How often will I receive a water bill and how is it calculated?

The water meters throughout the system are read four(4) times a year. The bills are issued the first week of January, April, July and October They are calculated on actual water used and billed on the following basis:
 

Inclining Block Rates in cubic feet	January Bill Winter Rate	April Bill Winter Rate	July Bill Summer Rate	October Bill Summer Rate
Up to 100	$5.00	$5.00	$5.00	$5.00
Between 101 and 2500	.029	.029	.035	.035
Between 2501 and 5000	.031	.031	.039	.039
Between 5001 and 10,000	.042	.042	.050	.050
Greater than 10,000	.051	.051	.059	.059
Municipal Rate	.032	.032	.032	.032

 How much will my water bill be for 3 months?

       Summer Rate                        Winter Rate                      Gallons Used            
           

When is my water bill due?

Your water bill payment is due in our office within 30 days of the bill date. The Water District does not accept credit card payments. Bills may be paid by mail and sent to P.O. Box 953, Acton, MA 01720 or paid at our office, Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM (excluding holidays) at 693 Massachusetts Avenue, Acton. After hours, payments can be dropped in the mailbox next to the front door at 693 Massachusetts Avenue, Acton. If for any reason you are unable to make full payment of your water bill, payment plans can be arranged by calling our office. Interest in the amount of 14% per annum is charged monthly to account balances not paid within 30 days of the bill date.

Outside Reader vs. Inside Meter?

Until the Water District has updated all services with a radio-read meter, (one meter located inside) many customers will have both an inside meter and an outside reader.  The Water District employees obtain the readings for billing purposes from your outside reader. We would only read the actual meter inside when we would obtain a reading for the sale of your property. Periodically you should compare your inside and outside reading.  While there may be small differences, they should be very close to the same.  If you notice a large discrepancy, call the office for an appointment to change the meter.  Our goal is to complete our meter modernization program by 2005. This will streamline the collection of water usage information.

 I'm selling my home. What do I need to do?

 When you know the closing date, you should call the office at 978.263.9107 during our business hours and tell the office personnel that you are selling your home.  The office personnel will set up a date and time for us to meet someone at the property to read the inside meter. This is usually done a couple of days before the closing.  The paperwork will be returned to the office by our crew and the office staff will complete it for you to pick up later that day. The current owner should supply the Water District with the new owner’s name. A $25.00 fee for this service and any outstanding amounts will be payable to the Water District at the time of pick up. The paperwork that you receive will show and calculate the water used since the last regular bill. This amount is due to the new owner at the closing because the new owner will get a complete 3 month bill at the next regular billing.

I just bought a home in Acton. How do I set up an account or make a name or address correction?

Previous to the purchase of your new home, the then current owner would follow the procedures of selling the home and they would supply us with your name at that time. We do not turn the water off between owners, so there is no disruption of service. If you would like to check if the procedure for selling the home was set up or executed and if information they gave us is correct, you can call the office at 978-263-9107. If you would like to have the bills sent to an address other than the street address of the home you are purchasing, or if you have a P.O. box, please call the office to inform us.

Why is my water bill so high this time?

• First, check the reading on your outside meter and compare it to the reading that we used for billing seen on your bill. If the readings are drastically different then it is possible that we obtained an incorrect reading. Call the office to set up a re-read.

If, in the 3-month billing period, you have not changed any watering habits or the number of people living in your home has not increased then it is time to be a leak seeker.

• The toilet is one of the most common places to find a leak. Although water may not be seen or heard running, your toilet may have a silent leak. To test for a silent leak, drop a little food coloring in the  toilet tank. DO NOT FLUSH. Wait for about 10 minutes. If the food coloring appears in the toilet bowl, your toilet has a silent leak.
• Faucet leaks are more easily detected. Be sure to check seldom-used faucets that may be in the basement or in storage rooms. Worn washers or "O" rings usually cause faucet leaks.
• Check the outside taps for leaking water, particularly during the summer sprinkling season. A hose mistakenly left dribbling away in the grass or garden can waste thousands of gallons of water over the summer. Remember to close outside faucets tightly every time you shut off the water.

How can a small leak cause my water bill to increase so much?

Recall that 1 cubic foot is equal to 7.48 gallons of water. If your use is approximately 2500 cubic feet for a summer bill and suddenly the next summer jumps to 5500 cubic feet due to a leak, that leak equaled 22,440 gallons! A silent leak in a toilet could easily use this much water. Another example is a one-drop per second leak in a faucet uses about 600 gallons of water in a 3-month period. If a hose is left barely running (1/16th inch stream), in 3 months you will have used about 75,000 gallons, which would cost the average water user an additional $436.50 for just 3 months. Even small leaks add up to costing you a lot of money. Check for leaks often.

For more information on your water bill call Beth at  (978) 263-9107 (ext. 101).

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