Of all the bills that land in your mailbox, the water bill is the one nobody shops for. You can’t. One pipe runs into your house, and whoever owns that pipe sets the price.

That arrangement is getting expensive. Americans now pay 62% more for water at home than they did 10 years ago, according to a study by Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group, as reported by CBS News.

The average bill across the 500 large water systems in the study came to $531 last year.

The government’s numbers point the same way. The consumer price index for water, sewer and trash collection is up about 50% since September 2016, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

And that $531 covers water alone. The study left out wastewater and stormwater, which are often billed separately and push the real total higher.

Here’s the part that bugs me most: Who owns your water system can matter as much as how much you use. Private companies billed customers $823 on average in 2025, or $329 more than public systems did.

In San Jose, California, the private San Jose Water billed its customers $1,416 on average last year, a 163% jump in 10 years. Meanwhile, the government-run system in Hempstead, New York, charged $133.

You can’t switch companies. But you aren’t helpless, either. Here’s how to push back.

1. Find out who owns your water company

Start here, because it decides who you complain to.

Every community water system has to send customers an annual drinking water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, by July 1, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

That report comes from your water system and lists its contact information. If you tossed yours, call the utility or use the EPA’s report search tool.

If your water comes from an investor-owned company, its rates are set in most states by the state utility commission. Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission, for example, oversees more than 150 water and wastewater utilities.

City-run systems are a different animal. That same commission says it generally doesn’t regulate systems owned and operated by municipalities unless they serve customers outside their borders. That leaves those rates to local officials.

2. Run the two-hour meter test

Before you blame the utility for everything, make sure you aren’t paying for water you never use.

The EPA’s test is simple: Read your water meter, use no water at all for two hours, then read it again. If the number moved, you probably have a leak.

This is worth the effort. The average home’s leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year, the EPA says, and 9% of homes have leaks wasting 50 gallons or more every day.

Fixing the easy leaks can cut a water bill by about 10%, according to the EPA. On a $531 bill, that’s roughly $53 a year, for what’s often a cheap repair.

3. Drop food coloring in the toilet tank

Toilet leaks are often silent. A worn-out flapper — the rubber seal at the bottom of the tank — can let thousands of gallons slip away each year, the EPA says.

To check, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 10 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, you have a leak. Flush right afterward so the dye doesn’t stain the tank.

While you’re at it, listen for drips. A faucet dripping once a second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, and a showerhead leaking 10 drips a minute wastes more than 500, according to the EPA.

4. Swap the thirstiest fixtures

Toilets account for nearly 30% of the water used inside an average home, according to the EPA. Older models can gulp up to 6 gallons every flush. Ones carrying the EPA’s WaterSense label use 1.28 gallons or less.

Replacing old, inefficient toilets can save an average home nearly 13,000 gallons a year and trim the water bill by more than $170 a year, the EPA estimates. Over the life of the toilets, that’s about $3,400.

The cheaper moves add up, too. A standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons a minute; WaterSense models are capped at 2.0. The EPA says that swap can save an average family 2,700 gallons a year.

A WaterSense faucet aerator typically costs just a few bucks. Before you buy anything, ask your utility whether it offers rebates.

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5. Learn how your sewer charge is figured

Here’s one a lot of people never hear about. Some communities base your sewer charge on how much water you used in winter, not on what you use every month.

In Roanoke, Texas, average water use in December, January and February sets the maximum sewer charge for the following year. In Hopkins, Minnesota, the city averages November through April, then charges whichever is lower — the winter average or actual use.

The logic is that lawn watering doesn’t go down the drain. But it cuts both ways. Where sewer is billed this way, a leaky toilet you ignore in January can raise your sewer bill for the next 12 months. So fix leaks before winter.

If you water a big yard, ask about a separate irrigation meter. Newton, Massachusetts, for example, bills irrigation water at a rate with no sewer charge, though the meter costs $475 or more up front.

That matters because outdoor watering accounts for about 30% of household water use, according to the EPA.

6. Ask about discounts and payment help

Don’t count on Washington. The federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, launched in 2021 with about $1.1 billion, has ended, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

That puts the job on your local utility. The EPA has cataloged customer assistance programs around the country, including bill discounts, flexible payment terms, lower “lifeline” rates for basic use, temporary help and water-efficiency programs.

Not every utility offers them, and plenty don’t advertise. Call and ask what’s available, especially if you’re on a fixed income.

7. Show up when they ask for a raise

Regulated water companies can’t just raise rates when they feel like it. They have to ask, and you get a say.

In Pennsylvania, for example, customers can file a formal complaint, send written comments or testify at a public input hearing, according to the state’s utility commission. With the required notice period, a rate case there takes about nine months.

Regulators hear from the utility’s lawyers and accountants all the time. They hear far less often from the people paying the bills. If your utility files for an increase, read the notice and comment.

The bottom line

You can’t shop for water. But you can stop paying for water you never use, understand how your sewer charge is figured, and make sure the people approving the next rate hike hear from you.

Start with the two-hour meter test this weekend. It costs nothing, and it could be the first step toward the easiest $50 you save all year.

For more ways to cut what you pay around the house, see “Your Water Heater Costs up to $600 a Year. 6 Ways to Chill the Bill” and “A Burst Pipe Averages a $30,000 Claim. 7 Fall Chores Stop It.”