East Orange Water
Commission
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East Orange Water
Commission
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Q. What is the phone number for Customer Service? A. Our Customer Service Center can be reached at 973.266.8869. Q. How can I pay my monthly bill?A. Pay by Mail You can mail your payment to: The East Orange Water Commission P.O. Box 110 East Orange, NJ 07019-0110. Pay In Person A cashier is available in the lobby of the East Orange Water Commission headquarters at 99 So. Grove Street, East Orange, NJ 07018. Payments can be made in person 8:30 AM – 4:20 PM, Monday-Friday. Q. How does water get to our homes and businesses? A. Transmission mains transport the water from our pumping station to an elevated underground 10 million gallon holding reservoir; then, by gravity, through a network of distribution mains, water is delivered to our customers’ homes and businesses for their use. The pipelines range in size from 4" to 24" in diameter and are generally located within the public street rights of way. Other facilities include control valves, fire hydrants, service lines and meters. Fire hydrants used by local fire departments are connected directly to our distribution mains. Service lines are smaller pipes that bring the water from the distribution mains to the connection with customer’s homes or businesses. Q. How much water does the average person use at home per day? A. Estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. Americans drink more than 1 billion glasses of water a day. Q. Why does my water sometimes have a chlorine taste and odor? A. Like all public water suppliers in New Jersey, the East Orange Water Commission is required by law to provide disinfectant (chlorine) to the water during the treatment process to kill germs. This may mean that you may encounter chlorine-type tastes or odors from time to time. If you find this unacceptable, collect tap water in a container, shake it and let in stand for a while before covering the container and placing it in the refrigerator for drinking. The chlorine odor will dissipate. Q. Why does drinking water often look cloudy when first taken from a faucet and then clear up? A. The cloudy water is caused by tiny air bubbles in the water similar to the gas bubbles in carbonated soft drinks. After a while, the bubbles rise to the top and are gone. This type of cloudiness occurs more often in the winter when the drinking water is cold. Q. Why is my drinking water ‘dirty’? A. ‘Dirty’ water may be due to maintenance being performed on the mains. If you are experiencing ‘dirty’ water, open the cold water faucets on the lowest floor of the house and let the water run until it clears. If the condition persists, please call the East Orange Water Commission at 973.266.8869. Q. Am I responsible for my tenant's water bill? A. Property owners are responsible for any and all water, sewer, and refuse charges incurred by tenants occupying their property. While owners can make tenant payment of utilities part of their rental or lease agreement, the owner will be responsible for any outstanding charges left by the tenant. Q. Why do water rates keep going up even though we have plenty of water? A. When you pay for water, you are mainly paying for a service. This means labor, infrastructure, capital investments, compliance laws, and other operating costs. Rate increases are based on how much it costs a water service provider to supply water in any given area. One main driver of increasing rates is capital investment, or the money water providers need to invest to repair and upgrade the water supply infrastructure. Analysis estimates that repairs to the infrastructure range from $276 billion to $1 trillion over the next 20 years. The East Orange Water Commission is committed to providing excellent water service at the lowest cost possible to the customer. Q. What is potable water? A. Potable (which rhymes with floatable) means water that is safe to drink. Potable water must come from a natural source, e.g. surface or groundwater, and must meet or be better than federal and state standards for drinking water quality. Q. Why does dishwater or the dishwasher leave spots on glasses? A. The spots that may appear on glassware after washing and air drying are caused by nontoxic minerals that remain on the glass when the water evaporates. Spots on glass shower doors appear for the same reason. Commercial products are available that allow the water to drain from glassware more completely. Q. Who do I call if I have a leak? A. The East Orange Water Commission is not responsible for leaks that occur on private property. If you are unsure about who would be responsible for a leak, or to report a leak outside of your property or inside the meter box, call the Customer Service Center at 973.266.8869. Q. Who do I call about a water main break or a fire hydrant leak? A. To report a broken water or sewer pipe or fire hydrant, call the Customer Service Center at 973.266.8869 as soon as possible at Emergencies may be reported at this number 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Q. When may the Commission terminate my water service for non-payment? A. Your water bill is due upon receipt. If you still have a balance due after 90 days from the date of your bill, the East Orange Water Commission may discontinue your service. Q. How is my water rate determined? A. The cost of delivering safe, reliable water depends on a number of factors such as: the expense of operating and maintaining the water system; the cost of the electricity used to pump the water from its source to homes and businesses; and the salaries of technicians, meter-readers, administrative personnel and others who help run the water utility. Q. Who sets the water quality standards? A. Water is treated to meet the levels of purity and quality set by the USEPA. Increasingly stringent USEPA regulations require treatment processes to be continually updated and tested, advancing the levels of technology, skill and chemical solutions. Nearly all public water supplies in the United States meet USEPA standards for safe drinking water. Standards limit the concentrations, or amounts, of contaminants. In some cases where a contaminant cannot be measured, water supplies must provide specific treatment, such as disinfection and filtration. Q. I’ve heard about people installing filters or home treatment devices? Is that really necessary? A. Water provided by the East Orange Water Commission meets or exceeds all state and federal primary standards for drinking water quality. However, some customers may choose to install additional home treatment devices to meet their personal preferences such as improving the taste or smell of their water. These treatment devices do not necessarily make the water safer or healthier to drink. And, if not properly maintained, can actually cause water quality problems. Q. What causes water mains to break? A. Adverse weather conditions and drastic changes in temperature can create havoc with water mains and cause main breaks. You can usually tell when a main break has happened because water is bubbling up from the ground. Sometimes breaks are less noticeable and may only be detected by a loss of water pressure. The East Orange Water Commission strives to repair water main breaks and restore service as quickly as possible. Our maintenance crews are on call 24 hours a day to repair breaks. A typical break in a 4 or 8 inch pipe is usually repaired in under six hours. Larger pipe breaks may take longer to repair. Water service may be interrupted while the main is being fixed but is resumed once the pipe has been replaced, flushed and water samples taken to ensure water quality. Q. How do I apply for a new water and/or sewer service from the East Orange Water Commission? A. To apply, call 973.266.8869 or visit our office at 99 South Grove St. East Orange, NJ 07018 to obtain an application which will require the following information: Ø Property address. Ø Legal description of the property. Ø Classification status of the property. (i.e. Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial) Ø Meter size Ø Service type Q. What are some ways I can conserve water? A. There are many ways to conserve water. Fixing leaking faucets and toilets is an excellent way to start. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year, which will add to the cost of your water bill. You can also take care to run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full. Q. Is bottled water "better" than tap water? A. There is no evidence to show that bottled water is better that tap water. All tap water is required to meet strict standards set by the USEPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The water provided by community water systems is regularly tested for compliance with state and federal regulations, whereas bottled water suppliers do not have such stringent regulatory requirements. Q. How hard is my water? A. East Orange’s water is very hard. The hardness of water is determined by the calcium and magnesium carbonates naturally dissolved in it. Across the U.S., there are waters that are very soft (low in carbonates) and waters that are very hard (high in carbonates). If your water contains substantial amounts of these minerals, water is said to be hard because making lather or suds is hard to do. Very hard water also leaves calcium scale or mineral deposits behind when it is heated up, and often needs to be softened. Q: What part of the service line is the Water Commission’s responsibility and what part is the homeowner’s responsibility? A. Any part of the service line beyond the curb box, which is usually located in the right-of-way or at the property line is the owner’s responsibility. The line from the street to the curb box is the EOWC’s responsibility.
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Copyright © 2008
East Orange Water Commission
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