DEPARTMENT
STATISTICS - "GENERAL INFORMATION"- "WATER"
The City of Colonial
Heights is a member of and purchases water from The Appomattox River Water
Authority at an average cost of $515,000.00 per year. Although the City
does not have a water treatment facility, it does have a distribution
network of approximately 97 miles of water line piping, 600 fire hydrants,
6,500 water meters and 3 water storage tanks. The Utility Department
follows strict federal and state guidelines for monitoring and testing
water to assure that the water meets their specifications. The Utility
Department spends about 40 percent of its time annually on repairing and
updating the water distribution system.
FIRE HYDRANT FLUSHING
Annually the City
Utilities Department with the Appomattox River Water Authority flushes the
water distribution system through fire hydrants. At the same time the
department does flow tests on the fire hydrants to collect flow data on
the system to assure that the system is meeting specifications. During
this time, which is usually in the spring or fall,
property owners may experience some discoloration in their water. The
discoloration is from a mineral called Manganese that naturally occurs in
rocks and soil.
Manganese settles in the distribution piping and when fire hydrants are
opened the sudden flow of water will stir it up. There is no cause for
alarm when this happens. You will need to run water in your bath tub and
sinks for about fifteen minutes, normally this will clear the problem. If
the water does not clear up call the Utilities Department and they will
send someone out to try to remedy the problem.
CONNECTION INFORMATION - "WATER"
Price information for
fees and permits can be obtained from the Building Inspections Office at
City Hall.
The phone number is (804)
520-9297.
Commercial and
Subdivisions:
All connections onto
the City water system will be made by the developers Class A contractor
under the supervision of the construction inspector (804) 520-9372, using
the latest V-DOT and City of Colonial Heights specifications. They must
notify the Construction inspector 48 hours in advance before commencing
work and the contractor must have construction plans approved by the city
engineer (804) 520-9337. No construction will commence until all fees are
paid and all permits obtained.
Non Commercial and
Residential:
Connections on
existing streets will be made by the Utilities Department. Call Utilities at (804) 520-9393
to find out what
material and labor the builder must supply.
DEPARTMENT STATISTICS - "GENERAL INFORMATION" - "WASTEWATER"
The City of Colonial
Heights is a member of and sells all of their wastewater to The South
Central Wastewater Authority located in Petersburg. All wastewater is
pumped by force main to the newly constructed South Central Wastewater
facility on Pocahontas Island in Petersburg. The average cost is 1.8
million dollars per year. The wastewater distribution network consists of
approximately 92 miles of various sizes of piping, 600 manholes and eleven
pumping stations. The Utility department spends about 50 percent of its
time annually repairing and updating the wastewater distribution system.
CONNECTION INFORMATION - "SEWER"
Price information
for fees and permits can be obtained from the Building Inspections Office
at 201 James Ave. The
phone number
is (804) 520-9297.
Commercial /
Residential / Subdivisions:
All connections onto
the City wastewater system will be made by the developers Class A
contractor under the supervision of the construction inspector
(804) 520-9372, using the latest V-DOT and City of Colonial Heights
specifications. The Construction inspector must be notified 48 hours in
advance before commencing work and contractor must have construction plans
approved by the city engineer (804) 520-9337. No construction will commence
until all fees are paid and all permits obtained.
CLEANOUTS - "SEWER"
Sewer cleanouts referred
to in this text are a vertical standpipe configured onto a sanitary sewer
lateral ( lateral : sewer pipe coming from house or building to sewer
main). Clean outs are used to inspect and clean out sewer laterals when
they become stopped up.
If a residence or
business does not have a sewer clean out at the property line which is
usually in the same vicinity as the water meter then it is considered that
the property owner owns the sewer lateral from the building to the main
and is solely responsible for its flow and maintenance. If there is an
approved clean out at the property line then the City will Claim ownership
of the sewer lateral from the clean out at the property line to the sewer
main and be responsible for maintenance and repairs.
CLEAN OUT INSTALLATION
The City Utilities
Department will install a clean out on single family residential dwellings at the property line for a one time
fee of $200.00. If you want to purchase a clean out, you must go to the Building
Inspections Office at 201 James Ave. and apply for a permit. It usually
takes about 3 to 14 working days for the clean out to be installed.
MISS UTILITY
"BEFORE YOU DIG" You
must call Miss Utility of Virginia (800)
552-7001
or 811.
IT IS THE LAW.
Miss Utility
is an organization set up to mark all underground utilities (IE: VA Power
lines, Verizon lines, Columbia Gas lines, Comcast Cable lines,
etc.). This service is free to residents and other property owners. Miss
Utility is regulated by the State Corporation Commission and it has become
a very vital asset to the state of Virginia to help eliminate disruption
to utility service. It usually takes 3 days from the time you call them
before you can dig.
CROSS CONNECTION/BACKFLOW PREVENTION PROGRAM
The City of Colonial Heights has implemented a Cross
Connection/Backflow Prevention Program for all
facilities in Colonial Heights. It is our
obligation to insure the health, safety and welfare
of our customers by making a continuous effort to
provide quality services. This program exists to
protect the public water system and our customers.
Federal, State and local law requires the City of
Colonial Heights to protect the water supply from
potential contamination or pollution. The program is
used in order to prevent contamination of the supply
lines from these cross connections and maintain
water quality. The program identifies those
activities which pose a threat to the public water
supply through cross connections and outlines
appropriate protective measures.
Pursuant to the City of Colonial Heights’ Ordinance
#92-25 Section 23-16 Cross Connection/Backflow
Prevention states that a Cross Connection Control
Survey be conducted on the premises at any
reasonable time to determine if a cross connection
exist. If they do exist, an inspection will be
performed to determine if proper backflow devices
have been installed and tested, i.e. Boilers,
Mixers, Photo Labs, Lawn Sprinkler Systems, etc.
Please provide a contact person for your facility.
The contact person should be someone who is familiar
with the building plans and property so they can
introduce the property to our inspector.
Definitions and Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
If
you have any questions or concerns regarding the
Cross Connection/ Backflow Prevention program,
please contact the City Cross Connection Inspector
between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm Monday through Friday at
(804)524-8794 or write to:
City of Colonial Heights
ATTN: Randy Carter
Department of Public Works/ Utilities Division
2701 Conduit Rd.
Colonial Heights, VA 23834
carterr@colonial-heights.com
UTILITIES