HURRICANE SEASON – BE PREPARED

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Hurricane season begins June 1st. Ensure that your family and business are prepared:

  1. Protect your family and pets
  2. Create a disaster plan
  3. Protect important documents
  4. Secure your home
  5. Visit www.floridadisaster.org to create a customized plan
  6. Have a printed copy of instructions for boiling water so you will know how to sanitize your water after service is restored.

Boil water notice information is available under the Customer Service Tab on this website.  Be sure to pay close attention to weather advisories as a storm approaches.

Turn water off at the meter box that supplies your home or business; as this may protect your property from water damage in the event a water line breaks.

During evacuations, water service may be turned off to areas under mandatory evacuation.  South Walton Utility promises to evaluate water quality and restore service following a storm as quickly as possible.

How to shut off your water meter

How to shut off your water meter

Locate your water meter. Water meters are typically installed inside black meter boxes placed on the street side of your property flush with the ground.Remove the black lid of the meter box. A standard screw driver can be used to lift the lid around the rectangular edges.  The meter may be below dirt or sand, which can be carefully moved to uncover the meter.

There should be an owner’s valve after the meter. There are various types and when on, the handle should be in line with the pipe.  Turn across the pipe ¼ turn to shut off.

If the owner’s valve is broken or rusted off, you can turn the water off before the meter, in an emergency.  The owner’s valve is the owner’s responsibility; please replace it if necessary.

On the street side of the meter, locate the round knob. This is the main shut-off valve, also referred to as the curb stop. The bar in the middle is in line with the pipe.  To turn it off, turn it one quarter turn so the bar is across the pipe; the hole in the tab will line up with the hole below, this means it is off.

Below is a picture of a meter. The owner’s valve on the left is on; the curb stop on the right is also on.

Below is a picture of a meter. The owner’s valve on the left is off; the curb stop on the right is also off. 

Below are pictures of another type of owner’s valve:

In this position the water would be flowing.

In this position the water is off.

 

 

Sewer Cleanout Installation

Gulfcoast Underground will be installing cleanouts on the existing sewer service lines beginning Tuesday August 9th in the area of Pritchard Rd. They will continue with the installations in areas throughout Forest Shore Dr and Holiday Rd over the course of the next 4 weeks. These cleanouts will be placed at the property right of way. Any areas impacted will be repaired by the contractor when all work is complete. Crews will be taking before pictures and videos to make sure all property impacted is placed back in like conditions. Crews will be placing door hangers on homes where this work will take place. There will be no charge to SWU members.  Please call our office if you have any additional questions that can’t be answered by our site personnel.

 

Please update your Contact Information

Please be sure to update your phone number, mailing address and email address should we need to contact you regarding a leak or other important information regarding your account.

You may call our office, complete the change address section on your payment stub, reply to an e-bill or email admin@swuci.org to make these changes.

 

 

Fire Hydrant Access

Please keep at least 5 feet of clearance around fire hydrants. Easy access is a priority in the event of a fire.

  • Trim all plants, trees and weeds so the hydrant is clearly visible and accessible from all angles.
  • Report missing caps or damaged fire hydrants immediately.
  • Never park in front of a fire hydrant.

 

 

 

 

Have you signed up for EFT or e-Bill yet?

Go paper free with our e-Bill service! With e-Bill, you get the same information that’s on your paper bill e-mailed right to your computer, no time delay waiting for it to arrive by mail.

EFT ensures you never miss a payment! EFT saves you time, checks and postage. You still get a bill sent to you for your review, then you can file it and be done. With EFT, we will deduct the amount due from your bank the first business day of the month.

Email us at info@SWUCI.ORG if you are interested in this benefit.

Contact us for more information or download the Electronic Funds Transfer form here.

Check for Leaks

Annual Household leaks waste 1 trillion gallons nationwide, which equals water use in 11 million + homes

The average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Common types of leaks found in the home are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves. These types of leaks are often easy to fix, requiring only a few tools and hardware that can pay for themselves in water savings. Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills.  https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week