Frequently Asked Questions

To have water turned on, you must present picture identification, your social security number, a rent receipt, and/or your lease agreement or verification that you're purchasing your home. You must also have the street address and provide us with your mailing address and other contact information.

Please complete our online application to start water service. We require at least a day's notice and all requirements must be satisfied before water can be turned on. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

If you already have service with us and are moving to a new location, please complete our disconnect/transfer form at least the day before to transfer your service. We must have a start date for the new service and a stop date for the old service. If you have a deposit it will transfer to the new account. Your account must be paid current. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

Delinquent fees and all arrears must be paid before service can be restored. Please call us at 919-775-8215 to pay your bill and have service restored.

Potential Causes of High-Water Bills

 An unusually high water bill is most often caused by a leak or change in water use. Some common causes of high water bills include:

• A leaking toilet or a toilet that continues to run after being flushed
• A dripping faucet: A faucet drip can waste 20 gallons of water a day or more
• Filling or topping off a swimming pool
• Watering the lawn, new grass, or trees; also check for an open hose bib
• Kids home for summer vacations or school holidays; guests
• Water-cooled air conditioners
• A broken water pipe or obvious leak; check the pipes in the basement or crawlspace; the water heater could also be leaking
• Water softener problems - cycles continuously
• Running the water to avoid freezing water pipes during cold weather

Your TriRiver Water bill is based on the water you used. If your bill increases, you use more water during the billing period.

Generally, water consumption is higher during the summer due to the watering of lawns, pools, and gardening. An average family of four typically uses 4,000-5,000 gallons of water a month. Here are a few things to check if you get a higher bill than usual.

Leak Detection

Leaks, whether unseen or unfixed, can waste hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water. It is important to routinely check your plumbing and home for leaky faucets, toilets, outside taps, and irrigation lines.

• To check for leaks in your home, turn off everything that uses water, including the washing machine, dishwasher, faucets, and even the ice maker.
• Locate your water meter. It should be in the ground on the edge of your property. The lid will be an oval piece of steel or aluminum that may have the words "water meter" on it.
• Remove the lid. Most covers have a pentagon-shaped bolt that is easily turned with a wrench. If your meter lid does have a bolt, pry off the cover using a screwdriver or similar device.
• Once the lid is off, locate the blue sprocket—a triangle-looking symbol. Each time the needle completes one rotation, 1 cubic foot = 7.48 gallons have passed through the meter.
• If the blue sprocket–triangle symbol is turning, and you have everything off inside the home, you have a leak.  If you cannot find a leak in the house, check for puddles under the house and along the path from your house to the meter. If the ground is abnormally wet, you may have a leak.
• Leaks can also occur in harder-to-find places, such as under your house or in the service line between your water meter and home. Check outdoor spigots and crawl spaces, and look for wet spots in your yard which may indicate a leak.
• For additional information about checking for leaks and other tips on how to conserve water, call 919-775-8215.
• Click here on how to check for a leak. 

Changes in Your Water Use

Did you have house guests, water your lawn more than usual, or do anything else out of the ordinary in the last month that uses a lot of water? If so, this may account for an increase in your water bill.

Check for Leaks

Leaks can waste hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water, whether unseen or unfixed. It is important to routinely check your plumbing and home for leaky faucets, toilets, and outside taps and irrigation lines.

Toilet & Faucet Leaks

The most common cause for a high water bill is running water from your toilet. A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day. That can double a family's typical water use, so fix toilet leaks as soon as possible. Some leaks, such as a dripping faucet or running toilet, are easy to find. You can usually hear a running toilet, but not always. See the toilet assessment below for help in determining if this is the cause of your high water bill.

Do-It-Yourself Toilet Assessment

First, check for the most common leak: a deteriorated or defective flush valve (flapper) ball at the bottom of the toilet tank. Water will leak into the toilet bowl if it does not make a tight seal. To check for this:

• Put two dye tablets (provided by TriRiver Water Customer Service) or 10 drops of dark food coloring into your tank.
• Do not flush the commode.
• Wait at least one hour.  
• If there is any color in the toilet bowl, there is a leak.

The second most common type of leak involves an improperly adjusted or broken fill (ballcock) valve. To check for this, flush the lid off the toilet tank, and see if water drains into the overflow tubes when the tank is full.

The following table shows the amount of water that can be lost (and billed to your account) for various-size leaks.

Irrigation Systems

During the summer, irrigation systems are a common source of high water use. Watering times generally double during the summer months compared to the winter. Automated irrigation systems should be checked regularly to be sure they are functioning properly and have no leaks or broken sprinkler heads. If a sprinkler valve sticks on, it could waste an extremely large quantity of water. The irrigation timer may not be programmed properly; i.e., sprinklers are watering too often and/or too long. Reprogramming may be necessary if the power has been off.

Water Softeners

Customers with water softeners have higher water bills due to the regeneration or backwash cycles their systems go through. The systems are preset to regenerate or backwash regularly. The systems will use water to clean the filter media and discharge the wastewater into the ground next to the system. Sometimes, these systems will get stuck in a cycle, which will cause higher water use.

What Can I Do if My Bill is Unusually High?

If you receive a bill, you feel is too high, check over the common causes listed above. This may help to pinpoint the source of the high bill. Most often, the City's utility billing program will detect unusually high bills, and the City will automatically send our utility staff out to check the meter and the property for a leak. If you feel your bill is too high and the city has not contacted you, call 919-775-8215. City staff will schedule for the meter reading to be rechecked. If the meter reading is checked and found to be accurate, you may need to contact a plumber or other professional to help determine the source of a leak. Property owners are responsible for all private service water lines from the public water main to the residence and leaks inside the home.

If you pay your bills on time for 12 consecutive months, your deposit is applied towards your current bills until the deposit is applied in its entirety. If your water is cut off, your deposit will be applied towards your final bill and you will receive a check for any remaining funds. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

As part of your application for service, TriRiver Water requires a Social Security Number or a Federal Tax ID Number pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 105A-2(6). This information will be used solely for the purpose of collecting unpaid bills and submitting outstanding debts to the North Carolina Department of Revenue for collection by applying the debt against any income tax refund that you may be entitled to receive or lottery winnings of $600 or more. TriRiver Water will not disclose your number without your consent to anyone outside TriRiver Water except as mandated by law. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

Please complete our disconnection form as soon as possible to disconnect your service. We require at least a day's notice. You will receive your final bill in approximately two weeks. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

Each customer receives a minimum bill each month because of the costs incurred by TriRiver Water to provide service to each customer. The water that is readily available to each customer has to be treated before it's distributed into the water lines. Also, every meter has to be read monthly to monitor each customer's consumption. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215.

In Person

City of Sanford Municipal Center

225 E. Weatherspoon Street

Sanford, NC 27330

Hours of operation: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

Town of Pittsboro (cash/check only)

287 East Street, Suite 221

Pittsboro, NC 27312

By Mail

Mail your payment to :

TriRiver Water

PO Box 96888 

Charlotte, NC 28296-6888 

Be sure to include your bill stub.

By Credit/Debit Card

Customers can pay a bill with a credit or debit card over the phone using our automated system. Automated payments are available 24/7 at 919-775-8215. For each option, you will need your Account Number and Customer ID located at the top of your bill. All major credit and debit cards are accepted. You can also go paperless by signing up for e-billing.

Electronic Draft

Sign up for bank draft payments and your water and sewer bill will be drafted on your due date monthly.

Billing Cycles (Run)

Cycle 1 = due the 26^th of each month                       Cycle 2 = due the 3^rd of each month

Cycle 3 = due the 9^th of each month                         Cycle 4 = due 16^th of each month

Cycle 5 = due the 20^th of each month

What is my bill date?  This is the date your bill was generated.  Bills are usually generated and mailed on the same day.

What is my usage period? This is the period that covers when the water was used.  The usage is water used in the previous month.  For example, the bill date of 08/06/23 covers water used from 06/17/2023 to 07/18/2023.  Although you received the bill on August 6, it covers water used from the prior month.  The meter crew reads the meters, and billing doesn’t occur for another two to three weeks, so once a bill is received, it is important to note that the usage is from the month prior. 

Locate the present meter reading, previous meter reading, and usage on your bill.  These are readings used to calculate your bill.  Readings are typically in cubic feet increments (there are 7.48 gallons in one cubic foot).   

Take your current read and subtract the previous read; the difference is your billed usage.  For example, meter reading 9653 subtracts from 9394 = 259 cubic feet.  259 cubic feet x 7.48 gallons = 1,937 gallons. Click here for a detailed version of how to read your bill.

If you suspect your bill is higher than normal, check the reading on your meter and make sure it is in line with the reading on your bill.  To check for a leak, turn off all the water in the house and see if the blue leak indicator is turning.  If it is turning, you could have a leak.  Click here how to check for a leak at the meter.

Yes, a leaky toilet can waste a lot of water, which can contribute to a high water bill. According to the EPA, a leaky toilet can waste around 200 gallons of water daily, equivalent to flushing the toilet more than 50 times without a reason. This can add up to over 6,000 gallons of water wasted per month, or $70.06.  Watch a short video on how to fix leaks.  

An irrigation system with a leak 1/32^nd  of an inch in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.  Please visit us to retrieve dye tablets and test for a leaky toilet. 

TriRiver Water offers bill adjustments due to unforeseen leaks. Contact Customer Service at 919-775-8215 to see if you are eligible.  Click here to apply for a leak adjustment.