RENTING OR LEASING: Come by the office to fill out a Customer Application for Service Form. Bring in one form of identifications, rental\lease agreement and a $80.00 service charge to be paid at the time for service requested. Please give us at least one working day notice to establish service.

OWNERS FOR EXISTING METERS: Come by the office to fill out a Customer Application for Service form. Bring in one form of identifications, Book and page number (often found on the warranty deed) and a $45.00 service charge to be paid at the time for service requested. Please give us at least one working day notice to establish service.

OWNERS FOR NEW METERS: Come by the office to fill out a Customer Application for Service form. Bring in one form of identifications, book and page number (often found on the warranty deed) and a $1,500.00 tap fee to be paid at the time for service requested. Please give us at least one week notice to establish service.

If you are digging undergrounds, please be aware of underground utilities. Electric, gas, telephone, cable or water lines could be found where you are digging. Damages to these lines are expensive, time consuming, inconvenient to Utility personnel and the customer and could be very dangerous, even life threatening. For a quick easy way to get lines located, please call 811, the Tennessee Call Before You Dig system. When you call, they will get information from you and contact all the utilities in the your area for you. It is much easier, cheaper and safest way to dig.

All service lines (water line between the meter and the house) and plumbing inside the house are the responsibility of the customers. Any leak you may occur will be at the your expense. All water registered at the water meter will be billed to the customer. The Utility does allow a leak adjustment to the customer’s account once in a calendar year. The following guidelines apply:

1.) The water leak must be repaired immediately
2.) The adjustment applies to a water leak
3.) A form must be signed by the DSUD staff and customer

The adjustment does not deduct the entire water bill. The Utility will average a three month consumption for the current time period from the previous year. You as a customer will pay that portion at regular rate, the remaining consumption will be divided between the customer and the Utility.

As of May 1, 2023, our rates are the following:

*Water bills paid after the 15th will receive a 15% penalty

Water outages are not likely but do occur. Water outage happens when the Utility is repairing or maintaining water lines. When there is an expected water outage, we will try to do one to all of the following to notify you in advance.

1.) make an announcement on County Giant 94.7 and\or WHUB
2.) post a sign at the office
3.) call and\or put door flyers
4.) automated call
5.) a post on our Facebook page
6.) a post on our webpage

Most of the time, water outages are not planned. A water outage may occur when the Utility has an emergency situation and cannot notify and\or announce of water interruption. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have a medical reason that water service cannot be interrupted, please notify us.

During a water outage your hot water heater should be fine if no hot water is used. When you use hot water, it will drain the water from the water heater and due to the outage, no water will be able to fill the tank back up. When this happens, the heating elements could be damaged. If the water outage is going to be longer than two hours you may want to cut the power off to the heater for extra precaution.

The Utility does not give a discount on water used to fill swimming pools or sprinklers. We do ask you to let us know if you have a pool or sprinkler system for our records.

A water leak could be in your service line from the meter to your house or business, under your house or business, in the plumbing or a toilet. If you suspect you may have a water leak, here are some ways to find out.

1.) Do not use any water (no dishwasher, washing machines, etc) and go to your water meter. Located on your water meter will be a red triangle or a red flower shape, these are called leak indicators. The leak indicator only moves when water is being used. If no water is being used and the leak indicators are turning, you may have a leak.
2.) If you are going to be gone for several hours, go to your water meter and take a meter reading. When you return take another meter reading. Subtract the two numbers to find amount of gallons used. If no one was at home, the amount of gallons should be zero. If there were consumption, this is a sign of a leak.
3.) Sometimes you may have a toilet that leaks. A toilet leak is hard to find. It may not be running continually and may not be obvious on the leak indicator. Sometimes you can hear water running and sometimes you don’t. Remove the lid from the tank of the toilet and drop food coloring into the water tinting the water in the tank. Do not flush the toilet for several hours. If any of the tinted water comes into the bowl of the toilet, then you may have a water leak.
4.) Keep in mind the water appliances in your homes. Applicances such as dishwashers, ice makers, washing machines, water heater, etc, have lines and valves suppling water to it. These appliances could obtain a leak as well.

If you do have a leak, you would want to get it repaired as soon as possible. The Utility does not repair any water lines on the customer side of the meter. The Utility does offer a Leak Adjustment for the water loss.

A pressure regulator provides a set pressure in the home. Pressure regulators is located on your side of the meter and is your responsibility to install and maintain. These are often installed outside the meter box (on your personal service line) or at the entrance of your service line into the resident or business. Pressure regulators are inexpensive, can conserve water and save money on your water bill. More information is available at our office.

The average person uses 50-75 gallons of water every day. Becoming waste conscious you can reduce your usage. Saving water saves money and also helps protect our valuable resource. Here are some practical water conservation tips:

• Clean driveways, porches and sidewalks with a broom not a water hose.
• Don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth, shaving and\or washing dishes by hand.
• Take short showers instead of baths. A full bath uses approximately 36 gallons of water. A five minute shower using low-flow restrictor will use 15 – 25 gallons.
• Install low-flow faucet aerators to faucets.
• Install low-flow shower heads and toilets. Low flow toilets typically use ½ the water of a standard toilet.
• Wash only full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher.
• Place a nozzle on your water hose that will stop the water flow when not in use.
• Check and repair leaks as soon as possible. A leaking faucet, dripping once per second, wastes six gallons of water a day. A leaking toilet can waste up to 5,000 gallons per day.
• Capture rain water in a container to water animals and plants.

• Turn on the taps. Let the water drip in extreme cold. Even if the water does freeze, this will relieve some of the water pressure and keep the pipe from bursting.
• Open cabinets. Leave the cabinets open under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. This keeps warm air circulating around your pipes.
• Wrap the pipes. If your pipes are in areas that don’t get warm air, consider insulating them with insulation sleeves or wrapping. You can get foam rubber or fiberglass sleeves at your local hardware store, or call a plumber to do it for you.
• Seal the gaps. Cracks in your homes’ outside walls or foundation should be caulked to keep cold air away from your pipes. Make sure all crawl space openings are properly closed and secured.
• Drain your pipes. If you’re taking a trip in the winter, consider draining your pipes to prevent them from bursting.
• Keep Meter Box Lid in Place. Make sure the lid in securely covering your meter box.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braile, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint-filing-cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
2. Fax: (202) 690-7442
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov