The following outlines the general requirements for Residential water and sewer applicants. The outline is meant to simplify the application and construction process, and make you aware of the County and Customer responsibilities for connection to public water and sewer service. Should you have any questions, please contact us at 223-4501.
Application for service
Make application to the Water and Wastewater Department at 340 South 6th Street, Wytheville, VA; application information must include name, address (mailing and property), landowner, employer, social security number, phone number and directions to the property where service is desired. A copy of the rate sheet and billing/payment requirements will be given to you upon making application.
Payment of connection fees must be paid along with renter deposit, if applicable, at time of application. If a road bore is required to serve the property, the customer is required to pay all cost associated with this work. See details below for bore requirement and costs.
Service connection location
Customer may mark with a wood stake the locations they would like connection to be placed (must be at state right of way/property line). We will make attempt to put in requested area or as close as possible. The water department has the final authority over all water meter and sewer clean out locations.
Customer are asked to wait for the County to install the water and/or sewer service prior to customer installing service laterals in case the connections location(s) must be moved due to ground conditions or other circumstances.
If service availability to the property is not known, and/or a road bore is required, the owner will be required to meet with water department personnel at the site to determine the location and availability of services.
Road Bore Requirements
The County will obtain quotes for the road bore from licensed independent contractors. The contractor with the lowest quote is hired to perform the work. Should the road bore attempt fail due to soil/rock conditions, there will be an attempt to open cut the road upon approval from VDOT. Any cost associated with the failed bore attempt or road open cut will be charged to the customer.
The road bore fee is based on actual cost paid to contractor. Cost varies depending on size, typically cost is $500-$1,000 for water bore and $1,000-$2,000 for sewer bore.
Once the road bore is completed, the applicant will be billed for the cost of completing the work. The bill is due within 30 days for receipt.
Marking of Existing Utilities
State Law requires that all utilities be located prior to excavation work being performed. Upon receipt of the application for service, The County will notify Miss Utility to have all utility lines marked inside of the State right-of-way in the area of installation.
The customer is responsible for calling Miss Utility (1-800-552-7001) for marking private property prior to customer excavating and installing service line(s). The customer will be held responsible for any damages to the County water or sewer utilities if they are not marked as required by Miss Utility.
Schedule for installing connections
Connections that do not require a road bore are usually installed within two (2) weeks to four (4) weeks after receipt of application.
Should a road bore be required, the connection schedule is dependent on the availability of a contractor to perform the work. Connections requiring a road bore may take four (4) to eight (8) weeks.
If installation schedule exceeds the above time, the customer will be contacted and informed of the delay and approximate installation date.
Inspection of Customer Service Line
In accordance with the statewide building code, the customer service line is to be inspected for proper installation prior to backfilling the trench. The customer should call for an inspection a minimum of 24 hour in advance of inspection.
Existing Water Sources
Existing wells, springs or other water sources must be disconnected from the potable water plumbing system that serves the residence. These sources may be used for outside purposes but are not permitted to be cross connected with the County water system.
Prohibited Connections to Sewer
Connections of roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface water run off or ground water are prohibited from being connected to the building sewer which is connected to the public sewer system.
Sewer Use - Fats, Oils, Grease and Hazardous Substances
In order to maintain the integrity, proper operation and safety of the sewer system, the customer should not pour any types of Fats, cooking oils, cooking grease, petroleum oils or grease, concentrated soaps, or hazardous liquids into the sinks or drains which enter the sewer system. These substances may harm or create a blockage in the Customers as well as the County sewer system. These substances should be discarded properly by placing in the trash or by recycling used oils.
Annually every September, the County has a Hazardous Waste collection day in which you may discard of hazardous wastes such as used oils, paints, thinners, etc, free of charge. Please contact us to determine the date of the collection as it varies annually.
Billing
Water & Wastewater bills are due the 15th day of every month. Payments may be made at the water department office by check, cash, or debit/credit card; paid by phone with a debit /credit card; or checks can be mailed to the Wythe County Water & Wastewater Department, Administration Building, 340 South Sixth Street, Wytheville, Virginia, 24382.
Water and Wastewater bills are mailed by the 18th of the month. Any payments received after the 15th of the following month will be assessed with a 10% penalty. A 1.5% penalty will be added each month thereafter for each month of delinquency.
When you make application for water and wastewater, your first water and wastewater bill will be sent after the 15th of the following month. If you have a question regarding your water/wastewater bill or you have a leak, please contact the Water Department as soon as possible in order to make adjustments, if applicable.
Leaks & Adjustments
- Adjustments for leaks shall be limited to one adjustment every twelve (12) months. However, an adjustment to a single leak may occur over two consecutive months’ bills due to timing of leak, meter readings, and billings.
- Adjustments shall be allowed for subsurface leaks. Adjustments for non-subsurface leaks, not immediately visible, may be approved by the Wythe County Board of Supervisors Water Committee.
- The customer must notify the Water Department of any leaks and must fix the leak immediately. The Water Department is not responsible for notifying the customer of a leak, but will make an effort to contact customer if a leak is suspected.
- The customer must either provide certification from a licensed plumber that the leak has been repaired or provided pictures, repair bills, invoices, etc. of the repair. The Water Department may require that staff personally view repaired leak.
- The customer must make necessary repairs and make application for a leak adjustment within fifteen days of the first discovery of the leak.
- Adjusted rate: The rate that will be charged for the catastrophic loss volume will be the system purchase cost of water plus 15%. (Example: For systems purchasing water from the New River Regional Water Authority at a cost of $2.00 per thousand, the adjusted rate would be $2.00 plus 15%, which would equal $2.30 per thousand.)
- Calculation of bill
Average usage based on six-month history billed at standard rates, plus Catastrophic loss volume billed at adjusted rate, plus a $10.00 administrative fee.
Cut-off Policy
The following water cut-off policy was adopted by the Board of Supervisors at their April 14, 2010 Board Meeting:
Meters are read on the 15th of each month and bills are sent out by the 18th of each month. Water and sewer bills are due by the 15th of the next month. If the bill is not paid on the 15th of the next month, a disconnect notice will be sent giving you 10 days to pay. If not paid by the 10th day, the 11th day your service will be disconnected.
The following policy revision was adopted by the Board of Supervisors at their March 24, 2020 Board Meeting:
If water service is disconnected for non-payment and customer desires reconnection of the water service customer shall pay the outstanding balance plus a $ 75.00 reconnect fee.
If wastewater service is disconnected for non-payment and customer desires reconnection of the wastewater service customer shall pay the outstanding balance plus a $ 100.00 reconnect fee.
Should the Water Department staff have to make a second trip to the premises to reconnect the water due to the homeowner’s negligence, an additional trip charge of $50.00 per occurrence will be assessed.
Questions in billing should be directed to Wythe County Water and Wastewater Department at 276-223-4501.
Water or Sewer Service Problems
Water leaks or sewer service problems should be reported immediately to the utility provider by calling 223-4501 or by calling emergency dispatch after normal working hours (M-F, 8 am -5pm) by calling 223-6000.
Customer Service
The Water and Wastewater Department wishes to provide the best customer service possible. Should you have any questions concerning your water or sewer utilities, please feel free to contact us at 223-4501.