FAQs
What chemicals does our utility district add to the water?
Only chemicals that are approved by the National Safety Foundation for treatment of drinking water.
My water tastes, looks, and smells funny. Is it safe to drink?
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.
What do I do if I am experiencing low pressure?
Check your meter and the surrounding area for possible leaks. Next, call our office and report low pressure for your area.
Is your bill higher than normal?
Did you know that a running toilet can waste as much as five gallons per minute?
Even a small leak could be responsible for the loss of thousands of gallons of water per day! Sometimes you can hear your toilet running but sometimes you cannot. If you want to test for a silent leak there is a simple test. Add a few drops of food coloring to your tank. Wait for ten minutes and DO NOT FLUSH. If the food coloring appears in the bowl then you have a small leak. You will want to fix it or call a plumber to do so.
Have you recently filled a swimming pool?
Have you been watering your lawn or a garden?
Are there more people in the house than normal?
These are a few reasons your bill could be higher than normal.
Why do I have a previous balance when I know I sent in my payment?
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.
Why does debris come out of the faucet when running hot water?
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.
Why is my water discolored?
A repair could have been completed recently allowing air to enter the line, causing the milky look.
General Water Meter Information
Your water meter is owned and maintained by The Central Macoupin County Rural Water District. The Water District utilizes Sensus SR II® Displacement Type Magnetic Drive Cold Water Meters as they have been proven to be highly accurate and dependable. Each standard residential meter includes a register with a straight-reading (left to right), odometer type totalization display in gallons; a 360° test circle with center sweep hand; and a low flow (leak) detector. Gears are self-lubricating, molded plastic for long life and minimum friction. All of our meters have electronic reading devices that allow the meter reader to drive or walk past your home and pick up the meter reading remotely.
How do Water Meters Work?
Water flows through the meter’s strainer and into the measuring chamber where it drives the piston. The hydro-dynamically balanced piston oscillates around a central hub, guided by the division plate. A drive magnet transmits the motion of the piston to a driven magnet located within the hermetically sealed register. The driven magnet is connected to the register gear train. It reduces the piston oscillations into volume totalization units displayed on the register dial face.
Meter Accuracy
The mechanical design of water meters does not allow for adjustments of the dials or accuracy calibration of the meter. Similar to automobiles, odometers, or other mechanical devices, the meter slows down with age and eventually stops registering completely. The Utility Department has the ability to test for meter accuracy and a meter will be used until the accuracy is less than 97% accurate. The meter will not arbitrarily run faster than it was designed to run or run backward. The mechanical parts are not capable of “speeding up” or registering a significantly higher reading than actual usage.
Is it possible for a meter to be read incorrectly?
Although it is very uncommon, the meter reader can incorrectly read the meter or incorrectly enter the reading in the hand-held device. For this reason, the Utility Department utilizes a monthly report through the Billing System that indicates any suspected high or low consumption numbers. This report is reviewed, and suspected misreads are automatically scheduled to be reread. We re-read every suspected misread on a monthly basis by manually reading the meter inside the home. The radio transmitter records each gallon of usage based on an electrical impulse from the meter, but if the electronic device malfunctions, usually due to the wire being broken or the battery running out, a manual read can be taken from the dials. In any event, the reading from the manual dials is always the official reading and will be used to adjust your bill if there is a problem. For this reason any manual read will let us know if there has been any previous billing error due to reading errors.
Helpful Tips on Water Leaks
Every month the Utility Office is contacted by residents with high use reflected on their bill. Often residents are surprised at the volume of water used. If you feel your water consumption is higher than it should be, you should check for leaks. Leaking water produces a high water bill without your knowledge. Some leaks are sporadic and require some detective work. Other leaks are very obvious. It doesn't matter what type of leak you have, they both have solutions. High usage is never related to a meter “reading” or “running” fast!
The most common cause of high water usage and leaks in the home are TOILETS!
Toilet leaks often occur without audible or visual evidence. Leaking toilets can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day and if undetected it could lead to an additional 6,000 gallons or more of additional water usage over the course of a month. Pin-pointing a toilet leak is easy and usually inexpensive. Follow these procedures to locate a toilet leak:
Wait 5-10 minutes after the last flush.
Remove the tank cover. Is the water level in the tank too high and spilling into the overflow tube? If it is you have a leak.
While you have the tank cover off, put food coloring in the toilet tank. Wait at least 30 minutes. If the colored water appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
How to detect a leak
First, make sure all water using fixtures in your home are not in use. Check to see if the red circle on the face of the meter is moving; it is a low flow indicator. If you have one of the newer digital meters, the low flow indicator is a plus sign (+) with a circle around it. If the low flow indicator is moving or present, you either have a leak or something in your home is using water. Go find it! Places to look at are toilets (flappers get old and wear out), faucets, hot water heaters, water softeners, etc.