LOUDOUN WATER
ON TAP
www.loudounwater.org 44865 Loudoun Water Way Ashburn, VA 20147
LOUDOUN WATER UPDATE | JAN/FEB 2015
WINTER TIP: PREVENTING FROZEN PIPES Nothing puts a damper on a cold winter day like discovering frozen pipes. As the cold weather continues throughout this winter season, it’s important to take as many precautionary steps are possible to prevent pipes from freezing or breaking. Most often, the pipes that freeze are located outside, such as outdoor hose outlets, water sprinkler lines and those in unheated areas such as kitchen cabinets, attics, garages, and basements. It doesn’t matter whether you have plastic or metal pipes - you’re still at risk for frozen pipes. To keep frozen pipes from bursting, follow the steps: • Remove, drain and store any outside hoses. • Close the inside valves that control the water supply to any outside hose attachments. • Open the outside hose attachments to drain any water remaining.
DATES TO KNOW Monday, January 19 CLOSED - Dr. Martin Luther King Day Monday, February 16 CLOSED - Presidents’ Day
• Install a pipe sleeve (found at building supply stores) for water pipes that are not already insulated. • Always leave your thermostat above 55 degrees when planning on going away for an extended period of time. • If you think you may have a frozen pipe or meter and have determined that it is not within the home, please contact Customer Service at 571.291.7880 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm). Always contact Loudoun Water before contacting a plumber.
LOUDOUN WATER GOES SOCIAL For updates, tips, fun facts and other information, follow us on Facebook!
Check us out @loudounwater for job postings and other information. Our newly launched @loudounwater Instagram account will be filled with fun pictures of all things water!
There have been some questions about payment methods following recent third party payment vendor changes. While we cannot offer auto-debit at this time, we have several other payment methods in place for your convenience. Currently you can pay: • • • •
online free of charge by phone mail a check visit our facility and make a payment in person
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We encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can!
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The auto debit challenge is temporary. We promise. We are currently working with various companies to find the best company to service our customers.
Please remember to use your new nine digit account number, circled below, when sending in or calling with a payment. This helps our staff to process your payment quickly and without error. You can find your nine digit account number on your bill or by calling us at 571.291.7880. 0/ )*)/ 1 %)**),( ./ $/ ’+’,/
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Because of this change, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that customers are not double billed or considered past due. Disconnections were halted during the changeover to ensure customers had adequate time to remit bills. We are even sending courtesy paper bills to our enrolled customers that were using auto debit.
REMINDER: ACCOUNT NUMBERS
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PAYMENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED
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THANKS FOR THE THANKS, MS. LOY’S 3RD GRADE CLASS
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Loudoun Water has so many inquisitive !#!""#"## " "###!##!"!# ""!! !!!" ##!"#"!#""!""" ##!!## "" ! and enthusiastic young visitors come to (" & " " $ # ( ’ ! # ’ " ) $ ’ ) " our!Aquiary exhibit –’#and we love it! <?E6?E> G3D7B @? 4?H ,((( 3C:4EB> F3 *(),.%*-1)
Last year we had over 400 visitors to the Aquiary, of which most were school groups and young civic leaders. We’ll often hear back from teachers and parents about how much their students and children enjoyed their trip, but we wanted to turn the spotlight on Ms. Loy’s 3rd grade class from Creighton Corner Elementary School in Ashburn who sent us this AWESOME book about what they learned at Loudoun Water.
www.loudounwater.org 44865 Loudoun Water Way Ashburn, VA 20147 LOUDOUN WATER UPDATE | JAN/FEB 2015
POTOMAC WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM Loudoun County is a dynamic and fastgrowing county with a high demand for more save, clean drinking water. By 2040, Loudoun Water customers may require up to 90 million gallons of drinking water per day – a 40 million gallon per day increase from current demand. To accommodate for future need, the Potomac Water Supply Program was developed to sustainable expand
water supply capacity for future generations to come. The project includes: Developing assets and infrastructure to withdraw raw water directly from the Potomac River Banking raw water in retired quarries for future use. Processing raw water at a state-of-the-art water treatment facility to product safe, clean drinking water
Develop new transmission capacity to distribute the water to customers. The initial phase will be completed in late 2017 when the water treatment plant is operational. During this project, monthly updates are posted on the Loudoun Water website under, “Current Projects.”
FAQ: HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A LEAK? • Search for toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank or use one of our toilet leak detector dye tablets. If any color shows up in the bowl without flushing first, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately to avoid staining the tank.) Leaky toilets can waste about 200 gallons of water per day. • Check all of your faucets and outdoor spigots for any obvious drips. You may have a worn seal that needs to be replaced.
• Check along your hoses for any leaks. If you have an irrigation system, it should be checked each spring for broken heads. A leak along your system can waste about 6,300 gallons per month. • Grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber, certified irrigation contractor to address leaking toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems around your home.
www.loudounwater.org 44865 Loudoun Water Way Ashburn, VA 20147 LOUDOUN WATER UPDATE | JAN/FEB 2015
VISIT US: THE AQUIARY Loudoun Water headquarters is more than just an office building with cubicles and desks. We have an interactive educational center with 3,500 square feet of indoor exhibits and nearly one mile of outdoor trails. It’s one of the county’s best kept secrets! The Aquiary first opened in 2008 and has hosted thousands of visitors of all ages. Whether you’re a school looking for a science lesson, or a community group interested in learning more about where your water comes from, we’d love to schedule a tour with you! Interested in a particular topic? We can do that too! In the past our staff has given lessons on: • Water conservation • Reclaimed water process • Watersheds • Loudoun Water’s mission • Scouting badge requirements
CLEAN WATER TIPS FOR ICE REMOVAL Many people purchase de-icing salt and apply it to their roads, sidewalks and driveways when it snows or sleets. While this may seem like the best solution, when the salt melts the snow and the mixture enters storm drains. From here, the salt travels to our streams as untreated, polluted runoff which is not good for plants a wildlife. You’ll often see a disruption to freshwater organisms after a snow storm due to the high use of sodium and chloride ions, which are the result of salt dissolving. Here are four tips to remember when removing ice this season: Traction, Not Melting Alternatives like sand, sawdust, kitty litter and ashes help to increase traction, which salt fails to do. Salt Early, Not Late Pay attention to the weather forecast to know when is the right time to lay down salt. If you’re going to salt, apply it just before the snow falls. This helps to prevent snow from sticking on the ground. If you apply salt too late, or after it has already started to lay on the ground, you’ll get less of a benefit.
Be “Pet-Friendly” Just because the bag says “eco-friendly” or “safe” when buying salt doesn’t mean it necessarily is the best solution. Look for products that say they are pet-friendly. It’s more likely to be safe for plants and people – causing less polluted run-off. Avoid Sodium Chloride It may cheaper, but this chemical concoction disrupts the salinity of water, harming fish and animals as well as eroding soil and damaging trees and vegetation. Look for products containing magnesium chloride instead!
www.loudounwater.org 44865 Loudoun Water Way Ashburn, VA 20147 LOUDOUN WATER UPDATE | JAN/FEB 2015