A High Water Bill in Torrance: Find the Leak First
Updated 2026-10 · Torrance, CA
First: whose bill is it?
About 78 percent of Torrance gets water from Torrance Municipal Water, the city's utility. Cal Water serves the rest of the city from its Rancho Dominguez district. The two set rates differently, so a neighbour's bill on the other utility is no benchmark. Your bill names the provider and lists your usage in billing units, which is the number to compare month to month.
Why water costs more than it used to
Torrance Municipal Water published rate increase notices for both 2025 and 2026; the notices are on the city's water customer information page. Part of the city's water comes from the Goldsworthy Desalter, which treats brackish groundwater left behind by seawater intrusion early last century and supplies around a quarter of the city's demand. An expansion to that plant is under way to cut reliance on imported water. The rest of the supply is groundwater and water imported through the Metropolitan Water District.
None of that is something you can change. What you can change is water disappearing through a leak at the new price.
The meter test
- Turn off every fixture and appliance, and the irrigation controller
- At the meter box, watch the low-flow indicator (the small triangle or star dial)
- If it turns, close the house shutoff and look again
- Still turning with the house valve closed: the leak is between the meter and the house
- Stopped with the house valve closed: the leak is inside, in a fixture or under the slab
Then narrow it down. Put a few drops of food colouring in each toilet tank; colour in the bowl after twenty minutes means a leaking flapper. Close the cold inlet on the water heater; if the meter stops, the leak is on the hot side.
The usual suspects, cheapest first
- A toilet flapper that does not seal, the most common hidden leak
- An irrigation valve or broken sprinkler line, worst in summer
- A dripping water heater relief valve, sometimes from too much pressure
- A failed pressure regulator, which pushes water through every small leak faster
- A buried line between the meter and the house
- A slab leak, usually on the hot side
When to call
If the meter moves and toilets and irrigation are ruled out, call. Say what the meter did with the house valve open and closed, and with the water heater inlet closed; that shortens the visit and the bill.
Meter moves with everything off? Call and tell us what the test showed.
Asking the utility for an adjustment
Some utilities consider a one-time leak adjustment once a leak has been repaired. Ask Torrance Municipal Water or Cal Water whether you qualify, and keep the repair invoice to send them.
Where to go next
Common questions
How do I know who supplies my water in Torrance?
Look at the bill. Torrance Municipal Water serves most of the city; Cal Water serves the remainder.
Can a running toilet really raise my bill that much?
Yes. A flapper that never seals can run continuously, day and night.
Will the utility find the leak for me?
Utilities usually check their side of the meter. A leak on your side is the owner’s to find and fix.