FAQ

You may not have - the numbers on your meter may have been transposed or hard to read. Our current meter readers are very conscientious and seldom make an error, but it can happen and we will reread your meter to verify the usage. Or, you could have a leaky toilet or faucet that's difficult to detect.

Sometimes a leak is underground (or under your slab) and doesn't show up on the surface, we can often detect such leaks for you by monitoring your meter.

Call the office and we'll work with you to solve the problem.

The AVERAGE residential water usage in our Rural Water District is 8,110 gallons per month. The mean average is less, around 5,800 gallons per month. But the usage in our neighborhoods varies dramatically with some consistently under 1,000 gallons per month and some nearer 20,000 gallons per month and even exceeding 50,000 gallons per month during hot summers with pool evaporation and watering lawns and shrubs.

Statewide, the average usage runs between 75-100 gallons/day per peron in the household. In CA some areas have limited usage to 55 gallons/day/person and most people do not like that!
The DEQ estimates an individual will typically use just over 2,000 gal/month in household water. Multiply by the number in your home.

A leaky toilet can run over 80,000 gallons in a month!

Is the low pressure throughout your house or at specific locations? Often the aerators on faucets or showers get clogged with small particulate or minerals and need to be cleaned. So, if the pressure is low in one place but not everywhere, this is likely the problem.

Next, check your meter and the surrounding area for possible leaks. If water is escaping outside, then your pressure inside will be affected.
Next, if you have a water softener, try flipping the bypass valve so the water doesn't go through the softener then try your water pressure. There is a medium in one tank of most water softeners that reacts to the chlorine in the water and eventually gums up the system and restricts the water flow.
Finally, call our office and report low pressure for your area.

A repair could have been completed recently allowing air to enter the line, causing a cloudy or milky look. To determine whether this is the problem, run a clear glass or jar full of water and set it on the counter for a few minutes. If it is air in the water, it will gradually clear up from the bottom upward as the tiny bubbles rise to the surface and escape.

If the water has a tannish or pinkish cast to it, a water line repair could have disturbed some of the iron or mineral deposits on the inside of the water mains. This is why we flush our lines after repairs, but your lines might still have these deposits in them and you need to flush your lines. This is often most quickly and best done at an outside faucet on your house or the bathtub.

All public water systems are required to maintain a minimum chlorine level of 0.2 mg/L (tested at the end of each line) by state law. Systems that use chloramine as a disinfectant must maintain a level of 0.5 mg/L by state law. Our disinfectant levels are tested daily to ensure safety.

Most likely your water heater needs to be flushed. CAUTION: Most manufacturers recommend hiring a professional to flush your water heater. If you plan on doing this yourself, read the owner's manual to keep from being hurt and or damaging the water heater.

We may have received it after the due date or we may not have received it at all. Call our office and we will help you solve the problem.

"Milky or cloudy" water is USUALLY a sign of dissolved oxygen in the water - air in the main or distribution lines. If you run a glass of water (clear glass) and set it on the counter, does it gradually clear up from the bottom until the whole glass of water is clear? This is typical if air is atomized in the water - what you are seeing is millions of TINY air bubbles.  This can happen either when the water has been shut off or fire hydrants have been used. We recommend running your tub faucet (fastest flowing one in house) to flush your line coming from your meter to the house, then run your other faucets to flush the lines inside your house. Running water long enough to draw fresh water through all your lines ensures the sanitation of the water in the lines (water sitting in lines for some time can lose its sanitation).

Air in the lines is NOT a sign of contaminated water, just that something unusual has taken place with the water distribution system and the lines should be flushed to clear the air.