the usage line on the bill, not the total. A Laurens CPW bill may carry electricity, natural gas, water and sewer together, and CPW's own FAQ points out that heating and cooling drive most seasonal swings. If the water gallons are close to the same month last year and the water and sewer charges still went up, the question is about rates or charges, and that goes to CPW customer service.

If the gallons jumped, water went somewhere. The rest of this checklist finds out where.

Read the meter like an odometer

CPW's water page explains the register: it reads like a car odometer, and you subtract the previous reading from the current one to get gallons used. Find the meter box, usually near the street, lift the lid carefully and look before reaching in. Write down every digit.

Pick a quiet period, such as overnight. Read the meter after the last person goes to bed and again before anyone uses water in the morning. If the reading changed, water is flowing somewhere past the meter while the house sleeps.

Split the house from the yard

Close the main shut-off valve at the house and watch the meter again. If it still moves with the house closed off, the leak is between the meter and the house, in the service line that is usually the owner's to repair. If it stops, the leak is inside the house.

Yard-line leaks often show as a wet or unusually green strip in dry weather, a soft spot, or a sound of running water at the meter. Do not dig before SC811 marks the buried utilities; see the water line checklist.

Check the usual suspects inside

Toilets first. A worn flapper or a fill valve set too high can run water into the bowl constantly, often silently. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait fifteen minutes without flushing, and look for color in the bowl. Then check faucets, shower valves, the water heater relief valve discharge pipe, the ice maker line and any outdoor spigots.

A water softener stuck in regeneration and an irrigation zone valve that does not close fully are two more common causes. The EPA's WaterSense program estimates that household leaks waste large amounts of water nationally every year, and most of them are fixable fixtures.

Why a leak costs twice

CPW bills wastewater on the water you use, so every leaked gallon that goes through the house meter is billed as water and again as sewer, even if it soaked into the ground under the house. That is why fixing a running toilet quickly matters more on a sewer account than a septic one. The 2026 state survey figures below show the typical inside-city split for 5,000 gallons.

If the meter test finds nothing

Think about what changed: guests, a pool or hot tub filled, a garden going in, a new appliance, or someone home for the summer. If nothing changed, ask CPW whether the meter was read or estimated and whether it can be rechecked. Bring your own readings and times; a written record is more persuasive than a guess.

Ask about an adjustment the right way

Utilities differ on whether and how they adjust bills after a leak. Call or visit CPW, explain what happened and when it was fixed, and ask what documentation it needs. A plumber's invoice that names the failed part and the repair date helps. Ask whether any adjustment covers water, sewer or both.

Keep a meter log

A simple log of meter readings, taken at the same time each week, makes problems obvious early. A household that knows it normally uses a certain number of gallons a week will spot a running toilet in days instead of at the end of a billing cycle. For a rental or a second home near the lakes, a reading before and after each empty stretch shows at once whether something is leaking while nobody is there. Write the readings on a card kept near the door, or in a phone note, with the date and time.

Outdoor leaks people miss

Outdoor spigots that drip slowly, a soaker hose left running, an irrigation zone valve that does not close, a pool autofill stuck open, or a livestock trough float that sticks can all add up quietly. Walk the property while the meter test is running and listen at each spigot and valve box. If you water a lot on purpose, ask CPW about a second meter so that outdoor water is not billed for sewer.

When to bring in a plumber

Call a plumber when the meter test shows a leak you cannot find, when the leak is in the yard line or under a slab, or when it involves the water heater or a pipe inside a wall. Tell them your readings, the result of the shut-off test and whether you are on CPW sewer. Ask whether leak location is priced separately from the repair and whether the repair is permitted work under the City's rules; replacing a concealed pipe is, stopping a leak without replacing pipe is not.

If outdoor watering is a big part of your usage, the second meter checklist may save more than any leak repair.

Figures on this page come from: Laurens Commission of Public Works: Water; Laurens Commission of Public Works: Wastewater; Laurens Commission of Public Works: Frequent Questions; South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority: 2026 Water and Sewer Rate Survey (PDF); U.S. EPA WaterSense: Fix a Leak Week. Checked 2026-10-29.