Why do I have an outrageous water bill?

Go to your water meter.

If you’re in a house it’s in a box by the road. On the meter above the number will be a little spinny triangle or gear looking thing. If it’s turning AT ALL you have water running somewhere between the in your house or under it. If it’s turning quickly then it’s a big leak.

It is not uncommon for older homes (say 1980s or older) to develop pinhole leaks in the copper piping under the foundation. If you don’t have an obvious source for the running water (say a hose left on, toilet left wide open for 2 weeks, etc.), then you will need to hire a leak detection company to come and find where it is leaking, then hire plumber to bust up the slab to access and fix the leak (or do it yourself.

Most of the above is if you’re a homeowner. If you’re renting call the landlord as it’s their problem to fix.

The water bill though, you may have to pay that in full. If it is a leak they can adjust it though, as many times there is a matching sewage charge. If there’s a leak you can tell them it didn’t go down the sewer it went into the ground.