Water Leaks
Water Leak Information
All leaks are a priority; however, if you need assistance :
Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5 pm, please get in touch with the Customer Service Team at 972-468-4100.
After 5 pm and on weekends: After-hour leaks that pose a potential health and safety threat are handled as emergencies and receive priority response. If this is your situation, please call our non-emergency dispatch number at 972-468-4236 (only if you are experiencing this kind of leak).
The City of Murphy ordinances allow customers who have suffered an excusable leak defect to be considered for a leak adjustment. To be considered, and if all of the Leak Credit ordinance requirements have been satisfied, please submit your Leak Credit Application and supporting documentation for review. Leak adjustments are reviewed and processed monthly; however, we need enough data to complete this process. Please allow 45-60 days for completion. Customers must meet all requirements of the leak credit ordinance to be considered.
Please be thorough when providing your Leak Credit Application and be sure to include the utility account number, the service address, the approximate dates the leak occurred and the repair receipt.
Leak Credit Ordinance:
- Leak credit requirements:
- A leak credit will be considered after a customer presents proof of repair of leak within 30 days based on date of repair invoice and all necessary permits have been acquired and inspected. The granting of a leak credit is within the sole discretion of the city and is subject to the restrictions outlined in this section as well as administrative policies of the city. In the event that the current user, consumer, and/or subscriber applies for an adjustment for water usage due to a leak, the burden of proof will be on the customer to establish that there is a leak and that it is not the result of their own negligence or omission. Applications for adjustment should be directed to the customer service department.
- The city will not issue leak credit for leaks related to water features (fountains, ponds, etc.), irrigation, swimming pools, and hot tubs unless continual hourly consumption can be identified with the automated metering infrastructure (AMI). Leak credits will be processed at the discretion of the city, but in no event will a credit less than $10.00 be issued.
- If a leak is detected by the city and the location has been notified, the customer must repair the leak within 30 days of notification to be considered for a credit.
- A leak credit will be considered after a customer presents proof of repair of leak within 30 days based on date of repair invoice and all necessary permits have been acquired and inspected. The granting of a leak credit is within the sole discretion of the city and is subject to the restrictions outlined in this section as well as administrative policies of the city. In the event that the current user, consumer, and/or subscriber applies for an adjustment for water usage due to a leak, the burden of proof will be on the customer to establish that there is a leak and that it is not the result of their own negligence or omission. Applications for adjustment should be directed to the customer service department.
- At the direction of the public services director (or designee), when a leak is detected by city staff and leak is presumed to be cause of excessive water loss, and after reasonable effort has been made to contact the customer, water service shall be turned off until repair has been made.
- The calculated adjustment will apply to water usage only. A leak credit shall be applied only once per 12-month period as appropriate, and cannot cover a period greater than 90 days (three months). If applicable, and at the request of the residential customer, the winter sewer average can be adjusted as identified in subsection (a)(6)(F).
- Leak credit requests will be reviewed based on AMI data. In situations where the AMI data is not available, the customers 24 month usage history will be reviewed. After leak water loss is determined, credit will be issued by using the following calculations:
- Leak usage 0 to 15,000 gallons will be calculated by 1st tier rate minus wholesale rate;
- Leak usage 15,000 and above will be calculated at 2nd tier rate minus wholesale rate.
New customers with less than 24-months of consumption history will be eligible for a leak credit only if actual water usage exceeds the calculated monthly citywide residential average water use.
- Adjustments to the calculated sewer rate can only occur if all requirements of subsection (a)(6) have been met, a water leak credit has been granted, and the residential customer has submitted a written request for a sewer rate adjustment. At the written request of the customer, the city will evaluate a current customers account when a leak has been reported. The AMI consumption data will be analyzed when considering the amount of the adjustment for the rate-setting period. Customer requests to evaluate for an adjustment to the sewer average rate must be received by the city by April 30th, annually.
How Leak Credits are issued:
Please continue to make your monthly utility payments by their due date. When a credit is approved by the Customer Service Manager, it will be applied to your utility account and reflected on the next billing statement. Leak credits are considered once per 12-month period from any previous leak adjustments that have been issued. A maximum of 3 months of average leak credit will be considered during the duration of the leak.