Unusually High Water Bill?

Is your water bill unusually high? If you haven’t increased your usage significantly, you may have a water leak. There are several ways to check for a leak. One way is to check the indicator on your water meter. Make sure there is nothing inside using water. After ensuring this, go to your meter (under meter cover) and see if the usage indicator (blue dial) is turning. If it is, then water is flowing through and could indicate a leak in the water service line between the meter and your home or building. It could also indicate that water is being used inside the home or building.

To determine if you have a leak in your water service line, close off the main valve* to your home and look at your water meter. If the indicator is turning, this is an indication you have a leak in the pipe between your water meter and the main valve to your home. It could also mean that the main valve is not shutting off water completely.

If the indicator on your water meter was turning but stopped when you shut off the main valve, this indicates that something inside is using water. With the main valve open (and the indicator on the meter turning), turn off the valve to individual fixtures (toilets, sinks, etc.) one at a time. Check the indicator each time you turn off a fixture valve to see if it stops turning. If it does, the last fixture turned off is the culprit.

Toilets can often be the cause of a “mystery” water leak. Open the cover on the tank. If the water level is above the overflow tube, there is a problem. The water level should be approximately ½ inch or so below the top of the overflow pipe. Adjust the float level, so that the water is turned off at that level. If the valve controlled by the float is leaking, it may need to be replaced.

Toilet leaks can also be due to a leak at the flapper valve that lets water flow into the toilet bowl. To test for this, put a drop or two of food coloring into the tank (not the bowl). Wait about 10 minutes and see if the colored water shows up in the bowl. If it does, your flapper valve may need to be replaced. 

*Usually the main water valve is located where the water supply pipe enters your home or office. It may be near your clothes washer or hot water heater. In some cases, it may be located under the house in the crawl space. Be sure to locate and mark the main water valve before you need it. That way, you will be able to find and close it quickly should a water leak occur.

Second Baptist Church Gets a Rain Garden

Second Baptist Church in the Broad Rock neighborhood installed a large-scale rain and community garden on the church's property in March of 2016. First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe attended the ribbon-cutting.

The rain garden will capture and filter pollutants that run off from the church's paved parking lot and prevent them from entering the stormwater system and local streams, helping the city of Richmond and the state meets its Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals. Additionally, rainwater from the roof will be captured in a 10,000 gallon cistern and used to irrigate the community garden, providing fresh vegetables to the congregation and local community.

The project is part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's holistic restoration project in the Broad Rock neighborhood, which includes community education and other conservation activities, like buffer plantings and residential rain gardens. The project was funded through a partnership of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Community Foundation of Richmond and Central Virginia, RBC, and REI Outfitters.

"Flushable" Wipes are Not Flushable!

Excerpted from Water Online website:

Flushable wipes and similar products have been a blight for wastewater utilities in recent years. Wipe manufacturers label their products as flushable, but they do not disintegrate like toilet paper in the collection system. Flushable wipes are mislabeled as sewer and septic system safe, but they do not break apart like toilet paper. This causes downstream clogs for treatment plants.

Members of the wastewater industry say these are some of the most troublesome nonwoven materials in their collection systems:

Non-flushable paper, hand towels, tissues and napkins: 47 percent
Non-flushable baby wipes: 18 percent
Feminine hygiene products: 13 percent
Household wipes: 14 percent
Flushable wipes: 8 percent

Though "flushable" products make up only 8 percent, it is important to also consider them "do not flush."

In 2013 and 2014, class action suits were filed against leading manufacturers of "flushable" wipes for property damage due to clogged pipes in homes and businesses. "The Guardian" website says "baby wipes designed for adults have become the scourge of residential and municipal sewer systems around the world."

Baby wipes tend to end up in the diaper pail with the disposable diaper and go to the landfill. Most adults don't keep a diaper pail in the bathroom and are reluctant to put used wipes in the bathroom trash can, so they buy so-called "flushable" wipes, thinking that's the solution. But the majority of wipes do not biodegrade quickly enough to avoid clogging pipes. The next thing you know, you have to call a plumber to have your drains snaked.

"The Guardian" reports that flushable wipes were a major factor in London's famous "fatberg," a 15-ton lump of congealed grease that nearly flooded out the city's sewer system and took three weeks to drill apart in 2013. The combination of grease poured down the drain and wet wipes created the gigantic clog.

Instructions to "do not flush" on wipes are often hidden on the package, in tiny print or under the package flap so you don't see it until you've already purchased and opened it.

If you like wet wipes, consider alternatives. Just dampening toilet tissue often produces the same benefits. You can dampen with water or witch hazel, making your own safe medicated wipes. Or put a small, lidded diaper pail in the bathroom with a plastic bag inside and tie up and dispose of wet wipes in the regular trash.

Capital Improvement Projects Meet Infrastructure Needs, Boosts Economic Development

Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) allow localities to meet critical infrastructure needs while contributing to economic development. The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) completes and begins many CIP projects that positively impact our customers, as well as the residents and visitors of our region and state.

 In 2009, as part of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program, DPU began upgrading the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The $156 million series of projects included improvements for the removal of more nitrogen and phosphorous pollutants.

Stormwater improvements on S. Kinsley Avenue

The Water Treatment Plant saw improvements as well, the most notable being the installation of the last roof on the treated water basin. Many general plant and electrical upgrades were also completed.
Stormwater projects include work in Manchester on a combined sewer overflow regulator. The Fan District has a new green alley on the 1900 block of Grove Avenue that will help absorb stormwater and eliminate flooding. Improvements on 14th Street in the Downtown area include stormwater absorbing plantings and tree wells.

Rounding out DPU’s five utilities, other projects include the ongoing replacement of natural gas lines throughout the city and upgraded streetlights in the western part of the Fan District. All CIPs are planned and implemented as part of the comprehensive plan to make the best Richmond.

By design, CIPs cost more than $25,000 and have an expected life greater than the life of any debt used to fund the project. They require public funds for the purchase, construction, enhancement or replacement of physical infrastructure assets.

Cover on treated water tank

E. 2nd Street combined sewer overflow regulator project

Chemical systems improvements at Wastewater Plant

DPU's Role in Keeping The Lead Out

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has been monitoring and addressing the potential for lead contamination of drinking water for more than 20 years. When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its Lead and Copper Rule in 1991, DPU began collecting data and making changes to its system to maintain compliance with all requirements. The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule focuses on treatment techniques for lead and requires water systems to control the corrosivity of the water and conduct monitoring as needed. DPU did testing as part of the “Loop Study” to best determine the optimal chemical, chemical dose and pH to  keep lead from leaching into the city's drinking water.

DPU's Water Treatment Cycle

Over the years, DPU has upgraded its systems to ensure proper chemical doses. There will also be a new calcium hydroxide system going into service in the next two months to better control the pH of the finished water. DPU monitors the pH of the water with online equipment that provides instantaneous results, and also runs tests twice a day to verify proper chemical dosage.

Lead Testing

In addition to the process control performed at the Water Treatment Plant, water that leaves the plant is also monitored. It is tested for lead content by the Virginia Department of Consolidated Laboratories once a year. The results for this testing have always been well below the 15 µg/L action level set by EPA.

Every three years DPU is required to collect water samples from customers at 50 different locations throughout the service area. These samples are tested for lead and copper concentrations and the report is submitted to the Virginia Department of Health. Since the program started, the system has been in compliance for both lead and copper levels.

As needed, based on information or a request that indicates there may be a lead issue at a specific customer location (e.g., medical exam may show high levels of lead in the body, or lead pipes or lead solder is discovered during plumbing repairs), the city will conduct sampling at the site and provide the customer with the results of the testing. This not a frequent issue. Over the last four years, DPU has responded to 24 requests and all results have come back below the EPA action levels.

What You Can Do

The water service line, after the water meter, and the pipes in all buildings are owned by the property owner and they decide how and when to renew those pipes. When pipes are replaced, it must be done so in compliance with current codes and lead-free fixture standards.

If customers are concerned about the possibility of lead in drinking water, they should flush the taps by letting the water run for at least 60 seconds. If your dwelling has a lead service line, you should flush water for an additional two to three minutes to ensure you're getting fresh water from the water main. To conserve water, you can collect the water being flushed and use for cleaning purposes or watering plants.

Why Hot Water Doesn't Last Through Two Showers

Two roommates think something is wrong with their water heater because there is never enough hot water for both of them to take showers.

They said they each spend about 10 minutes in the shower.

A 10 minute shower uses 50 gallons of water. The average water heater holds about 50 gallons, so the first person in the shower gets enough hot water. But the second roommate has an issue if they want to take their 10 minute shower immediately afterward or at the same time in another bathroom. It takes two hours for an electric water heater to fully recover and reheat another 50 gallons.

This is one of the clear advantages of a natural gas powered water heater, as natural gas would reheat 50 gallons in an hour or less. (Tankless natural gas water heaters heat as the water goes through the pipes, so there is no waiting time at all.) The roommates think their water heater is electric, so here are their options:

Second roommate will have to wait two hours before he or she takes their shower. Or....

Each roommate can make an agreement and set a timer to take a shorter shower, 5 minutes or less. You can do it!

Add an insulating blanket to your water heater to speed up the recovery and  keep the water as warm as possible as new cold water enters to refill the tank.

Ask your landlord to check if one of the heating elements on the water heater has burnt out. If that's the case, it is taking considerably longer for the water heater to recover and the hot water runs out quickly, even before the first shower ends.

How Much Water Am I Using?

Household faucets - 3-5 gallons a minute when running
Shower - 5-10 gallons a minute
Tub bath - 50 gallons if full
Dishwasher - 15-20 gallons per load
Washing machine - 35 gallons per average full load cycle
Lawn watering - 35 gallons per half acre
Dripping faucet - 1,000 gallons per year