Portland Water Bureau offers leak adjustments on customer bills when undetected leaks are documented and repaired promptly, encouraging early reporting and AMI smart-meter alerts to detect unusual flow.
Title 21 water-utility administrative rules allow customers to request a leak credit when a hidden plumbing leak caused unusually high water and sewer usage. Customers must repair the leak, document the cause, and submit an adjustment request. The Bureau's smart-meter rollout enables continuous-flow alerts that notify customers of suspected leaks before bill shock occurs. BES typically grants a parallel sewer-charge adjustment when the leaked water did not enter the sanitary system.
No fine attaches to having a leak, but ignoring confirmed leaks while seeking repeated adjustments can lead to denial of credit and, in severe cases, service-flow restriction under Title 21.
See how Portland's leak reporting duty rules stack up against other locations.
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