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Customers - Customer Service

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1. How do I shut off my water?

The water coming into your home is controlled by the house valve, which can be found ahead of the water spigot in your front yard. (If you live in an older home, the house valve may be located elsewhere.) The valve handle is usually red, grey or green and is shaped like a wagon wheel. Should you ever need to shut off your water, simply turn the house valve clockwise. You will probably want to close the valve if a water pipe in your home ever breaks to prevent water damage and flooding. If you discover that your house lacks water, the first thing you should do is check the house valve to see if someone has accidentally closed it. To open the valve, turn it counterclockwise. To make sure you can readily control the flow of water to your home, you should periodically test your house valve. If it does not turn or spins freely, it should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. A plumber can do this work quite easily.

2. What is the bimonthly service charge on my water bill?

The district's service charge is levied against all customers in the district on a bimonthly basis based on the size of each meter on the customer's premises. The charge is designed to recover costs that do not vary with consumption. These costs include those of meter reading and billing customers for each bimonthly period, a portion of the district's debt service costs, and maintenance and replacement of meters and service lines in the distribution system. The charge is in addition to the district's commodity charge, which is based on the amount of water consumed.

3. Whose pipes are whose?

The Alameda County Water District is responsible for pipes on the "street side" of the water meter, including all service lines and water mains extending throughout the community. ACWD is also responsible for the water meter itself. If you notice a water leak in the street or in the vicinity of your water meter, please contact the ACWD Operations department at (510) 668-6500 to report it.

The property owner is generally responsible for all pipes and plumbing on the "customer side" of the water meter. This includes the interior plumbing of the home, the outside irrigation system, and the area where the property's water system connects to the water meter.

4. What are the white spots left on my car after I wash it?

These spots are composed of calcium carbonate, a mineral commonly found in water. This is the same mineral found in many calcium supplements sold at your local drug store.

5. How do I read my water meter?

See Locate and Read Your Water Meter

6. Where is my water meter?

See Locate and Read Your Water Meter

7. How do I start or stop my water service?

Go to Starting and Stopping Service page

8. How often does ACWD replace my water meter?

The primary source of revenue for the Alameda County Water District is through the water consumption of residential customers who have 5/8” or 3/4” water meters. These meters make up about 90% of all District meters and generate about half of all consumption revenues. Economical operation of these meters is therefore an integral part of the District’s effort to provide high quality water at reasonable costs.

Since water meters are mechanical devices, their accuracy decreases over time which means a corresponding loss of potential revenue. To gain additional accuracy, however, would mean replacing the meters at additional cost.

How old does a meter have to be before it makes economical sense to replace it? To answer this question, the District used statistical sampling methods to determine meter accuracies over time. An economical analysis was then performed to determine an optimal replacement age. Together with operational factors, the optimum age at which to replace plastic meters in the District was found to be approximately 15 years old.

9. Where can I pay my water bill?

Go to Payment Locations page

10. What are the options for paying my ACWD water bill?

Go to Bill Payment Options page

11. When is my bill due?

All bills are owed and payable by the due date listed on the Statement for Water Service.

12. Why is ACWD just now charging a late fee?

The Board of Directors adopted the new fees effective March 1, 2017. As a courtesy, and to provide additional time for notifying customers, the fees were waived from March 1, 2017 to September 1, 2017.

13. Why is the late fee $5?

The $5 fee assists in covering costs incurred by the District for additional postage, staff time, and materials.

14. How can ACWD justify the $5 charge?

An analysis was completed by District staff and an independent outside consultant firm to determine an estimate of cost incurred by the District. A new analysis is completed prior to any changes to fees or charges.

15. Can the new fees or charges be waived?

As a courtesy, the District waived all new fees and charges from March 1, 2017 through September 1, 2017. If a customer is experiencing extreme financial hardship, a payment arrangement may be made by contacting Customer Service staff.

16. Are accounts with a payment arrangement charged a Reminder Notice Fee?

No, as long as the customer upholds the agreed upon payment arrangement. The purpose of a payment arrangement is to provide qualifying customers additional time to pay their bill without incurring additional fees.

17. I mailed my payment before the due date. Why am I being charged a late fee?

Bills are considered past due if payment is not received and applied to the account by the due date. Any delays with mailed payments should be addressed with the United States Postal Service (USPS). The District recommends payments be made electronically by the due date, or mailed via the USPS at least seven business days in advance due to varied postage transit times.

18. My payment was deducted from my bank account on/before the due date. Why am I still being charged a Reminder Notice Fee?

If your payment was deducted from your bank account on or prior to the due date, contact Customer Service. If Customer Service staff confirms an on-time payment was made, the Reminder Notice Fee will be reversed.

19. I didn’t receive the regular bill. Do I still need to pay the Reminder Notice Fee?

Yes. As a recipient of water service, you are responsible to keep your water account current. The District has rigid processes ensuring each account is billed, and subsequent notice is provided electronically or mailed each billing cycle. The District cannot guarantee services provided by the USPS or individual email service providers. If you are concerned that your bill did not arrive as expected, please contact Customer Service for assistance.

20. I didn’t receive the door tag. Do I still need to pay the charge?

Yes. District staff does not assess a 48-hour Door Notice charge unless a notice is left on the property. District staff does their best to leave the door notice in a secure location (typically on a doorknob) but cannot guarantee what happens to the notice after placement.

21. Why is there a field charge?

There is a cost to the District to mail reminder notices or send staff into the field to place door notices or shutoff service. The District charges fees for these and other services so the applicable party pays for these costs instead of the general District ratepayer. While many District fees are designed to recover the full cost the activity, the new $20 field charges for door tags and shutoff are less than the District’s full cost. Actual District cost for a staff person to travel to a customer’s service address during normal business hours to place a tag or turn service off or on is $42. This is the amount of the pre-existing field service charge.

22. Why is there a line for the Alameda County Water District on my property tax bill?

The Alameda County Water District has a long-term financial obligation as a member of the State Water Project and collects a portion of its state water costs on the property tax bill. The amounts collected are adjusted each year based on the District’s state water costs. The State Water Project provides about 40% of the District’s water supply in a typical year.