FAQ

Check  for possible leaks.  Check aerators on all faucets for debris.  Is the low pressure throughout the house or just in certain faucets- if only in isolated areas- then you have a plumbing issue.  Also, if you have a pressure regulator on your line or where it enters your home- it could be going bad or the screen needs cleaned.  If you are still experiencing low pressure after this,  call our office and report low pressure for your area.

Even small drips can raise your bill quickly.  Some common ways to pinpoint a leak are listed below:

1.  Put food coloring in the back of you commode(s).  Do not flush commode(s) for at least an hour.  If the color of the food coloring comes into the bowl of the commode, your commode is leaking.  You may need to try this more than once, because sometimes commodes can leak intermittently. Click the link above "Toilet 1" for more information about commode leaks.

2. If your hot water tank is not plumbed into a house drain, you can check to determine if it is leaking by placing a bowl under the drain on the side of the hot water tank.  If water starts to accumulate in the bowl, then the pop off valve could be bad on your hot water tank.

3.  Place cups or bowls under faucets when water is not being used.  If water accumulated in the cups or bowls, your faucet is dripping. 

4.  Check along your service line for any areas where the ground is wetter or softer than normal.  In the summer- the grass might be greener in a section of a leak or in the winter if there is snow on the ground- it might be melted off or icy in an area of a leak.

5.   Check all outdoor garden hoses, hose bibs/connections, farm animal water stations and especially lawn hydrants (could be leaking underground also) for leaks.

6.  If you have a main shut off valve on your service line coming into the house, you can contact Clay Battelle PSD to arrange a time during our work hours to see if your meter is still moving when you turn off your main valve.

Clay Battelle PSD assumes  No Responsibility for personal injury incurred from the illegal entry into the water meter pit or from the wrong installation of the lid back to its original location.  Also if any property of Clay Battelle PSD (meter lid, meter/radio, etc) is damaged, you will be charged for the damages.

The CBPSD service department can assist you by checking out to see if the meter is busted and/or frozen (in winter).   The staff can also shut the water off at the meter pit.  There is a charge to turn the service back on.  Please DO NOT try and turn the water off at the meter on your own- this is a rule violation. All customers should have a shut-off valve installed on their side of the line for use in shutting the water off to the home; at minimum there should be a shut off where the line enters the home.  If there is any damage done to metering equipment/lids/etc. as result of customer - the customer will be billed the replacement costs.

CBPSD staff cannot fix or repair anything on the customer's side of the meter and cannot recommend any contractors to do the work.  Please check for possible local contractors and/or contractors.

Yes, Please report it to 304-292-4003 and if the office staff doesn't answer-please follow the prompts to reach the emergency contact- your call will be forwarded to their phone.  Our service department will check it out.  It could be a leak, but it may also be a spring, run-off, surface water or a clogged culvert.  Finding and repairing leaks as early as possible ultimately helps to keep our rates as low as possible.

After the service department has located the source of the leak, the water could be shut down in the area or just to your residence (if the leak is on the utility side of customer service line) so the repair can be made.  CBPSD will attempt to have other utility's lines marked in the area.  The leak will be repaired by CBPSD staff or a contractor, depending on the leak.  The water line will be repaired/replaced and water service will be restored as quickly as possible- but please have patience.  It is very hard to determine how long a repair will take, since most repairs are underground.  Please always have bottled water stored for such emergencies.  In some cases, a boil water advisory could be issued, depending on the situation.  In such cases, an alert news message will be posted on this site and distributed to those who have subscribed to system notifications and alerts. When possible, an auto dialer will be used to send out an automated message.

A boil water is a PRECAUTIONARY meausre and does not necessarily mean that anything is wrong with the water; however, during this period of time it is recommneded that you boil any water used for consumption, brushing teeth for at least 5 minutes.  The boil water advisory, if issued, usually last a couple of days, until water samples can be taken and analyzed by a certfied lab- which takes a minimum of 24 hours from time the sample was taken.

Please do not call the office or service department repeatedly for updates and/or to find out when the water will be back on.  The water will be turned on as quickly as possible.  Most repairs take 4-8 hours to make.  If you think it has been off too long and it is more than just your location, please check with your neighbors to see if any of them have their water back yet.  If they are still without water, the repair is still being made or the storage tanks are being replenished.  If the neighbors have their water back, then please contact us. 

We understand a water outage is frustrating for everyone, and is a big inconvenience; but it will be handled as quickly as possible.

Once in a while you can get a glass of water and it looks cloudy or discolored but after a few minutes it clears up.  This is most likely caused by air bubbles in the water.  Like any bubble, the air rises to the top of the water and disperses into the air above which clears up the water.  Cloudy water, also known as white water, is caused by air bubbles in the water and is harmless.  This usually happens when it is very cold outside because the solubility of air in water increases as water pressure increases and/or water temperature decreases.  Cold water holds more air than warm water.  Also, water pressure has something to do with it.   The best thing to do is let it sit in an open container until the bubbles naturally disappear.  Also, a  repair could have been completed recently allowing air to enter the line, causing the milky/cloudly look.  It is recommended to run cold water in your tub or other location.  You should not run the hot water until the water clears up to avoid getting the cloudy/muddy water into your hot water tank.  This should normally clear up within a couple of days- depending on your location in the system.  Occasionally, air gets "trapped" in the lines and we need to run the end of water main line "blow-offs" again, please make CBPSD aware if you think you are still experiencing air.

  See the attached document above for other color/odor comments.

Clay Battelle PSD purchases its water from Morgantown Utility Board (MUB). CBPSD only boosts the chlorine level (because of the distance the water is traveling) with Sodium Hypochlorite.  Morgantown Utility Board only adds chemicals that are approved by the National Safety Foundation for treament of drinking water.  For further infomation regarding chemicals added to the water, please call MUB at 304-292-8443

If CBPSD has a SCHEDULED repair, then YES- an attempt to call you - usually via auto dialer will be made- this is one of the reasons it is important to keep your phone number current with CBPSD.

If the water is off because of any unscheduled repair/outage, then NO, CBPSD will not necessarily be contacting you about the outage.  This is especially likely after hours, holidays and weekends.  Please keep in mind, the CBPSD staff is very small.

Several things could cause sewage odor in your home.

1.  No drain trap.  If there is no drain trap sewer odor can come back up though the drain.  to prevent this be sure that all drains have a trap installed.  If there is no way to install traps on all of your drains you may need to contact a plumber to have a trap installed in your main sewer line before it comes into the house.

2.  Drain traps dry.  This can happen if no water goes down the drain for a while.  To prevent this;  pour a gallon of water down unused drains every month or so, especially in the summer.

3.  Sewage vent pipe stopped up.  This is a 1 1/2" plastic pipe, usually exiting out of the roof of the house and connected to the sewage drain system for fresh air during the time when sewage or grey water is going down the drain.  This is used to keep the system from emptying traps throughout the house when liquid is going down the drain.  If you hear a gurgling sound when liquid is draining the vent pipe is probably stopped up.  A lot of times this happens in the spring when birds are busy building nests.  One suggestion for clearing it is to put a water hose in the pipe and turn it on to clear the debris and wash it down the drain.

4.  Toilet wax ring or seal bad.  The trap in a commode is above the floor so if the seal goes bad, odor can get in near the floor.  Check at the bottom of the commode, near the floor to see if any moisture buildup is showing.  If it is wet, you may need to hire a plumber to install a new seal.

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.

Your account is billed on a regular basis around the 24th of every month and there is a minimum of 20 days grace period to pay the bill from the date we mail before a late charge is added.  If you do not receive your bill by the 1st of the month, you should call our office.  You are responsible for paying the  balance due on your account whether or not you receive the bill.

There are a number of reasons your bill could be higher than normal.  Some causes are listed below:

1.  Leaking water lines, toilets, faucets or other items.  See section on how I can detect a leak and link above about leaking toilets.

2.  If you had a leak last month and repaired it but repaired it several days into the next meter reading cycle; then some of that leak will still be reflected on the current bill.

3.  An increase in the number of days in the billing cycle.  Please see service dates on your bill (on left hand side of bill for the postcards).

4.  An increase in the number of people living in the household or company staying with you can result in great water usage.

5.  Seasonal/Holiday usage.  Customers tend to use more water around the holidays because of more gatherings.  Customers tend to use more water in the spring when opening pools, and pressure washing off the dirt and grime from winter.

6.  A dry summer resulting in higher consumption.

7.  Your washer could be malfunctioning and going through the same cycle multiple times- thereby wasting water.

If none of the above ideas seem to fit your situation- then based on our experience- start at a leaking toilet that isn't leaking all of the time.

See links in kids games for water conservation ideas.

Yes.  You can pay as much in advance as you wish.  However, we cannot tell you what  your bill will be in advance as your bill is calculated on your actual water usage which can fluctuate for many reasons.  You can call us, and we can give you an estimate based on your historical use or you can just send in any dollar amount you want.  If you pay ahead, we will mail you a bill each month and it will show you any remaining credit or balance due and your gallons used for the month

We did not receive payment (which means your were issued a final notice).  You also may not have paid in full leaving a small balance. The date we mailed the bills is printed on the face of the bill on the left side of bill in the lower section near the perforation (on top right hand of sheet for group bills)- so if you mailed a payment near this date- then we probably received the payment after the current bills were printed.  If you have sent a payment that is not reflected on your bill, please call our office.

Your account is billed monthly.  If you do not receive your monthly bill, you should call the business office at 304-292-4003.  CBPSD is not responsible for mail delivery.  Failure to receive your bill does not relinquish your responsibility for payment.

Assuming you have no leaks, there can be several reason why.  You should never compare your usage to your neighors and/or your relatives.  Everyone uses water/electric/gas/etc. differently.  For example: maybe you take a 20 minute shower and your neighbor takes a 5 minute shower or you wash smaller loads of clothes 5 days a week and your neighbor washes larger loads 2 days a week.  If you think you should be using less water; look at ways to conserve water to reduce your consumption.

If you own the property where your water service is provided, the security deposit will credited to your account after twelve (12) consecutive on-time payments. 

If you are not the property owner where water service is provided, the security deposit(s) will be held on file until you request in writing with a completed discontinue service form (see form section) for the service in your name to be discontinued.  The security deposit(s) will be applied to your final bill.  If the amount of the final bill is less than the amount of the security deposit(s) on file, the remainder will be refunded to you in the form of a check mailed to the forwarding address you provide on the form within 30 days.  If the final bill is more, then a bill with balance due after applying the security deposit will be mailed to you and is due upon receipt.  Final bills/readings are calculated from the previous reading/service date through the date and reading that service was discontinued.  A separate security deposit is required for each location (not per name).