Leak relief and household assistance

A high water bill may have a path to review

Hidden plumbing failures can produce an alarming bill before the problem is visible. This guide separates what City of Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) – Dallas Water Utility publicly describes from the practical steps every customer can take while requesting help.

Provider-specific review

What the public record says about a leak adjustment

Dallas’s Leak Adjustment Program may reduce a substantial high-consumption bill after a leak has been repaired. The customer must complete the City’s Leak Adjustment Request/Affidavit with the account number, service address, contact information, repair date, and description of repairs, and must submit it by mail to Dallas Water Utilities, 1500 Marilla Street, Leak Adjustments 3AN, Dallas, TX 75201; by fax to 214-670-0752; by email to leak.adjustments@dallas.gov; or by dropping it at City Hall’s second-floor lobby, Room 2DS. Repairs must be complete before consideration, and submitting the form does not guarantee an adjustment. If approved, the adjustment is limited to a maximum of three months and a customer may receive only one adjustment in a 12-month period; the City recalculates excess water above the normal average at the lowest available rate. The review may take up to 45 days, the customer remains responsible for repair and water-loss costs, and the City instructs customers to continue paying at least their typical monthly amount while the review is pending; the current process places a temporary hold to prevent late charges during review.

Stop the loss

Shut off the failing fixture or supply and arrange a qualified repair.

Keep proof

Save dated invoices, parts receipts, photographs, and meter readings.

Request review

Submit the request promptly and keep paying any undisputed amount.

Utility assistance

Customer assistance and eligibility

Operation WaterShare is Dallas Water Utilities’ customer-funded assistance program for eligible customers facing temporary financial setbacks. Customers determine eligibility and schedule an appointment through the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center at 214-670-8416, the West Dallas Multipurpose Center at 214-670-6340, or the senior-citizen service at 214-670-5227 for accounts flagged as a senior resident; the City publishes the appointment windows and addresses on its WaterShare page. Customers may donate through DallasGo, a mailed statement, or a check. The public page does not set a universal dollar cap or percentage credit for each household; assistance is eligibility- and funding-dependent. DWU also offers payment plans through dwupaymentplan@dallas.gov and 214-651-1441, including for balances more than 60 days past due.

State and federal connections

Where to ask for broader aid

The City’s current WaterShare page provides local nonprofit/community-center intake rather than a direct state or federal water-benefit portal. Dallas directs customers needing additional help to a City-published list of agencies and offers multilingual assistance; customers should begin with Operation WaterShare at https://dallas.gov/departments/waterutilities/Pages/water_helping_others.aspx or call DWU at 214-651-1441. The reviewed 2026 DWU pages do not document a utility-side LIHWAP/LIHEAP payment-import workflow, so no direct state/federal benefit integration is claimed here.

Research status for this provider

4 of 4 relief signals publicly identified

Verify with official provider ↗

Emergency route

Published detail

Leak policy

Published detail

Utility aid

Published detail

State/federal aid

Published detail

Leak and assistance notes

Build the file before asking City of Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) – Dallas Water Utility for relief

A high bill can have several causes, including a hidden plumbing failure, irrigation use, a meter issue, a change in occupancy, or a rate adjustment. The provider’s leak policy determines whether any credit is available; an unusually high bill does not automatically qualify.

Keep a dated record of the reading, the suspected source, the repair, the contractor or parts receipt, and the return to normal use. Ask whether the utility requires a specific form, a licensed repair, a meter test, photos, or a request within a fixed number of days.

For income-related difficulty, ask about local assistance, payment arrangements, state programs, and community referrals separately from a leak adjustment. These programs often use different applications, documents, funding limits, and deadlines.

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