WATER SAVINGS • BISMARCK, ND
How to Lower Your Summer Water Bill in Bismarck
The fastest way to lower your summer water bill in Bismarck is to stop overwatering the lawn. Bismarck charges more per gallon the more you use, so lawn water lands in the most expensive tiers. Water about 1 inch a week counting rain, water early in the morning, fix leaky or crooked sprinkler heads, and mow tall. If you’d rather save the most, let the lawn go dormant in the heat and water it the right way.
THE CITY WATER RATES
How Bismarck Charges for Water in 2026
Bismarck bills water in units. One unit is 100 cubic feet, or 748 gallons. For single-family homes, the price per unit climbs as you use more each month.
| Monthly use | 2026 price per unit | About how many gallons |
|---|---|---|
| Units 1 to 8 | $1.80 | Up to about 6,000 gallons |
| Units 9 to 16 | $4.93 | About 6,000 to 12,000 gallons |
| Units 17 to 24 | $6.34 | About 12,000 to 18,000 gallons |
| Unit 25 and up | $8.10 | Over about 18,000 gallons |
Source: City of Bismarck 2026 Single Family Rates. These are water use charges only. Your bill also has fixed monthly charges, like the water and sewer minimums, waste collection, street light and stormwater.
Here’s the thing: a top-tier unit costs 4.5 times a first-tier unit. Indoor use mostly stays in the cheap tiers. The lawn is usually what pushes the bill into the $6.34 and $8.10 tiers.
The city’s utility director told KFYR in 2021 that summer watering is priced high because “it’s peaking the system.”
The Good News: Lawn Water Usually Skips the Sewer Charge
Sewer costs $3.16 per unit in 2026. But Bismarck uses summer sewer averaging for eligible accounts. The city says it figures your average water use from November 1 to May 1, then uses that average for your sewer charge from May through October. That way you aren’t charged sewer on “lawn and garden-watering.” New accounts get 5 units as their summer sewer average.
So for most homes, summer lawn water costs the water rate only. Check your bill to confirm your account qualifies.
THE REAL MONTHLY COST
What Your Lawn Really Costs to Water
One inch of water on 1,000 square feet is about 623 gallons. A 5,000-square-foot lawn needs about 3,100 gallons, or a little over 4 units, for each inch.
Let’s take a house that uses about 6 units a month indoors and has a 5,000-square-foot lawn. This is our math using the 2026 rates above, for water use charges only.
| How the lawn is watered in a summer month | About total units | Water use charge |
|---|---|---|
| No lawn watering (indoor only) | 6 | About $11 |
| Dormant lawn, about ¼ inch a week | 11 | About $29 |
| About ½ inch a week | 15 | About $49 |
| About 1 inch a week, the NDSU target | 24 | About $105 |
| About 1½ inches a week, more than NDSU suggests | 33 | About $177 |
Look at the last two rows. Going from 1 inch to 1½ inches a week adds about 9 units, and every one of them lands in the $8.10 tier. That’s roughly $73 a month for water the grass didn’t need.
SMARTER LAWN WATERING
10 Ways to Cut Your Summer Water Bill
Water About 1 Inch a Week, Rain Included
NDSU Extension says a lawn needs “about 1 inch of water per week from you, rainfall or a combination of both.” If it rained half an inch, the lawn only needs half an inch more.
Measure What Your Sprinklers Put Down
Set a few flat-bottomed cups or empty tuna cans around one zone, run it, and time how long it takes to collect an inch. That time is your base for that zone. Repeat for each zone, since spray heads and rotors put down water at very different speeds.
Water Early in the Morning
NDSU says early morning is best and calls midday watering “not recommended.” The City of Bismarck’s tip sheet also lists evenings or night as cool times to water. NDSU warns against the evening because “the lawn will stay wet all night, leading to diseases.” We go with early morning, and skip windy days as the city suggests.
Split Runs on Clay Soil
Bismarck clay takes in water slowly. NDSU says to water clay “only once or twice a week” and to split the run if water runs off. The EPA calls this cycle and soak: two or three shorter runs with a break in between.
Mow Tall and Leave the Clippings
NDSU says taller grass grows deeper roots and shades the soil, which keeps moisture in. Mow at about 3 inches, and leave the clippings on the lawn.
Let the Lawn Go Dormant the Right Way
NDSU says, “Going dormant under intense heat is natural for lawns.” Iowa State Extension says Kentucky bluegrass can stay dormant for 4 to 6 weeks “without suffering significant damage.”
Two rules make it work:
- Pick a lane. Iowa State says not to let the lawn go in and out of dormancy all summer.
- Keep the crowns alive. The University of Wisconsin suggests about ¼ inch a week. Iowa State suggests a deep soak of 1 to 1½ inches after 4 to 6 weeks if it stays dry.
Not sure if your brown lawn is resting or gone? See brown lawn in summer: dormant or dead.
Fix the Sprinkler System
The EPA’s WaterSense program says homes with clock-timer systems use about 50% more water outdoors than homes without one. It also says a wasteful system can lose “up to 25,000 gallons of water and $280 over a six-month irrigation season.”
The EPA’s four steps:
- Inspect each zone for broken, missing or tilted heads. In Bismarck, check along the driveway and street, where plows and snow blowers hit heads all winter.
- Connect: look for leaks, and make sure valves shut off fully.
- Direct the spray onto grass, not the sidewalk, driveway or street.
- Select a smarter schedule, and change it as the season changes.
Add a Smart Controller or Rain Sensor
The EPA says a WaterSense labeled controller can save a home up to 15,000 gallons a year. That’s about 20 units. If all of those came off the top tier at $8.10, that’s up to about $160 a year. NDSU also points to rain and soil moisture sensors that stop the system when it’s raining or the ground is already wet. See irrigation and sprinklers in Bismarck.
Aerate and Add Compost
NDSU suggests filling aeration holes with “some compost or peat moss.” On clay, it helps water soak in instead of running off. See aeration and overseeding in Bismarck.
Shrink the Thirsty Parts of the Yard
Dry slopes, hot driveway strips and narrow side yards eat water and still look rough.
- Use the right grass. NDSU’s grass guide lists hard fescue as drought and shade tolerant. The University of Minnesota says fine and tall fescues can stay green at least 28 days without water. See best grass for Bismarck lawns.
- Turn problem strips into beds. Low-water shrubs and perennials in a mulched bed use less than turf. The City of Bismarck also suggests native, drought-tolerant plants. See landscape rock, mulch and curbing and landscape design in Bismarck.
- Water beds and lawn on separate zones, so shrubs aren’t soaked every time the grass is.
CHECK YOUR WATER METER
Is It the Lawn or a Leak?
If your bill jumped and the lawn isn’t getting more water, check for a leak. The City of Bismarck explains how:
- Turn off every faucet and appliance and make sure the sprinklers aren’t running.
- Read the meter. Shine an LED flashlight on the top window. The display switches between the reading and the flow rate every six seconds.
- Watch the rate. If no water is in use and the rate isn’t all zeros, water is moving somewhere.
- Shut valves off one at a time. When the rate drops to zeros, you’ve found the leak.
The city says toilets are the most common leak. A slow one wastes about 7.48 gallons an hour, and a major one can waste 800 cubic feet a day. That’s about 8 units every single day. To test a toilet, put food coloring in the tank and wait 10 to 20 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means it leaks.
Outside, soggy spots or water bubbling up in the lawn can mean a cracked sprinkler pipe. If you think the meter itself is wrong, the city offers a meter check for $50.
SUMMER SEWER AVERAGING
A Winter Leak Can Raise Your Summer Sewer Bill
Your summer sewer charge is based on your water use from November 1 to May 1. A running toilet or dripping faucet in winter raises that average, and you keep paying for it on the sewer side from May through October.
Fix winter leaks fast.
Questions
Summer Water Bill FAQ
Common questions about summer rates, lawn watering and water leaks in Bismarck.
Not sure where the extra water goes?
Call and tell us what you are seeing. We can help check your irrigation setup.
Why is my water bill so high in the summer in Bismarck?
Bismarck uses tiered water rates, so each unit costs more as you use more. Lawn watering pushes most homes into the upper tiers. In 2026, a unit costs $1.80 in the first tier and $8.10 above 24 units a month.
How much does Bismarck charge for water in 2026?
For single-family homes, Bismarck charges $1.80 per unit for units 1 to 8, $4.93 for units 9 to 16, $6.34 for units 17 to 24 and $8.10 for unit 25 and up. One unit is 748 gallons. Fixed monthly charges are billed on top.
Does lawn watering raise my sewer bill in Bismarck?
Usually not. Bismarck uses summer sewer averaging for eligible accounts. Your sewer charge from May through October is based on your average water use from November 1 to May 1, so lawn and garden watering isn’t charged sewer.
How much does it cost to water a lawn in Bismarck?
A 5,000-square-foot lawn needs about 3,100 gallons, or a little over 4 units, for each inch of water. At 1 inch a week, that’s about 18 units a month. For a home using 6 units indoors, the water use charge goes from about $11 to about $105 a month at 2026 rates.
Is it okay to let my lawn go dormant to save water?
Yes. Iowa State Extension says Kentucky bluegrass can stay dormant for 4 to 6 weeks without significant damage. Don’t switch back and forth between watering and not watering, and give it about ¼ inch a week or a deep soak after 4 to 6 weeks of dry weather.
How do I check for a water leak in Bismarck?
Turn off all water, then shine an LED flashlight on your meter’s top window. If the flow rate isn’t all zeros, water is moving. Shut valves off one at a time until it reads zero. The City of Bismarck says toilets are the most common leak.
Bismarck Landscape
Want a Second Set of Eyes on Your Sprinklers?
We can walk your system, fix heads that spray the street and set run times for clay soil. Call Bismarck Landscape.
You can also see our contact options. For Mandan and Lincoln, the watering tips are the same, but each city sets its own water rates, so check your own bill.