Why Is My Water Bill So High in Honolulu? 2026 Rates, Leak Checks and Adjustments

Short answer: on Oahu, a high "water bill" is often a high sewer charge. Your Board of Water Supply bill also carries the city's sewer fee, and both rose on July 1, 2026, with the sewer fee now based mostly on how much water you use. If your gallons also jumped, look for a leak first: a running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons a day. BWS can credit half of the extra water for an underground leak that is fixed within two weeks of notice, and you can ask for a meter test or file a billing dispute. Need a plumber to find the leak? Call (808) 772-0705.

Last updated October 26, 2026. We are an independent plumbing referral service, not a water utility. Rates and examples below come from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) and Department of Environmental Services (ENV) pages listed at the bottom. Your bill, meter size and account type control your actual charges.

Step 1: Check the gallons, not the dollars

Your Honolulu bill combines charges from two separate city agencies: BWS for drinking water and ENV for sewer service. Before you hunt for a leak, compare the gallons used on this bill with the same month last year and with your last few bills.

• Gallons about the same, dollars higher: it is probably the 2026 rate changes (Step 2).
• Gallons much higher: look for a leak, extra irrigation, a pool fill, or an estimated reading (Steps 3 and 4).
• Bill says "estimated": BWS rules allow an estimated bill based on prior use when a meter cannot be read. The next actual read will true it up, so a big catch-up bill can follow a low estimate.

Step 2: What changed in 2026

Sewer. Honolulu's sewer fees had not changed since 2016. Under the new schedule, ENV raised them on January 1, 2026 and again on July 1, 2026, with further increases every July through 2031. The city also cut the fixed base charge and raised the per-gallon charge, so households that use more water now pay much more of the sewer bill.

Source: Honolulu ENV Sewer Fee Rates page. ENV charges sewer on 80% of the water you use (an automatic 20% discount for water that does not go down the drain, unless you have an irrigation submeter). Condos and other multi-unit residences have a lower base charge ($33.19 per unit as of July 1, 2026).

Water. BWS adopted a five-year rate schedule in 2023, and the July 1, 2026 step is now in effect. Single-family homes pay a monthly customer charge based on meter size plus four usage tiers, and usage is rounded down to the nearest 1,000 gallons.

Multi-unit residential tiers are lower and break at 2,000, 4,000 and 10,000 gallons per unit. See the BWS rate schedule for every meter size and class.

What a leak costs on Oahu right now

Our own arithmetic using the July 1, 2026 rates for a single-family home with a 5/8" meter, billed monthly. It is an illustration, not your bill.

Because sewer is now charged mostly by volume, a leak raises both halves of the bill. A running toilet alone can add more than $100 a month.

Step 3: Find the leak (free checks first)

1. Meter test. Turn off every faucet, the ice maker, irrigation and the washer. Watch the meter's leak indicator, or read the meter, wait one to two hours without using water, and read it again. Any movement means water is flowing. On Oahu, BWS asks customers not to open the meter box; our shut-off valve and meter guide explains what each county allows.
2. Inside or outside? If the meter still moves, close your home's main shut-off valve. If the meter stops, the leak is inside the house. If it keeps moving, the leak is likely in the line between the meter and the house.
3. Toilets. EPA's dye test: put food coloring in the tank and wait about 10 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means a leaking flapper or fill valve. EPA says a constantly running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons a day.
4. Irrigation and outdoor lines. Look for soggy or unusually green patches, a sprinkler valve that never fully closes, or a timer that was changed.
5. Everything else. Dripping faucets and shower valves, a water heater relief valve that drips to a drain, a softener or filter stuck in backwash, and a pool or pond that keeps refilling.

EPA estimates the average household's leaks waste about 180 gallons a week. If the meter test shows a leak you cannot find, a leak-detection visit can locate it without tearing up the yard or walls.

Step 4: Ask for an adjustment, a meter test or a review

Tips that help a request: fix the leak fast (the two-week clock matters on Oahu), keep the plumber's dated invoice that names the leak and the repair, take a photo of the meter reading after the repair, and send your request in writing.

Big yard? The irrigation submeter math

Every Honolulu residential sewer bill already assumes 20% of your water goes outdoors. If you irrigate much more than that, ENV lets you install an approved irrigation submeter so you are charged sewer only on the water that goes down the drain. The catch: the submeter ends the automatic 20% discount, you pay for the installation (by a plumbing contractor or a C-37b irrigation contractor, installed downstream of a backflow preventer), and you must report readings. With the sewer charge now $11.83 per 1,000 gallons, the payback is much faster than it was at the old $4.63 rate, but get a quote and run the numbers with ENV first.

Neighbor islands

• Hawaii Island: the Department of Water Supply rules (effective December 25, 2020) allow a leak adjustment of up to one-half of the excess use over the average of your previous three bills once repairs are made, one adjustment per 36 months, up to two billing cycles. You have 30 days to repair and 60 days to apply after a high-use notice or bill. Up to 90% may be allowed for leaks caused by a declared disaster or by a crime documented in a police report. Customer service (808) 961-8050.
• Maui: Department of Water Supply customer service (808) 270-7730. Ask for its current leak adjustment policy in writing.
• Kauai: Department of Water (808) 245-5444. Ask for its current leak adjustment policy in writing.
• Many neighbor-island homes are on cesspools or septic systems and pay no county sewer charge, so a high bill there is more likely water use alone.

Need a plumber to find or fix the leak?

We can work to connect you with an independent, licensed local plumber who can locate the leak and give you a dated invoice describing the repair, which is what BWS will want to see. Call (808) 772-0705 or use the form below. Always check the plumber's license first, and see our Honolulu plumber cost guide for typical rates.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my Honolulu water bill go up when I did not use more water?

Two things changed in 2026. Honolulu's sewer charges, which appear on the same bill as your water, went up on January 1 and again on July 1, 2026, and shifted from a mostly fixed charge to a mostly usage-based charge. The Board of Water Supply's scheduled water rate step also took effect July 1, 2026. Using the city's own sample bills, a single-family home using 15,000 gallons a month paid about $133 for sewer in 2025 and about $190 after July 1, 2026, before counting water charges.

How do I know if a leak is causing my high water bill?

Compare the gallons on your bill, not the dollars, to the same month last year. Then turn off every faucet and water-using appliance and watch the meter's leak indicator, or read the meter, wait one to two hours without using water, and read it again. Any movement means water is flowing somewhere. On Oahu, read the meter only if you can do so without opening the BWS meter box.

Will the Board of Water Supply reduce my bill for a leak?

For underground pipe leaks, BWS rules (Sec. 2-208) say BWS may adjust the bill by one-half of the excess consumption over a normal bill, but only if repairs are made within two weeks after you are notified of the leak. BWS may extend that deadline for good cause. The rule is written for underground piping, so ask BWS before you assume a running toilet or dripping faucet qualifies.

Can I get my sewer charge reduced after a leak?

We did not find a published leak adjustment for Honolulu sewer charges. The city's published adjustments are the automatic 20% irrigation discount, an approved irrigation submeter, and a swimming pool adjustment. Call the Department of Environmental Services at (808) 768-3330 to ask whether water that went into the ground instead of the sewer can be credited, and keep the plumber's invoice.

What if I think the meter is wrong?

You can ask BWS to test the meter, and you may watch the test. Under BWS rules, if the meter registers more than 2% fast, BWS refunds the overcharge for up to six months, or back to a provable date. Also check whether the bill says it was estimated; BWS estimates when a meter cannot be read and bases the estimate on prior use.

Is there help paying Honolulu sewer bills?

The city's CARES program gives qualifying Oahu residential sewer customers with household income at or below 80% of the area median up to $240 a year in sewer bill credits. Applications for 2026 are accepted through October 31, 2026, by mail or drop-off; forms are at satellite city halls, public libraries and the ENV website.

Do neighbor islands give leak adjustments?

Hawaii County's water department rules (effective December 25, 2020) allow an adjustment of up to one-half of the excess water use over the average of your previous three bills after the leak is repaired, limited to one adjustment per 36 months and two billing cycles. You get 30 days to repair and 60 days to apply after a high-use notice or bill. For Maui and Kauai, call your water department and ask for its current leak adjustment policy in writing.

Sources

1. Honolulu BWS: Rate Schedule FY 2024 to FY 2029 (Resolution No. 976, 2023) (customer charge by meter size; four residential tiers; usage rounded down to the nearest 1,000 gallons; rates effective July 1, 2026)
2. Honolulu ENV: Sewer Fee Rates (2026 to 2031 sewer base and consumption charges; sample bills; automatic 20% irrigation discount; CARES credits; sewer billing (808) 768-3330)
3. Honolulu BWS: About Your Bill (combined water and sewer bill from two agencies; contacts)
4. Honolulu BWS Rules and Regulations, Chapter II (Sec. 2-203 estimated bills; Sec. 2-208 meter tests, 2% accuracy refund, underground leak adjustment)
5. Honolulu BWS: Billing Dispute Request Form (PDF)
6. Honolulu ENV: Frequently Asked Questions (how sewer charges are calculated; irrigation factor; submeters; pool adjustment)
7. Honolulu ENV: Submetering for Irrigation (rev. June 2016, PDF) (submeter ends the 20% credit; installer must be a plumbing or C-37b contractor)
8. Honolulu ENV: CARES FAQ (sewer bill credits for qualifying households; 2026 deadline October 31)
9. Hawaii County Department of Water Supply: Amended Rules and Regulations, effective December 25, 2020 (PDF) (leak adjustments: one-half of excess over the prior three-bill average; one per 36 months; 30 days to repair, 60 days to apply)
10. EPA WaterSense: Statistics and Facts and Fix a Leak Week (household leak and running-toilet figures; toilet dye test)
11. Hawaii News Now, June 16, 2026: New Honolulu sewer fee structure to reward lower water use

Call (808) 772-0705