Any customer wishing to receive an adjustment for a water leak/repair must provide a copy of a receipt for the repair or parts purchased to make the repair. The bill must be over $100.00 to qualify for an adjustment.

The adjustment will be made as follows: Customer must pay the first $100.00 and $2.00 per 1000 gallons used over 17,000 gallons and the request will be presented to the Board for approval. If needed, customer has the option to pay the bill in 12 monthly installments without interest if the bill is substantial and board has approved the payment plan. An adjustment is limited to one time per calendar year.

Water meters are the property of the Owens Cross Roads Water Authority. Payment for a water meter is a non-refundable fee for meter placement. For an account to remain active, a base rate (or minimum bill) must be paid monthly to cover the continuous maintenance of the water meter. If an account is inactive the meter is subject to being removed by the Owens Cross Roads Water Department. In the event of a lost/missing or damaged water meter or the need for replacing a meter that has been removed, due to customer neglect the cost of the necessary repairs or replacement shall be paid by the customer.

How to Use Your Meter to Check for Leaks

• Be sure no water is on the inside of your dwelling. This includes toilets, ice makers, washing machines, etc.

• If no water is on, check your meter for any movement of the dial. When water is passing through the meter, the dial will move in a clockwise direction. If water is off and the dial moves you have a leak.

 

Every Drop Counts!!

• A Faucet leaking one drop per second wastes 2,400 gallons per year.

• To check if your toilet tank is leaking, put in a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait about 15 minutes and look in the bowl. If the food coloring shows up the tank is leaking.

 

Dry Weather Water Conservation Tips

Drought conditions will cause a larger than usual consumption of water, resulting in some customers experiencing lower pressures. Please be mindful of your water consumption and do your part to help conserve water. Here are a few outdoor conservation tips for you to follow:

• Water your lawn only when necessary. It takes 660 gallons of water to supply 1,000 square feet of lawn with 1 inch of water (This is almost the same amount as you use inside the house in an entire week) As a general rule established lawns do not need to be watered more often than every five to seven days.

• Water lawns and gardens early in the morning or at night when temperatures are lowest and save 30% or more of the water typically lost to evaporation.

• Do not allow sprinklers to water your street, driveway or sidewalk.

• Raise the height of your mowers so that you are cutting grass at the highest recommended height. A higher cut encourages grass roots to grow deeper, shades the root system and holds soil moisture better than closely clipped lawn.

• Avoid fertilizing your lawn. Fertilizer applications increase the need for water.

• Use mulch around trees and shrubs and in garden beds to retain moisture in the soil.

• Do not use the hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk use a broom

• Use a shut-off nozzle on your hose so that water flows only as needed.

• Do not leave sprinklers or hoses unattended.

• If you wash your car, park it on the grass and use a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.