FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following link is to an in-depth article that
ran in the Wenatchee World on 4/14/08.
Experts Relatively Unfazed by Reports of Drugs in Drinking Water

Q:    When was the Water District Established?
A:    1923. Originally called the "East Wenatchee Domestic Water Company".

Q:    How many customers are served?
A:    Approximately 9,000 connections serving a population of about 24,000 people.

Q:    How big of an area does the District serve.
A:    Approximately 27 square miles. From Baker Flats, north of the
        Odabashian bridge, south and east towards the City of Rock Island.

Q:    WHY IS MY FIRST SPRING WATER BILL SO HIGH?
A:    The East Wenatchee Water District (EWWD) does not read meters during the
        winter due to the cold weather and snow.  Even if there is not much snow
        during the winter, the cold air can freeze the service line connected to the
        meter, which can cause more problems.  The excess on your first water bill
        in the Spring is usually for four to six months.  The District bills the base rate
        during the winter months.

Q:    WHEN IS MY BILL DUE?
A:    All water bills are due 30 days from the bill date, which is found on the
        bottom left corner of your bill.

Q:    CAN I PAY MY BILL WITH A CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD?
A:    Yes!  We accept credit card payments, in person or by phone.  We accept Visa,
        Mastercard, American Express,  and Discover cards.  There is no extra charge
        for this service.

Q:    CAN I HAVE MY BILL CHARGED DIRECTLY TO MY CREDIT CARD?
A:    Unfortunately, not at this time.

Q:    can i pay a set amount each month and settle up at the
        end of the year?
A:    Unfortunately, we do not have budget billing available at this time.  You can,
        however, always pay monthly instead of waiting for your bill to arrive.

Q:    HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME TO FILL MY POOL?
A:    Probably not as much as you think.  Let's say you have a 20,000 gallon pool.
        Excess water is charged out at $1.35 per extra 100 cubic feet (748 gallons).
        If you divide 20,000 gallons by 748 gallons you get 26.74 (2674 cubic feet
        of water).  26.74 x $1.35 is $36.10.  This is your excess water cost.  You still
        get your base water allotment for the billing period at the regular charge.

Q:    WHY DO I HAVE EXCESS?
A:    The amount of water a household uses depends upon several different factors:

            - Family Size

            - Everyday Habits - (i.e. leaving water running while brushing teeth, washing
              dishes, number of loads of laundry, etc.)

            - Irrigation Use

            - Water Softener Recycling Excessively

            - Toilet Recycling Excessively

            - Possible Leak!

        Most customers have a difficult time staying below the included base
        capacity of 600 cubic feet (4,488 gallons) per month.  We have seen
        several homes with just two occupants not stay below this base capacity.

        The typical customer uses about 150 gallons of water per day.

     This does not include outdoor uses!

Q:    HOW DO I DETERMINE IF I HAVE A LEAK?
A:    The first thing you need determine is if the leak is inside your home or
        outside your home.  To determine if the leak is outside your home, turn
        off the main water valve to your home.  This is the valve that shuts off
        all the water to the inside of your house, NOT your water meter.

        Locate your water meter and check the RED dial.  If the dial is spinning
        and you have the water inside your home shut off at the valve, then your
        leak is in your service line (between your water meter and your shut off valve).
        If the RED dial is not spinning, turn your main shut off valve to your house
        water back on and check your meter again.  If the RED dial is now spinning,
        the leak is inside your home.  If the dial is still not spinning, you may have
        what is known as an intermittent leak (toilet, water softener, hot water tank
        something that does not leak constantly, but recycles water intermittently.
        You may have to watch your meter for several minutes to see of this is the
        type of leak that you have.

        If you have performed both of these tasks and the meter is not spinning,
        then most likely you don't have a leak.  Your meter is reading actual
        consumption.  Remember, during the Spring and Summer months, your
        water consumption normally increases due to several factors: washing
        your car, filling your pool, watering your yard/garden/plants, etc.

        If you believe your consumption is due to a malfunctioning meter or other
        factor beyond your control, please call us and we will send out a crew to
        re-read your meter and be sure it is functioning properly.

Q:    WHY IS MY WATER DIRTY/RUSTY/CLOUDY/MILKY?
A:    The color of your water is normally constant.  However, from time to
        time you may notice a change in the color of your water.  Dirty or Rusty
        water may indicate that there is construction work being done in your
        area and ground shake has dislodged dirt or rust in the water mainline
        near where they are working and it has invaded your water supply.
        Usually, letting your water run for several minutes will clear your line
        and fix the problem.

        Other times, your water appears milky or cloudy.  This is caused by an
        overabundance of air in your water line.  This is usually caused by a
        meter change-out which has left a bit of air in your line.  Again, just run
        your water for a few minutes and the problem should clear up.

If you still can not solve the problem, please play the following informative
video as this may be the source of your frustration!
Water Leak Video