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You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers to your most frequently asked questions. Please feel free to search for answers to existing questions on our site or explore our categories below. Think of a question that we haven’t answered here? Please feel free to contact us with your suggestion.
Service can be established by completing the necessary paperwork and submitting it to the appropriate office that services the property location. For more information about establishing service, please click here.
A deposit is credited to the account when the account is closed. This typically covers any remaining balance and/or the final bill amount. If your deposit exceeds the amount due a refund check will be issued.
Customers wishing to terminate service must complete a termination of services request form. Please note that services can only be terminated by a tenant or by a homeowner who has sold their property. Existing homeowners may choose to have their service(s) disconnected. However, in systems where the FGUA has an active inactive utility account policy, those customers will still be billed for base charges in order to maintain availability of service. For more information about this, please see our termination of services section.
Updates to your account can be made by contacting us with your requested changes. For time sensitive updates, we request that you email us using our contact form or call the appropriate office that serves your location. For all other updates, you can utilize the form on your billing statement and send it to us by mail with your next payment.
Yes. This is called a base fee and is similar to an HOA fee in that it helps cover the common costs, such as maintaining service lines throughout the utility system. These include lines leading to each property. Base fees cover the fixed costs of the utility such as line maintenance, plant operations, acquisition, capital improvements and debt service. These costs remain regardless of whether or not usage occurs.
An inactive account fee is equal to the base fees for water and/or sewer service paid by open account holders and is billed monthly to every property owner regardless of usage. Base charges cover the fixed costs of the utility such as line maintenance, plant operations, acquisition, capital improvements and debt service. These costs remain regardless of whether or not usage occurs. When a utility account is opened at the property, either by the owner or a tenant, the account holder will pay the base fees and usage instead of the inactive fee. If a tenant vacates a property, the owner will be charged inactive fees.
An FGUA bill consists of three parts: base charges, consumption charges, and fees. Typically, base charges and consumption charges are broken down into services for water and wastewater. In some instances, there may also be charges for reclaimed services, where applicable.
Base charges cover your system’s fixed costs. These are costs that the utility incurs, even when customers are not using water and assist with maintaining utility infrastructure. Base charges are fixed but may be adjusted annually if a rate change occurs. Consumption charges help to cover the cost of producing potable water and treating wastewater. Consumption charges will vary based on your water usage. Lastly, fees are incurred as certain services are rendered. For example, a connection fee might be applied when you establish service or a late fee might be applied, if a late payment is made. To learn more about your bill, please visit the About My Bill section. For a specific issue regarding your bill, please Contact Us.
As a non-profit government authority, the FGUA recognizes that some of its systems’ rates may be higher than neighboring utility systems. The driving factor for FGUA systems with higher rates is debt service and economies of scale. Many systems that the FGUA acquires are previously, private-owned investor utilities. The cost to acquire these systems from private, investor owned companies and bring them under government ownership (debt service) is very expensive. Despite this expense, when the FGUA acquires a system, this is usually a relief for many residents since many investor-owned utilities tend to have even higher rates and/or lower levels of service.
To mitigate the impact of rates on customers, the FGUA utilizes competitive private sector operations contracts. This helps to reduce costs for customers since the FGUA is able to reduce overhead costs typically felt by other public entities like health benefits or pension funds, all while providing the level of service that citizens have come to expect from their local governments. We also constantly look for creative ways to reduce our expenses, such as refinancing debt service. In some instances, when finances permit, we’ve actually been able to pass those savings on to customers in the form of a rate reduction.
Moreover, since the FGUA is a non-profit government entity, any additional operating revenue that is collected is never distributed as a profit. Instead, these monies are set aside and put into a rate stabilization fund, which assists with preventing unnecessary rate increases for customers.
Yes. This is called a base fee and is similar to an HOA fee in that it helps cover the common costs, such as maintaining service lines throughout the utility system. These include lines leading to each property. Base fees cover the fixed costs of the utility such as line maintenance, plant operations, acquisition, capital improvements and debt service. These costs remain regardless of whether or not usage occurs.
Homeowners, real estate professionals, and title companies who are interested in determining the outstanding balance reported on a lien must complete an estoppel request. For more information about how to go about this process, please visit the “Estoppel Request” section of our website.
For water or wastewater related emergencies, customers can call their local customer service office. Our answering service will contact an on-call technician to address after hour emergencies. Please visit the “Contact Us” section for the customer service location that serves your county or just refer to the number on your bill.
The FGUA issues a boil water notice anytime water in the line drops below a certain pressure. This can occur for a number of reasons, such as an unexpected break in the line or when the FGUA interrupts service to facilitate repairs or improvements. In most cases a boil water notice is issued as a precaution and simply means you should boil your water for cooking and drinking, or alternatively use bottled water.
The FGUA uses a number of notification measures depending on the size and type of the area affected. Notification may occur through door hangers, phone calls, signs in your neighborhood, online at www.fgua.com and through local media outlets. During a boil water notice, the FGUA is taking samples of your water for testing at an independent lab. Once the water is determined to be safe for consumption, the FGUA will lift the precautionary boil water notice and you will be notified again. This process typically takes 2-3 days and you will usually be notified in the same way you were originally.
If you have more questions, you can visit the “Outages and Notices” section of the website and review the Frequently Asked Questions brochure on boil water notices. You may also contact your local customer service office for more information. If you’re not sure which customer service office serves your area, just visit the “Contact Us” section or refer to your bill.
To pay your bill online, please visit our “Pay My Bill” section. From there, you’ll input your zip code to be directed to the correct online bill payment portal. If you’re a new customer, you’ll need to setup an account.
If water service in your neighborhood needs to be interrupted to facilitate repairs to a water main, you may be requested to boil your drinking water as a precautionary measure. Customers will be notified when the Boil Water Notice is no longer in effect. Please visit the “Outages & Notices” for an FAQ on Boil Water Notices. You may also contact your local customer service office for more information or if you have additional questions. Please visit the “Contact Us” section for the customer service location that serves your county.
The meter is considered FGUA property and in order to protect you from any cost that may be associated with possible damage, etc., turning off the meter or tampering with the meter is not accepted FGUA practice. Some customers may choose to turn off the main house valve or install a valve just beyond the meter on the private property side if they are worried about water usage occurring when they are away, etc. Alternatively, you can also call the FGUA to turn off the meter. You may visit the “Contact Us” section for the customer service location that serves your county.
Water can be used in several different ways. The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day. For a single person, this might amount to a 3,000 gallons per month water bill. For a family of five, this could jump to 15,000 gallons per month. Commercial businesses tend to see much higher consumption. When you consider other items like non-water efficient appliances, leaky toilets, faulty irrigation systems and settings, pool pumps, and water softeners your consumption could very quickly rise above the average.
As a customer, it’s important to monitor your water usage to determine how water is being used as well as to help isolate a problem. One way to accomplish this is by observing your meter. Most meters have a diamond or triangle that will spin when water is flowing through the meter. Make sure that all water at the location is turned off. Check the meter and write down the read. Come back in two hours and write it down again. If the meter registers a new number or the triangle indicator is spinning, you could have a leak.
Water discoloration can be caused by several factors. Most often, discoloration occurs because water has not been used. Chlorine levels naturally decrease overtime, so as water remains stagnant in the pipes for several days, discoloration can occur. To rectify this, customers can simply run their water for a few minutes and it should flow clear again, as fresh water replaces the aged water. If this does not resolve the issue, there could be another issue resulting in the discoloration. Should this occur, please call your local office to schedule a field technician to visit the home.
Can I receive a credit for a leak?
Residential customers who have experienced higher than normal usage resulting from a leak may qualify for an adjustment on their bill. In order to qualify, customers should have documentation supporting that a leak occurred and was fixed. This could be a plumber’s receipt and/or a receipt for parts from your local hardware store. To find out more about our leak adjustment policy, please contact your nearest FGUA office.
As a customer, it’s important to monitor your water usage to determine how water is being used as well as to help isolate a problem. One way to accomplish this is by observing your meter. Most meters have a diamond or triangle that will spin when water is flowing through the meter. Make sure that all water at the location is turned off. Check the meter and write down the read. Come back in two hours and write it down again. If the meter registers a new number or the triangle indicator is spinning, you could have a leak.
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