POLICIES

We may require security deposits from customers to ensure payment of the final bill, largely depending on your creditworthiness. More specifically, security deposits shall be required on all accounts except:

• Residential customers, whether detached or attached units, who have a satisfactory credit history as determined by a credit check.
• Local, State and Federal governments or agencies.

Security deposits shall be required for accounts other than these above, totaling either $50 or $100 depending on credit score for residential customers. All security deposits must be paid at the time application for service is made and in advance of service initiation. Any residential customer whose service has been disconnected for non-payment of billing charges twice within a six-month period of time and who has not previously given a security deposit will be required to pay a security deposit of $50 or $100 (depending on creditworthiness) before reconnection of service. Repeated disconnections will require additional security deposits until the customer has accumulated a security deposit balance which will cover an average of three months’ billing charges. Non-residential security deposits may be required based on creditworthiness and will be computed as one or two times the average monthly bill of the previous customer at the same location over the past calendar year. If there is no previous customer at the service location, the security deposit will be determined by OWASA based on the best information available, such as our experience with similar businesses. Security deposits may be refunded upon written request after the customer has established a satisfactory payment history for 12 consecutive months. Otherwise, security deposits will be applied to the final bill when a customer's account is terminated.

If your monthly bill is not paid by the time we mail you the next month’s bill, late charges will be added to your account and shown on your new bill. You will receive a “reminder notice,” informing you of the amount that is past due. The reminder notice will also include the date by which payment must be received in order to avoid service being cut off. You may be able to pay your bill in installments over a short period of time. Learn more about payment extensions and installment arrangements. A security deposit may be required in order to have service reconnected. If you receive notification that your account is past due and believe there has been an error, please contact our Customer Service staff as soon as possible by phone at 919-537-4343 or via email at customerinquiries@owasa.org.

If we have turned off service due to non-payment of a past due bill, you may have your service restored by:

• Contacting us and paying the past due amount including late payment penalties,
• Paying a security deposit, if required.

If your check or automatic bank draft is returned due to insufficient funds, we will notify you by mail immediately, and a $25 returned-check fee or dishonored draft fee will be charged to your account.   If you plan on closing an account associated with your OWASA bill, please remember to give us sufficient advance notice so we can halt your automatic drafting; otherwise, the dishonored draft fee will be charged to your OWASA account when we attempt to draw on your closed account.

Sometimes — though rarely — we make mistakes when accumulating your usage data. These mistakes are often due to a faulty water meter. Upon request, we will be glad to test the accuracy of our meter serving your premises. If our meter has not been tested in the past five years, or if we find that the meter is inaccurate by more than +/-1.5%, you will not be charged a fee for testing, and we will replace the meter. If the test indicates that the meter is registering high — in other words, if the meter incorrectly shows more water use than you are actually using — we will adjust your bill accordingly. However, it is rare for a meter to register more water than is passing through it. If our meter has been tested within the past five years and proves to be accurate within +/-1.5%, there will be an $80 charge for testing a standard 5/8” residential meter. Please contact Customer Service at (919) 537-4343 or customerinquiries@owasa.org for information on the charges for testing larger meters.

Leaks happen. While you are responsible for promptly discovering leaks, we know you often have no control over them. We want to encourage you to make prompt, permanent repairs. We also understand there can be unusual circumstances and repair expenses. So, sometimes we can issue a credit adjustment to your account if you’ve experienced the loss of metered water.

  To make an adjustment, we will need the following information:

• When the leak was discovered
• Who made repairs, where and when
• A copy of the plumber’s bill, or receipts for materials purchased if you made the repairs.

The amount of the bill adjustment depends in part on whether the water from the leak returned to the sanitary wastewater system or leaked elsewhere on your property.

 

Here are adjustments for situations where the lost water returned to the wastewater system:

 

For wastewater service, 50% of the amount exceeding the previous 12 months’ average monthly bill, excluding the time of excessive water use for which an adjustment is requested. Situations where lost water returns to the wastewater system may include malfunctioning toilets and leaking indoor faucets.

 

For non-irrigation water service, we may adjust charges for water use over the customer’s previous 12 months’ average billings for water, excluding the time of excessive consumption for which the adjustment is requested, down to our lowest retail rate. Please see additional information below regarding potential adjustments related to irrigation leaks.

 

If you pay seasonal water rates, the adjustment will be based on a comparison to the corresponding time from the immediately preceding year.

 

And here are adjustments for situations where the lost water did not return to the wastewater system:

 

For wastewater service, we may adjust the customer’s account by 100% of the amount exceeding the previous 12 months’ average monthly bill, excluding the time of excessive water use for which an adjustment is requested.

 

For non-irrigation water service, we may adjust charges for water use over the customer's previous 12 months’ average billings for water, excluding the time of excessive consumption for which the adjustment is requested, down to our lowest retail rate.

 

If you pay seasonal water rates, the adjustment will be based on a comparison to the corresponding time from the immediately preceding year.

 

Situations where lost water does not return to the wastewater system may include:

• Irrigation leaks
• Leaks that occur underground or in walls
• Leaks in outdoor spigots
• Faulty water heaters or pressure-reducing valves

 

For Irrigation System Leaks:

For leaks resulting from any portion or component of an irrigation system, we may adjust charges for water use that is in excess of the customer’s previous 24-month period’s highest billing for water down to our irrigation commodity rate, if that results in a lower water charge. Additionally, the adjustment may include 100% of the amount in excess of the customer's previous 24-month period's highest billing for wastewater. No adjustment shall be made that reduces a customer's bill to an amount less than the customer’s previous 24-month period's highest use month.

 

Leak Detection with Agua Vista

Our advanced Agua Vista meter technology enables us to more quickly detect and notify customers of both irregularly high water consumption and low-flow, continuous consumption. We do not charge for the Agua Vista notification service; however, customers will be responsible for making sure we have the most accurate contact information. Without accurate contact information, you will not be eligible for leak notification or emergency water loss adjustments. We strongly encourage you to register and complete survey data in order to provide us with your water-use habits for the most accurate leak notifications.

 

Please Note:

We limit the adjustment period for leaks in readily visible fixtures to one month’s billings. We do not make adjustments within one year of completion of new construction; we recommend that you contact the builder. Accounts may be adjusted due to leaks only once every three years.

 

Emergency water loss adjustments will cover water lost from when the leak began to when it is repaired, but will not exceed seven days from the date of the first successful notification.

If you choose the manual-read option with the new meters, you will not be eligible for water loss adjustments. The new water-loss adjustment policy of seven days from the date of notification will apply.

 

If you completely refill your pool, you qualify for an adjustment to your wastewater charges once in a 12-month period.

OWASA may make discretionary determinations as to the applicability of the policy in circumstances involving abnormal water use or loss.

We check our meters periodically to be sure they are working correctly. We make repairs and replacements as necessary. However, if you believe that our meter is not working properly, you may request to have the meter tested. If our meter has not been tested in the past five years or if we find that the meter is inaccurate by more than +/-1.5%, you will not be charged a fee for testing and we will replace the meter.   We replace meters once they’re 20 years old. When your meter is changed, an OWASA meter-shop employee will come to your door to speak with you, if you are available, and will leave a tag notifying you that your water will be turned off briefly while our meter is changed. You will not be charged individually for the cost of replacing a meter; costs for replacing meters under our normal replacement program are covered in the fees we collect from all of our customers.

If one OWASA water meter serves more than one location or residence — for example, two duplex apartments, a rooming house or multiple businesses in a shopping center ― it is necessary that the account be in the property owner’s name. This policy is intended to avoid having a service request from one tenant that would affect another tenant’s service, and to avoid having to allocate costs among tenants who share one OWASA meter.

It is our policy to aggressively deter the theft of water or other services from OWASA. We may use the full force of North Carolina’s Criminal Code (G.S. 14-151.1) to deter theft. This law permits OWASA to charge the perpetrator either $500 or three times the actual losses and damages — whichever is greater. Enforcement may include fines, discontinuation of service, removal of service connections, requiring payment of new service charges to reinstate service, recording liens for unpaid fines and fees, filing criminal charges and other measures allowed by law.