Resources
Resources for our ratepayers including water conservation tips, water terms glossary, interactive rate map and more!
Glossary
An alphabetical list of terms and words found in or relating to water.
Water Rates Map
See how your water rate compares to other water providers, including for-profit water companies.
Fluoridation and Chlorine
Helpful information for ratepayers and the public about what is in their water.
Links
Helpful links for ratepayers and the public to learn more about their water and the community.
Every Drop Counts
Conservation Tips
When we talk about our precious natural resources, water certainly tops the list. Water keeps everything alive–plants, animals, and people. After oxygen, water is our most important natural substance, yet we are using more water than Mother Nature replaces. We must learn about the importance of water and teach others, especially children, how to practice water conservation. Future generations will thank us. In addition, water conservation practices will help us save money as well as resources.
Here are some tips to help you conserve water.
Kitchen
- Only run your washing machines and dishwashers when they are full.
- Select the appropriate water level for the size of your load of laundry. Most washers now offer preset water levels for small, medium and large loads.
- If you have a two-sided sink, fill up one side with rinse water. Then, wash dishes in the other side first before rinsing in the other side.
- Keep a pitcher of water with drinking water in your refrigerator instead of letting the tap run for cool water.
Bathroom
- Keep an eye out for leaky pipes and faucets.
- Don’t keep the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Don’t use your toilet as a wastebasket.
- Install super low-flow showerheads which deliver as little as 1.25 gallons per minute, as opposed to the standard 3.2 gallons. Also consider an ultra-low flush toilet which can cut your family’s total indoor water use by as much as 20%.
- Bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the water used. If water-efficient fixtures were used, a new household water budget of 21 gallons per person per day or 2,100 gallons/month may be possible. This would represent a savings of over 70% and could result in significant direct and indirect savings both to the consumer and utility.
Outside
- Wash your car using soap and water from a bucket. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle for the final rinse only.
- When landscaping, use plants that require little water. You can decorate creatively with interesting objects that need no water at all, such as rocks, bricks, benches, gravel and deck areas. Learn about and use the principles of Xeriscaping- plants that are native to your area and survive under low water conditions.
- Clean your driveway with a broom or an air blower. Hosing down your driveway wastes 25 gallons of water.
- If you feel you want to sprinkle your lawn, we advise you to check with your local landscape expert. We understand that during a prolonged dry spell, sprinkling may not be beneficial to the health of your lawn in that it allows the grass root system to come closer to the ground surface instead of going deeper or going dormant.
For more information, visit the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
For all new and retrofitted water service connection
Check Valves
Chester Water Authority has an ongoing program that requires the installation of check valves on all new and retrofitted water service connections. This program is part of a public health precaution to provide what is called cross-connection control. This will ensure that once water enters a property or a customer’s home, it will not be allowed to reenter Chester Water Authority’s distribution system. hot water tanks
We want to make you aware that this check valve could exacerbate a problem that may occur if your hot water heater ever malfunctions by overheating. If your hot water heater overheats with the check valve in place, the expanded water will not be allowed back through the meter and back into CWA’s distribution system. The water will have to be released into an expansion tank, which should be part of your hot water plumbing system.
For contractors
Act 44 Disclosure
Act 44 disclosure requirements apply to Contractors who provide professional pension services and receive payment of any kind from the Municipality’s pension fund. It is the Municipality’s responsibility to prepare and send the Disclosure Form to all Contractors requesting their responses. Click on link to read CWA’s Act 44 disclosure.
