City of Loris: Water Bill Help Why is my water bill so high? · City Hall (843) 756-4004 · After-hours water/sewer emergency (843) 421-5391, or City Hall (843) 756-4004 option 2

Water Utilities · Billing help

Why is my water bill so high?

A bill that jumps well above your normal amount almost always has one of a few causes. Here is how to find it yourself in a few minutes, and what to do next.

How to read this page: the facts about how the City of Loris reads meters and builds a bill come straight from the city's own water & sewer page. The check-it-yourself steps (the meter test, the toilet dye test) are general homeowner guidance, not city rules. When in doubt about your account, call City Hall.

While the drought is on. The city's Severe Drought Phase (effective July 1, 2026, temporary) changes some of the advice below, and breaking the rules adds charges:
• Water use over 6,000 gallons a month is billed at 2× the normal rate.
• Water only overnight. The city allows irrigation only outside 6 am to 9 pm.
• No filling pools, washing cars, driveways or sidewalks, or running decorative fountains.
• Violations cost you: $25 the first time, $50 the second, service shut off plus $100 the third.
Read the city's notice ↗

Start here

The two-minute meter test

A leak you cannot see or hear is the most common reason a bill spikes. Your meter can tell you whether water is moving right now, even when everything looks off.

Turn off every water fixtureInside and out: faucets, the washer, the dishwasher, the ice maker, irrigation. Nothing should be using water.

Find your meter and its leak indicatorThe meter is usually in a covered box near the street or sidewalk. Many meters have a small triangle, star, or spinning dial that moves whenever water is flowing.

Watch it for a minute or twoIf that indicator moves, or the numbers climb, with everything shut off, water is escaping somewhere. That is a leak.

Note the reading, wait, check againNo leak indicator? Write down the numbers, wait an hour or two with all water off, then look again. A higher number means water moved.

Don't open or turn the meter valve yourself. The city's rule, word for word: "YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT CUT OFF OR TURN ON YOUR WATER. THAT IS TAMPERING WITH THE WATER AND IT IS AGAINST THE LAW!" You can look at the meter and read it. Leave the valve to the city.

Common reasons a bill jumps

Most high bills come down to one of these four. Each one has a way to check it and a next step.

A hidden leak

A running toilet is the number-one silent water-waster, and it can add thousands of gallons in a month without a sound. Dripping fixtures, an outside spigot, or irrigation add up too.

How to check

Do the meter test above. For toilets, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, the toilet is leaking.

What to do

A leaking toilet flapper or a worn faucet washer is usually a cheap, do-it-yourself fix. For a leak you cannot find, or one between the meter and the house, call a plumber, then call City Hall to ask what they can do.

A one-time or seasonal use

Filling a pool, watering a new lawn or garden, pressure-washing, a leaky hose left running, or house guests can all push a single month well above your normal use.

How to check

Think back over the billing month for anything out of the ordinary. Then use the bill estimator to see whether that much extra water would explain the size of the bill.

What to do

If it was a one-time thing, the next bill should return to normal. Filling a pool? While the drought is on, the city is not allowing pool filling. In normal times, call the city the day before you start and the day you finish, so the water that never entered the sewer isn't billed as sewer.

The reading looks off

The city reads meters itself, around the 15th of each month, and your bill follows from that reading. If a read is higher than usual, or a low month is followed by a big catch-up month, it is worth a closer look.

How to check

Find the current and previous meter readings printed on your bill. The difference is the gallons you are being charged for. Compare it to your own normal months to see whether it really looks off.

What to do

If the reading doesn't match what you'd expect, call City Hall and ask for a re-read and for someone to walk you through the current and previous readings. It is reasonable to ask how a large jump was measured.

How the bill is built

Sometimes the bill is right and it just adds up faster than people expect. Two things about the Loris bill are worth knowing.

Good to know

No free gallons. Usage is billed from the very first gallon, there is no free allotment built into the base charge.

Sewer follows water. Your sewer charge is based on the water that went through your meter, so more water means a higher sewer line too.

Billed in whole thousands. Your usage is billed in whole 1,000-gallon steps. Use 1,001 gallons and you pay for 2,000. The extra isn't wasted: your meter is one running total, so the part you paid for but didn't use carries into next month, and over time it evens out. This is one reason a bill can look off from one month to the next without a leak. The city hasn't published this in writing, so we're going by bills and what City Hall has explained.

What to do

Use the bill estimator to turn your gallons into an expected dollar amount, or work a bill backward into roughly how many gallons it reflects. It uses the city's adopted rates.

Use less, pay less

Once you have ruled out a leak, these are the changes that move the bill the most, biggest first. The numbers are from the EPA's WaterSense program.

Find and fix silent leaks firstHousehold leaks waste about 9,300 gallons a year, and fixing the easy ones cuts about 10% off the bill. A stuck toilet valve alone can waste 4,300 gallons a day.

Fix the dripsA faucet at one drip a second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. A trickling showerhead wastes over 500.

Water the yard smartWater in the cool hours, not the midday heat, don't overwater, and check irrigation for leaks. While the drought is on, water only overnight (the city allows irrigation only outside 6 am to 9 pm). Outdoor use is more than 30% of a home's water, and up to half is lost to evaporation and runoff.

Upgrade to WaterSense fixturesWhen you replace them, a WaterSense toilet saves about 13,000 gallons and $170 a year; a showerhead about 2,700 gallons and $70; a faucet about 700.

Run full loads onlyAn ENERGY STAR dishwasher or washer uses about 30% less water, and full loads make every gallon count.

Small daily habits add upTurn off the tap while brushing your teeth (8 gallons a day) and shaving (10 gallons a shave).

Figures are from the EPA's WaterSense program (epa.gov/watersense), general homeowner guidance, not City of Loris policy.

Estimate what the bill should be

Turn your gallons into an expected dollar amount, or work a bill backward into roughly how many gallons it reflects, using the city's adopted water and sewer rates. Full rate detail is on the water & sewer page.

If the number still doesn't add up

You checked for a leak, ruled out a big one-time use, and the reading still looks wrong. Here is how to take it to the city.

Call utility billing at City HallReach the billing office at (843) 756-4004, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Have your account number and the bill in front of you.

Ask for a re-readAsk the city to read the meter again and confirm the current number. A fresh read tells you whether the charge reflects real, current usage.

Ask about an adjustment or a payment planIf a leak caused the spike, or a large bill is hard to pay at once, ask what options the city offers. The city says extensions are available for past-due accounts with extenuating circumstances, call before the due date.

This page gives you the practical steps. It does not interpret the law on billing disputes. If a question turns on what the city ordinance requires, that is being sourced separately, see the about page for how this prototype handles sourcing.