If you notice water coming from under the street pavement, leaking from a fire hydrant or collecting around a water meter, there could be a leak from a water main or service line.

You may also notice a problem if your water bill is unusually high, or utility readers may detect a leak while reading your meter. Utilities is responsible for maintaining the line leading to your home or business's meter, and of the meter itself. The property owner is responsible for the service line behind the meter and the rest of the property's plumbing.

When you report the problem, please provide as much description as possible about the situation. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities will dispatch a service technician to evaluate the problem as soon as possible. If a leak exists on a public water line, then a work order will be created and a crew dispatched.

All leaks are a priority, but Water Distribution crews maintain a 3,300-mile water pipe network and the timing of maintenance is based largely on workload. Leaks posing a potential threat to health and safety are classified as emergencies and always receive immediate attention. Other leaks are repaired based on severity - amount of water loss, the potential for pavement or property damage, etc. Depending on workload, the response time can sometimes be a little longer for the smallest leaks.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work day in, day out to address water leaks, to continue enhancing our response time and to keep clean, high-quality water on its path to your home or business.