Greater Cincinnati Water Works
High Bill?
If your bill is higher than expected:
GCWW recommends that you enroll online via myGCWW Customer Care Portal to monitor your monthly usage. This can be one of the easiest ways to catch a water usage issue early.
If your usage has increased, GCWW encourages you to review the below information and follow the below step-by-step instructions to check for leaks.
If you have reviewed the below information and still have questions or concerns about your bill, please contact us at help@mygcww.org or 513-591-7700. Office hours are 7:30am through 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.
What Leaks Waste
High bills usually mean a leak, and potentially hundreds of gallons of water down the drain.
Not only is your water wasted, but it registers through your meter and could cost you as much as several hundred dollars a month.
Please note: the excess water use, identification and repair of leaks within your private plumbing system, as well as the associated costs, are the responsibility of the property owner.
GCWW Step-by-Step Instructions for Checking Water Leaks
If you are unable to find and repair leaks by following the steps below, you may want to contact a plumbing professional.
Step 1: Test your toilet(s).
The most common leak in a household is caused by a faulty toilet(s). There are three ways to check for toilet leaks.
If you see ripples in the bowl or if colored water is getting into the bowl, you likely have an “improper seating leak.”
This problem can be corrected, depending on the cause, by:
If the water is above the overflow, you likely have a “continuous overflow leak or
If the toilet(s) does not appear to be leaking, proceed to step 2.
This problem can be corrected, depending on the cause, by:
Step 2: Observe the test dial on the water meter itself.
Step 3: Check the service line (outside meters only)
If your test dial is turning and your water meter is outside, the next step is to determine where the water is going by checking the service line.
Step 4: Checking for private plumbing leaks
If your test dial is turning, the next step is to check for private plumbing leaks.
