Calaveras County Water District

423 East St. Charles Street, Post Office Box 846
San Andreas, California 95249
Ph. # (209) 754-3543,  Cust. Serv. Fax # (209) 754-0270, Admin. Fax # (209) 754-1069

Directions to our main office

      The District provides several different ways for you to pay your account. 

VISA/Mastercard Payments: The District will take payments using VISA/Mastercard.  Please be aware that there is a 3% surcharge to cover the costs of processing this type of transaction.

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      Water bills are mailed to customers every two months. Your bill is due and payable upon receipt. Prompt payment of bills helps us hold the line on costs. An unpaid bill becomes delinquent 25 days after it has been mailed.  The customer is then sent a reminder notice that payment has not been received and additional 10 days is allowed to pay the bill. This is called a late payment. A $10 penalty or late charge is added to the bill at that time. If the bill is not paid by the reminder due date, an $18 fee will be assessed to the account.  The property will be tagged a minimum of 48 hours prior to the service being scheduled to be turned off.  If the service is then turned off, a $36 disconnect fee is charged.

To restore service, the following will be required:

There is a $25 charge for checks returned unpaid.

If the District is unsuccessful in collecting on the account, the property will be liened or the bill may be turned over to a collection agency.

If you have questions about credit or notices, call 754-3543 and ask for our Customer Services Department.
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     If your meter has been damaged or is inaccessible for some reason, the water base rate will be charged and the meter problem will be remedied as quickly as possible. In any case, the next available meter reading will provide you with the actual usage.
     Your meter is read approximately every 60 days.

     You will recognize the District meter reader by his or her uniform and the District vehicle that may be parked nearby. If you are still not satisfied he or she is a District employee, ask for further identification.
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      As a customer of CCWD, it is your responsibility to maintain full access to your water meter for reading and any necessary maintenance and repair by District personnel. If, for example, your meter is in an enclosed yard, you are responsible for its accessibility. This means relocating the fence at your expense or paying CCWD to relocate your meter. If you own a dog (or other animal that might cause harm) you will be required to keep it penned or otherwise restrained and away from the meter reader. Your meter must be kept free from obstructions such as shrubbery that might interfere with access.
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      A water service account with CCWD may be opened either by telephoning the District's Customer Service Department at 754-3543, or by coming in to the District Office, 423 E. St. Charles St., San Andreas, during business hours (8:00a.m.-4:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.)      There is a fee for opening a new account, charged to cover administrative expenses for setting up the account in your name. This fee is charged each time you change addresses within the district. When you call or come in to open an account, that account will be put in your name- you may not establish an account for another person. We will need the following information when you open an account:

     Under normal circumstances, no deposit (other than the non-refundable account establishment fee) is required of customers who are the deeded owner of the property for which they are requesting service. (See "Billing Procedures" for the instance in which a deposit will be required.)

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      The district does not permit suspension of service.  Please call Customer Service for more information.
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      General questions should be referred to the Customer Service Office at 754-3543. In case of a question or complaint involving excessive consumption, a District employee will be sent out to check your meter and make sure it is operating correctly.
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     State law requires CCWD to set rates and levy charges sufficient to cover operating expenses, including interest on debts, and to provide funds for replacement or construction of facilities.

Service and demand charge.
The monthly base charge to cover the fixed costs of maintaining the District's infrastructure to your meter, your account, and general District overhead.  Current billing is done bi-monthly.

Quantity (Volume) charge.
Based on the actual amount of water used, measured in cubic feet (cf).  1 cubic foot = 7.48 gallons.  Through 6/30/2007, customers are provided up to 300cf of water per month as part of the base charge.  Effective 7/1/2007, that amount is increased to 500cf per month.

If you would like a copy of the current rate schedule, please contact Customer Service at 754-3543.

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      Having water when and where we need it is something most people take for granted- that is, until a household pipe breaks or a faucet will not turn off. CCWD's responsibility for water service extends up to and includes your home's meter box. From the meter to the home, ownership, maintenance and repairs to plumbing are the customer's responsibility.

Following are some tips to help you deal with household plumbing emergencies:

If you discover a cracked or broken pipe in your home, look to see if there is a shut-off valve near the trouble's source. Some possible locations are:

Water Heater- located at the top of your tank. Prior to draining the tank, be sure to shut off the gas or electricity to the water heater. (Note: in a disaster, such as an earthquake or flood, the water heater is a valuable source of clean drinking water.)

Bathroom- look beneath washbasins and on toilet water supply lines.

Kitchen- check below the sink for control valves regulating the hot and cold water supply lines.
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      If a valve cannot be located near the source of the trouble, find and turn off the customer valve, usually located on the customer's side of the meter in the meter box. The meter box is usually located at the property line and near the street. Closing this valve will shut off all the water to your home.

If you plan to be away for a long period of time, it's advisable to shut off your household water supply at this location- nothing ruins a vacation like coming home to find the carpets damp and mildewed because a pipe broke while you were gone. If you do turn off the master valve for a long period, remember to turn off the electric or gas supply to the water heater too. The District does not allow the customer to turn the water off using the shut off valve on the District's side of the meter. The District advises you to know where your meter is and know how to turn it off in the event of an emergency. If you live in the higher elevations and receive snow during the winter months, the District advises you to stake your meter with a 4 foot stake. This will enable you to locate your meter quickly once it is under snow.
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      If you discover a ruptured or leaking water main in the street or a broken fire hydrant, please call the following number without delay, so a District repair crew can be dispatched immediately: 754-3543 (ask for Customer Service). After hours, also call 754-3543, and the message will be relayed by our answering service.
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      To safeguard public health by protecting your water supply from possible contamination, the District requires installation of backflow prevention devices where plumbing systems are cross-connected to potential contamination or poorer quality water.

In the event of a malfunction in consumer pressure equipment and/or a sudden drop in pressure in the District system, these devices prevent water that has already left the District system from being siphoned back in, guarding the system from possible pollution.

Some examples of where protective devices (such as double check valve assemblies) are required are: residences with an additional water supply (such as a well), swimming pools or irrigation systems supplied by a separate water service or without a satisfactory air gap or anti-siphon device on the inlet line, buildings with internal booster pumps systems, buildings more than three stories high, premises where there are hazardous materials under pressure or where toxic materials are used (hospitals, mortuaries, etc.) and sewage pumping or treatment plants.

The backflow prevention devices are to be supplied, installed and tested by the customer at their expense.  The District arranges for annual tests to make sure the device is operating properly.  The customer is billed for the test and is responsible for any necessary repairs.

While CCWD has an inspection program to identify situations requiring backflow prevention devices, conditions can change (you might have dug a well on your property, for example) and we need to be made aware if this is the case- for your own safety and the safety of others. If such a situation exists on your property, or you would like more information about the regulations concerning the District's backflow prevention program, please call the District at 754-3543.
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      If you have a dual water supply, do not interconnect the systems. Make sure that all plumbing meets code requirements. If your home has a swimming pool, there should be no faucets within 50 feet of the pool, unless the faucets are equipped with anti-siphon devices (Uniform Plumbing Code). Make sure your home's irrigation system (sprinklers, etc.) is equipped with anti-siphon valves. If you have a hobby or activity that requires running water (such as a home darkroom for photography), make sure there is an air gap (a space) between the hose and the water in your sink.
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      Many water, natural gas, electric and telephone lines lie harmlessly underground- until someone accidentally digs into them. To prevent possible injury, interruptions of service or the loss of valuable water or energy, call Underground Service Alert (USA) toll free at (800) 227-2600 two working days before you begin any excavation- planting trees, landscaping, trenching, post holes, etc. Describe where you plan to dig and then CCWD or any other USA sponsors will tell you whether or not there are any facilities in the area and, if so, approximately where they are located. If needed, a representative will visit the location and mark them for you.

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      Is the Water Safe to Drink?
Absolutely. The treated water delivered to CCWD customers meets all state and federal water quality regulations and is continually tested to ensure its safety. Turbidity, or cloudiness is a very important measure of water clarity. It can be used to illustrate the quality of the water supplied to treated water customers (the lower the Turbidity the cleaner the water). The maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) established by the California Department of Health Services (DOHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 0.5 NTU. CCWD's turbidity is consistently below 0.1 NTU.

      Is the Water Fluoridated?
No, CCWD does not add any fluorides to the water.

     Is the Water Hard?
CCWD water is not considered hard when compared to the rest of the state's water.  For example, in the areas served by the Los Angeles based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, hardness in the range of 11.7 grains / gallon is common.  Delta water falls into the 5.3 - 5.8 range and our treated water averages are listed in the table below.  Water hardness makes cleaning tasks more difficult and forms scale in home water heaters and industrial boilers.  On the other hand, soft water tends to be corrosive. Therefore, the American Water Works Association suggests an ideal hardness of 4.6 grains / gallon.  

All numbers shown below are grains / gallon. 

     Typical CCWD treated water sodium levels ranges are below 10 mg/l. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended a goal of not more than 20 mg per liter of sodium in drinking water, no official standard for sodium has been established.

     What are Disinfection By-Products and what is CCWD doing about them?
Disinfection by-products (DIBPs) are potential cancer causing substances that are formed when chlorine is used as a disinfectant during the water treatment process. All surface water supplies, including CCWD's contain natural organic substances which chlorine converts to DIBPs. There are two classes of DIBPs the EPA is concerned about - THMs and HAAs. Currently only the THMs are regulated at 100 ppb. CCWD routinely measures these contaminants and at all plants the THMs are below that level. 

     Are Bacteria Present In The Water?
All raw water sources, including CCWD's three river sources, Stanislaus, Calaveras and Mokelumne Rivers, contain bacteria- most of which are not disease-causing. The disinfection process at each of our five (5) Water Treatment Plant destroys any potentially harmful bacteria. CCWD conducts weekly tests at various points in its distribution system to make sure no disease-causing bacteria are present in the water supply. Test results have always been far better than the DOHS requirements.

     Is There Lead In The Water?
The EPA is requiring water utilities throughout the country to advise consumers of the possibility of lead contamination from home plumbing systems. Although the quality of water delivered by CCWD is better than that required by federal and state drinking water standards, under special circumstances lead can get into your tap water as a result of the corrosion of household plumbing materials containing lead. In August 1988, the EPA proposed the new maximum contaminant level for lead to be 0.005 mg/l- a change from 0.050 mg/l established in 1975.

    Too much lead in the human body can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and to red blood cells. The greatest risk, even to short-term exposure, is to young children and pregnant women. Lead levels in your drinking water are likely to be the highest if your home or water system has lead pipes or if your home has copper pipes with lead solder and the water sits in the pipes for some time.

CCWD is cooperating fully with the EPA to conduct sampling and to educate the public on this subject. Many CCWD customers have collected samples for lead and copper testing through the years. CCWD adds corrosion prevention chemicals at each of its five (5) treatment plants to prevent these elements from entering your drinking water.

Last Update: 6/30/08