FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How do I pay my utility bill?

a. You may pay by check, cash, money order, or electronic fund transfer.  If you have had a check returned for insufficient funds, payment must be made by cash or money order for two consecutive years of on-time payment.

b. Electronic Funds Transfer

Submit a voided check with your name, address, telephone number, name of bank, and your utilities account number.  Mail or drop off your voided check to one of our branch locations and request this service.  It will take about five weeks for the service to start, so continue to pay your utility bill by check, cash, or money order until your bill indicates the amount due will be electronically transferred.

2. Where do I pay my utility bill?

a. You may mail your payment to:

Pasco County Utilities

Post Office Box 2139

New Port Richey, FL 34656

b. You may pay your bill at one of the Customer Service locations:

(1) West Pasco Government Center, 7508 Little Road, New Port Richey, Florida.

(2) East Pasco Government Center, 14236 - 6^th Street, Dade City, Florida.

3. Do you accept credit card payments?

No, we do not accept debit or credit card payments at this time.

4. How do I start, stop, or transfer my utility service(s):

a. To open an account, you may complete an application at one of the Customer Service Offices.  There are two Customer Service locations:  7508 Little Road, New Port Richey, Florida; and 14236 - 6^th Street, Dade City, Florida.  You may also apply by mail by submitting the appropriate fees and providing the following information:  billing name on account, service address, mailing address if different than the service address, date the service(s) are to begin, and a contact telephone number.  For application by mail, please mail to:  Pasco County Utilities, Post Office Box 2139, New Port Richey, FL 34656-2139.  Accounts cannot be opened over the telephone.

(1) Any unpaid balances or fees must be paid to open a new account.

(2) A deposit of $120.00 for owners and $149.00 for tenants is required.

(3) The County may require proof of date of occupancy, ownership, or leasing agreement.

b. To close an account, you must submit by writing, e-mail, facsimile, or go to one of our Customer Service locations and request that your account be closed.  A written request requires the name on the account, the account number, the address receiving the service(s), the forwarding address, the current and future telephone numbers, and the date service(s) are to be terminated.

c. To transfer an account, you must submit by writing, e-mail, facsimile, or go to one of our Customer Service locations and request the transfer.  A written request requires the name on the account, the account number, the address receiving the service(s), the forwarding address, the current and future telephone numbers, and the date service(s) are to be transferred.  To transfer the account, the balance must be current.

d. If the utilities are not turned on at the new location, a turn-on fee of $39.00 will be charged for the next day turn on.  If requested by the customer, the same day turn-on fee is $49.00.  (To receive same day turn-on, payment must be made before noon.)

5. Will I get my deposit back?

Deposits are credited back to your account after two years of consecutive on-time payments and no returned checks.  If you close your account, your deposit will be applied against any unpaid balance.  If a credit balance remains, you will be sent your refund in four to six weeks.

6. How do I get my water turned on if I am disconnected?

a. In person, go to one of the two Customer Service Offices during lobby business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and pay the bill and the reconnection fee.  To be reconnected the same day, payment must be made before noon.  After noon, the reconnection will be the next day.  No specific time can be given for the turn-on.

b. The connection fee is $49.00.

7. How often am I billed?

Monthly.

8. Is my meter read every month?

Every attempt is made to read meters every month.  However, if the meter is not read, you will be billed the base rate(s) (depending if you have water or water and sewer).  The consumption will be added to the next month that the meter is read.

9. What if I did not receive a bill?

Everyone is mailed a bill.  If you do not receive a bill, you are still responsible.  Contact Customer Service at (727) 847-8131.

10. What are the reconnection fees?

a. The reconnection fee after a delinquent turn-off is $49.00.

b. Customer requested same day turn-on is $50.00.

c. Next day turn-on or any specific day thereafter is $39.00.

11. What if I am going on vacation for several months?

You may elect to have your water service turned-off at the meter on a vacation temporary turn-off/turn-on.  The fee is $39.00 to turn-off the water and $39.00 to turn-on the water with at least one business day's notice.

12. What can I do about high consumption?

If you receive a high water bill, you may have a leak.  A good place to start the leak-detection procedure is at the water meter.  Typically, the water meter is located in the front yard near the street or sidewalk.  Use a screwdriver or similar device to assist with opening the meter-box lid.  Flip the meter lens cap to expose the meter face.  Dirt may need to be removed to expose the meter dial.  On the dial face, will be a small red, white, or black triangle that is a "low-flow indicator."  Make sure all the water faucets, etc., in the house are turned-off.  If the triangle is moving, you have a leak.  If the triangle is not moving, write down the numbers from left-to-right on the meter's gallon-register.  Compare the numbers on the gallon-register to the numbers on the bill indicated as your "current reading."  If the reading on the meter is lower than the reading indicated on your bill, the meter may have been misread.  Call Customer Service at (727) 847-8131 in New Port Richey or (352) 521-4285 in Dade City.  If the reading is substantially higher than the reading indicated on your bill, there may be a water leak.

13. What can I do if I think I have a leak?

a. Most meters have a low-flow indicator (small in size; red, white, or black in color; triangular in shape).  If no water is being used at the time of inspection and the triangular low-flow indicator is moving or spinning, this is a good indication that there may be a leak somewhere in the plumbing system or around your dwelling.  Not all leaks are big and clearly noticeable.  If the meter does not have a low-flow indicator or the low-flow indicator is not moving, continue with the following steps to evaluate further:

(1) Copy down the numbers (from left to right) on the meter's gallon register.  Do not use any water for a period of four hours.  Take another reading from your meter's gallon register after the four-hour testing period and compare it to the first reading.  If the reading is higher, there may be a water leak.

(2) To help pinpoint the location of the leak as inside or outside the dwelling, close the house valve (generally located on an outside wall where the waterline enters the dwelling or near the water heater).

(3) Repeat Step 13.a.(1) above.  If the meter continues to move, the leak may be outside the dwelling in the service line that leads from the meter to the dwelling or in any water-using device that may be hooked into the system outside the dwelling.  If the meter does not move after your second test, the leak may be inside the dwelling.

b. Checking the toilet for leaks.

The most common leaks are toilet leaks, and they can be the most costly because they represent the greatest water usage in the home.  A leaky toilet can waste over 200 gallons of water per day.  Left unfixed, it can waste over 73,000 gallons of water a year.  To check both the flush valve and the refill valve for leaking, simply put a couple drops of dark food coloring or a dye tablet in the tank.  Do this when the tank is fully refilled after a flush.  Do not use the toilet.  Then check the bowl after 20 minutes.  If colored water is in the bowl, there is a leak.

c. Checking the faucet for leaks.

Another common source for leaks is the faucet.  A leaky faucet can waste more than 20 gallons of water per day.  Leaking faucets are usually caused by worn washers or "O" rings.  Water lost because of a delay in leaky faucet repair can be more costly than buying the replacement parts.

d. Checking the water softener.

If you have a water softener, are you adding more salt than usual?  The water softener may be regenerating more often than it should.  Check the setting.

e. Checking the irrigation system.

Take a reading before and after the sprinkling cycle to document how much water a normal cycle uses.  Subtract the start reading from the end reading to get consumption used by each sprinkling cycle.  Multiply this number times the number of times you irrigate your lawn each week.  Multiply that times the number of weeks in the month to reach a monthly consumption number for irrigation.

f. If you have a pool, have you added water or refilled the pool?

14. What are the County's responsibilities for waterline repairs?

If the meter is in the ground, the County is responsible from the main up to and including the meter.  If the meter is on the house, the County is responsible for the meter and the connections only.  The County is not responsible for waterlines on the customer's property leading to a meter on the house.

15. Do I have any other responsibilities as a County water user?

Yes, you are required to keep your water meter clear and easily accessible for reading and maintenance purposes.

16. What if I feel my bill is too high due to a faulty meter?

Water meters may not operate properly, particularly as they get older.  However, they normally run slower, not faster, with age.  A calibration of your meter may be requested.  If requested, the meter will be removed and replaced with a new meter, and calibration testing will be performed on the old meter.  The meter is bench-tested with three different volumes of water, and the accuracy is recorded.  If the meter's accuracy is within 98.5 percent to 101.5 percent, the meter's accuracy is considered good, and the customer is charged $85.00 for the calibration test.  If the meter is reading higher that 101.5 percent, the customer is given credit for the high consumption.  More often, the meter is reading slow, which is nearly always the case as meters are mechanical devices that wear and run slower with time in service.  If the meter is reading low, but within the acceptable range of 98.5 percent, then the customer is billed for the meter testing service with no adjustments to the consumption charges.

17. How often is the water tested?

Pasco County Utilities tests its water on a daily basis.  Random samplings are taken throughout the County and brought to the Utilities Environment Laboratory.  Pasco County Utilities' water meets or exceeds all Federal standards for safe drinking water.  Each year Pasco County provides a Consumer Confidence Report to inform our customers about the quality of the water.

18. When can I irrigate my lawn?

Follow the lawn watering restrictions at www.pascocountyfl.net.

19. Who do I contact to ask questions about my account?

Contact Customer Service (office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and telephone service is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Location	Telephone Number	Facsimile Number
New Port Richey	(727) 847-8131	(727) 847-8972
Dade City	(352) 521-4285	(352) 521-4158
Land O' Lakes	(813) 996-7341
E-mail:  utilcustserv@pascocountyfl.net

20. Emergency Telephone Number

AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCIES FOR REPAIRS ONLY:  (727) 847-8144