Customer Service/24 Hour Emergency (540) 245-5681
One of our values at Augusta Water is Environmental Commitment. We show our commitment to environmental protection by managing our resources to be sustainable today and to ensure they are available for tomorrow. Learn how you can partner with us and be a good steward of our water resources.
One of our values at Augusta Water is Environmental Commitment. We show our commitment to environmental protection by managing our resources to be sustainable today and to ensure they are available for tomorrow. Learn how you can partner with us and be a good steward of our water resources.
Purchase Energy Star rated washers – they use 35-50% less water and 50% less energy per load. To conserve even more water and energy, only wash full loads of laundry.
Running a full load of dishes should save water over washing dishes by hand.
To reduce the amount of water wasted while waiting for the water to get hot, wrap your hot water pipes with insulation material or install an under the sink instant water heater.
Instead of letting kids run through the sprinkler, buy them a kiddy pool.
Water your lawn during early morning hours to minimize evaporation, and avoid watering your sidewalk or driveway. Do not leave the hose running continuously; use a nozzle instead. Consider a soaker hose that applies water directly to the soil. Also, consider installing an underground irrigation system.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.
Save water by taking showers instead of baths. A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while a 10-minute shower uses only 25 gallons or less. If you have an old shower head, replace it with a new 2.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm) shower head. Consider placing a bucket in the shower to collect excess water that you can use to water plants.
Install water softeners only when necessary. Save water and salt by running the minimum number of regeneration cycles necessary to maintain water softness. Turn softeners off while on vacation.
Consider replacing your toilet if your house was built before 1992 and the toilet has never been replaced. It is very likely that you do not have an efficient 1.6 gallons per flush toilet. If you have an older toilet, fill a plastic bottle with water and add pebbles or sand for weight. When placed in the tank, the bottle will allow less water to fill the tank, which helps conserve water. Do not use a brick as it may flake and clog valves. Avoid flushing your toilet unnecessarily. Place tissues, bugs, and other such waste in the trash.
Water pipes that are exposed to extremely cold temperatures, such as outdoor hose bibs, or water supply pipes in unheated areas, may freeze and expand, causing the pipes to burst. Below are some preventive measures you can take in order to protect your pipes during freezing temperatures.
During extreme cold spells:
• To prevent your pipes from freezing, allow a faucet to trickle cold water. Choose a faucet that is the greatest distance from your main water shut off valve and at the highest point in your home.
• Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinets to allow warm air to circulate around the water supply pipes to the sinks.
If temperatures drop below freezing:
• Whether you're at home or away traveling, keep your thermostat set no lower than 55°F to prevent pipes from freezing.
• Shut off and drain the pipes leading to outside faucets and/or hose bibs so no water is left to freeze, expand, and cause a leak in these lines. Cover outdoor faucets with an insulated faucet protector.
• Keep all exterior doors and all windows tightly closed.
• Insulate pipes in any unheated or drafty areas.
• Seal all leaks in crawl spaces and basements.
• Make sure all household members know where the main shut-off valve is and how to shut off the water in case of an emergency.
• If your pipes freeze, never thaw a pipe with an open flame. Use warm water to soak towels, then wrap the towels around the frozen pipes.
Repair or replacement of frozen and busted pipes is a costly expense to property owners. Follow these guidelines to protect yourself and your pipes.
If you believe you have frozen pipes and are unsure of where they are frozen at, call Customer Service at 540-245-5670 and a technician will come and evaluate the meter. If you can see the meter is frozen, do not attempt to thaw or de-ice it yourself.
We are committed to protecting public health, safety, and welfare at Augusta Water by preventing adverse impacts from contamination or loss of water in aquifers which serve as community groundwater supply sources. Due to the natural karst topography predominant in Augusta County, sinkholes and underground pathways provide ways for contaminants to reach our aquifers. As our groundwater is influenced by activities on the surface of the land, we encourage the following practices to preserve the quality of our groundwater sources:
- Maintain your septic system by pumping every 5 years
- Use Best Management Practices for fertilizers and pesticides
- Connect to public sewer where available, to minimize contaminants leaching out of the septic field
The Augusta County Code also prohibits certain land use activities with the potential to adversely impact groundwater quality in delineated recharge areas. For more information on the various Source Water Protection Overlay Districts in the County and rules for land uses, please review Chapter 24, Division H, Article LI of the Augusta County Code. You can also see the source water protection areas visually on the Augusta County Source Water Map.
Purchase Energy Star rated washers – they use 35-50% less water and 50% less energy per load. To conserve even more water and energy, only wash full loads of laundry.
Water your lawn during early morning hours to minimize evaporation, and avoid watering your sidewalk or driveway. Do not leave the hose running continuously; use a nozzle instead. Consider a soaker hose that applies water directly to the soil. Also, consider installing an underground irrigation system.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.
Save water by taking showers instead of baths. A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while a 10-minute shower uses only 25 gallons or less. If you have an old shower head, replace it with a new 2.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm) shower head. Consider placing a bucket in the shower to collect excess water that you can use to water plants.
Consider replacing your toilet if your house was built before 1992 and the toilet has never been replaced. It is very likely that you do not have an efficient 1.6 gallons per flush toilet. If you have an older toilet, fill a plastic bottle with water and add pebbles or sand for weight. When placed in the tank, the bottle will allow less water to fill the tank, which helps conserve water. Do not use a brick as it may flake and clog valves. Avoid flushing your toilet unnecessarily. Place tissues, bugs, and other such waste in the trash.
