Columbus Water Works

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FAQ

FAQs
Customer Services FAQs
What do I do if I see and/or want to report a leak in the street? Please call CWW's Customer Service Department at (706) 649-3303 to report leaks in the street. How much time do I have to pay my bill after I receive it? Please remember that your water bill is due when received. Prompt payment is critical to ensuring all customers can continue to receive the most cost-efficient service possible.
I can't pay my bill by the due date. Can I get an extension? Columbus Water Works recognizes that situations may arise that may make on-time payment of your bill difficult or impossible. A payment extension may be granted for the appropriate cause. A customer service representative must approve your request. To discuss this situation, please contact a Customer Service Representative at (706) 649-3303. You may also request an extension using eTAP online or by phone at (706) 649-3311. If my service is disconnected, how long does it take to get service back on after I pay? Water service will be restored on the same day that service was disconnected for non-payment provided payment is received by 2 p.m. If payment is received after 2 p.m., service will be restored on the next business day. A responsible party must be present at the property when the water is turned on. How do I get my water turned on if I'm a new customer? To establish new water and sewer service, you may call (706) 649-3303 or come in person to our business office at 1421 Veterans Parkway and speak with a Customer Service Representative. Please allow up to 24 hours for connection. If application is made by 2:00 p.m., same day service may be provided. No deposit is required, however, a $20 connection fee will appear on your first bill. Please note that a responsible party must be present at the property in order for service to be turned on or you must sign a waiver if no one will be present. To protect the interior of your home or business from water damage, please check to make sure that all indoor faucets, including the connection to the icemaker for your refrigerator, are turned off before service is connected. How do I get my service discontinued? If you are already a Columbus Water Works customer, and need to transfer your service to a new address within our service area, please call our office one working day (24 hours) prior to your move to arrange for a final water bill at your current address. Please remember to make arrangements for connection of the water service at your new address one working day prior to the day you will need water service. In most cases, you do not need to visit our office to transfer water service. A $20 transfer fee will be applied to your bill. If you are moving outside of our service area, please call our office one working day (24 hours) prior to your move to arrange to have service discontinued and to have a final water bill prepared for your current address. Who do I call if I need to locate my water or sewer lines? CWW will locate our connections. The owner of the property must locate or hire a plumber to locate lines or connections on private property. Call before you dig at 1-800-282-7411 to locate all utility lines. If I have a leak on my side of the meter, can I get my bill adjusted? Bring repair receipts to our Customer Service Department and an appropriate adjustment may be made to your account. Can I make a partial payment on my bill? Minimum payments are accepted if the current bill is not past due. Do you require a deposit for water service? No deposit is required, however, a $20 connection fee will appear on your first bill. Is there a fee for making a payment over the phone or CWW Web? There is not a charge from CWW to use this service. In the event that an electronic check is returned for any reason, the processing company charges a fee and CWW charges a $3.00 handling fee. How can I pay my bill? There are multiple options for making a bill payment. Click here to find out more. My water is off and I don't know why. What should I do? First, check to make sure your bill has been paid. Call a Customer Service Representative at (706) 649-3303. How can I find out the balance due on my account? You can visit our eTAP online system by clicking here, or calling our eTAP phone service at (706) 649-3311. You may also call a Customer Service Representative at (706) 649-3303. Is there a charge to get someone to turn off my water temporarily? There is not a charge for a temporary disconnection. What do I do if I feel my bill is higher than normal? If your monthly bill has a noticeable increase in consumption for which you can't account, you should: Check your premises for leaks. Remember that you as the customer are responsible for all water passing through the water meter, so repairing leaks on your side of the meter will save you from paying for water you may not be using. If you are unable to locate the cause of increased water usage, please call one of our Customer Service Representatives who can arrange for a service technician to visit and assist you in determining the source of the problem. When the problem is identified, contact the plumber of your choice to have the repair made. Bring repair receipts to our Customer Service Department and an appropriate adjustment may be made to your account. How often are meters read and bills mailed? Residential meters and commercial meters are read every other month to determine the amount of water used. Half of the indicated consumption is billed the first month and half the second month. Can I be billed at a flat rate? No. See Rates and Fees. What services are we paying for on a monthly bill from CWW? Please click here to refer to the rates section for more information. What is CCF and how can I calculate my usage from CCF to gallons? CCF = 100 cubic feet. To convert CCF into gallons, simply multiply the amount by 748. Why has my bill been the same for 2 months? Residential meters and commercial meters are read every other month. The first bill sent during the two-month cycle reflects half of the actual usage. On the second monthly bill of the cycle the other half of the metered usage is charged. This means you will receive two bills for the same amount. What do I do if I did not receive a bill? Visit our eTAP online system by clicking here or by calling our eTAP phone service at (706) 649-3311. You will need your customer number. You may also call our customer service department at (706) 649-3303. What is the CSO charge on my bill? CSO is the Combined Sewer Overflow fee. For more information, click here. Why is the garbage fee added to my bill? Garbage collection services are provided by the Columbus Consolidated Government. The fee for garbage collection appears on your water and sewer bill because the Columbus Water Works serves as a billing agent and collects payments for garbage charges. If you have questions about your garbage service or need assistance, please contact the Columbus Consolidated Government directly at (706) 653-4000 or by visiting their website at www.columbusga.org. I have a sprinkler meter. Am I being charged a wastewater fee for the water I use through it? Sprinkler meter usage is excluded from the wastewater fee, since this water is applied to the ground and does not go from the pipes in your home or business into the wastewater collection system for treatment. Do you have budget billing? At the present time we do not have budget billing. How can I sign up for Bank Draft? An automatic bank draft payment plan can be established simply by picking up a form at our main office or clicking here to sign up online. Once you've completed the form, drop it off with a Customer Service Representative or return it with your regular payment. It takes approximately six weeks to process the request, verify banking information, and establish bank draft service. Once it is in place, you will continue to receive your monthly statement, which will read "Bank Draft. Do not pay." Until this notice appears, you will need to continue to pay your bill as you normally would. You can end the service at any time by simply speaking to one of our customer service representatives and filling out a termination bank draft form. Where can I get information about the quality of my water? You can contact Customer Service for a copy of our most recent Annual Water Quality Report or click here to download it. CWW also compiles an annual Finished Water Analysis that looks at what level of contaminants (such as lead, copper, etc.) may be in the water. You can request this report as well or click here download it. CWW's laboratory carefully monitors the quality of the drinking water to ensure it meets all regulatory standards, typically taking 225 samples a month from the water distribution system. Does CWW fluoridate its water? Like many utilities, CWW does add fluoride to the treated water to help with dental hygiene and cavity prevention. State regulations allow for a maximum of 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water (mg/L). CWW's fluoride level typically runs at less than 1 mg/L. My water is discolored or cloudy or has a strange odor sometimes. What can I do? Check other faucets in your to see if the problem is coming from all of your taps or just a particular one. You may also want to see if your neighbors are having similar issues - this could indicate whether it is a problem within the system or isolated to your home. Often if the problem is at the kitchen faucet, it may be the sink trap that's causing the odor and not the water. You can take a glass of water outside to see if the odor is still there. Cloudy or discolored water can be caused by a variety of things. Sediment in distribution lines sometimes gets stirred up if a water line is disturbed because of a break or through firefighting. Let the water run for at least a minute to see if it clears up. This will flush out any sediment if that's the problem. If the problem is rust, running the water for a few minutes should also clear it up. However, if you didn't catch it in time and have stained laundry as a result, CWW can provide a decolorizing agent to remove the stains. If none of this solves the problem, it could be your pipes (many older homes have lead and copper pipes that cause discoloration). While CWW is only responsible for the pipes up to the water meter, we'll be happy to test your water if you have concerns and possibly make recommendations on how to solve the problem if it falls on the homeowner's side of the meter. Where do I call to get my water tested? CWW will test the water of any customer who requests it. Normally, samples for testing will be taken from a point before the water enters the house. Please make these requests through Customer Service. Within 24-hours a CWW representative will test the water specifically looking at temperature, pH, chlorine level, turbidity, and bacteria level. Turbidity and bacteria analysis must be brought back to the lab and results are usually available within 24 hours. For the other items, results are typically available within a few minutes of testing and can eliminate potential causes of concern. Someone should be at the location when testing occurs.
Engineering FAQs How do I get water and sewer lines located prior to performing work? Call utility protection center 72 hours before digging at 1-800-282-7411 or visit their website. Why is there a sewer tap fee, and what does it cover? The tap fee covers the cost for the construction of the sewer tap.
I live on a private road; how can I get connected to CWW's water system? Contact the CWW Engineering Department at 706-649-3471. How can I find my sewer tap? Contact the CWW Engineering Department at 706-649-3471. Why do we have to run 8-inch water mains? To support fire flow and system expansion. Can my plumber tie into the existing sewer line? There are two ways of tying into an existing sewer. CWW can make the tap or a certified utility contractor can make the tap under the inspection of CWW. When do I have to use DIP (ductile iron pipe) on the sewer line? When the line is deeper than 14 feet or less than 3 feet deep. Why do I need an engineer to design a water and sewer system? It is required by CWW and per Georgia Environmental Protection Division delegated authority. Can you accept less than a 20-foot easement? A 20 foot easement is standard for CWW but due to extenuating circumstances this may vary on a case by case basis. Will you share your easement with another utility? Water and sewer easements are dedicated easements that cannot contain other utilities. What clearance do you require on your water/sewer lines? A 10 foot separation is required between water and sewer lines.
Meter Services FAQs Can my meter be checked for leaks? If you believe you have a leak at the meter, and have checked but have not located it, you may contact a CWW Customer Service Representative who can arrange for a service technician to visit and assist you in determining the source of the problem. Can I give a payment for my water bill to the meter reader or meter representative when he or she visits my home? No. Meter readers are not equipped to accept payment. For a full list of payment options, click here.
Can CWW check my water pressure? Yes. Please call our customer service office at (706) 649-3303 to arrange for a service technician to visit your home to determine any pressure problems. My water has been turned off at the meter - can I turn it back on myself? No. When the water is turned on, a CWW service technician must get an accurate meter reading to establish the baseline for future billing. Also, meters are the property of CWW, so tampering with this equipment is strictly prohibited to ensure meters function properly and customers are billed accurately. Why does someone have to be home or at my business in order to get my water turned on? It's important that someone be at the location when CWW turns on the water to make sure it is flowing from the taps properly, and to ensure that no faucets or icemaker lines are accidentally left open which can cause water damage.
Backflow Prevention FAQs What is a backflow? Backflow occurs when the flow of water changes directions, usually because of a change in pressure. This is a potentially dangerous situation because untreated or nonpotable (not safe for human consumption) water can be sucked back into the drinking water system and contaminate it. For example, backflow can happen if the flow from a hose in a bucket of water containing soap or household chemicals reverses because of a change in pressure, pulling the water from the bucket into your home's drinking water system. What is a cross-connection? A cross-connection is any connection (whether temporary or permanent) between Columbus Water Work's water distribution system and any source or system containing water or other substances that may not be suitable for drinking. An example of a cross-connection would be an irrigation system connected to a customer's drinking water system. How does backflow affect me? Backflow can potentially contaminate your drinking water. Because of this, CWW requires that all meters come equipped with a backflow prevention device to protect all customers from contaminants being introduced, either intentionally or accidentally, into the water system. A backflow prevention device prevents the "flowing back" of water into the water main. It is usually installed at the water meter. Is there a law requiring that I have a backflow prevention device? Yes. Federal law requires CWW as the provider of the municipal water system to protect the system from being compromised by backflow once the water has passed through a customer's meter. Therefore, CWW requires a backflow prevention device be in place for its customers before we will provide service. Does everyone have to comply with these regulations? Yes, because of the federal mandate CWW is under regarding backflow prevention and because it serves as a way of protecting the water supply, it is imperative that all customers have backflow prevention devices. Why do backflow devices need to be tested and by whom? Backflow devices need to be tested to ensure no contamination has entered CWW's distribution system or residents' homes or businesses. A certified backflow tester typically performs these tests. What is thermal expansion? Whenever water is heated it expands and this is called thermal expansion. Thermal expansion can cause the pressure to increase on a plumbing system where a backflow device has been installed. To prevent this problem a thermal expansion device is installed on the cold water side of interior plumbing to allow for this pressure relief. The fix can be an inexpensive one. CWW offers a thermal expansion device at our cost of $15 that may be obtained at our business office. It comes with simple instructions on how to connect the device to your washing machine's cold water line. If you prefer, you may consult with your plumber for alternate protection devices and installation. My water system was in place before this regulation - why isn't my system "grandfathered in" on regulatory requirements? Because backflow can lead to serious public-health issues, "grandfathering" older homes and businesses into the system is not an option. The regulations are not in place to put a burden on residents but to ensure that Columbus' drinking water is safe for everyone. Who is going to pay for these regulatory requirements? The regulations are included in the plumbing code which affects anyone that is installing or upgrading plumbing. It is up to the homeowner to make sure they are in compliance with the regulations. We've been here all these years and never had to do anything about backflow before. Why do I have to do this now? As state and federal regulations protecting drinking water grow more stringent, it is imperative that water systems keep up. Because the end-users, which are the customers, can individually impact the drinking water system, they must be a part of the solution in preventing backflow.
Outdoor Watering FAQs Are we still in the drought stage? The Georgia Water Stewardship Act went into effect June 2, 2010. It allows daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants only between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. by anyone whose water is supplied by a water system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division. For more information click here. When can I use water outside? Click here to see the schedule for outdoor watering.