FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
1.     What are the office hours of the Town of Chilhowie?

Town of Chilhowie offices are open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The Police Department can be contacted at (276) 646-3232; if you have an emergency please call 9-1-1.
 
2.     When and where is the Town Council meeting held? 

Town Council meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers.
 
3.    What are the proper steps to take before digging?

Before you begin your excavation or demolition, call Miss Utility at 1-800-552-7001 and provide the required information before digging your water and sewer lines.

*FOR NON EMERGENCY EXCAVATIONS: Notify Miss Utility when you are certain that your project will begin within thirty working days from the date of the original call to Miss Utility.

*The extent of your proposed work must be a work area that can be excavated within fifteen working days from 7:00am on the next working day following notice to Miss Utility. The area covered under each notice (ticket) must not exceed one mile.

*Your notification is valid for fifteen working days from 7:00am on the next working day after you notify Miss Utility. Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, legal state and national holidays.

For more details, please click on the link to the Miss Utility of Virginia Website.
 
 
4.    What are some water conservation tips I can use everyday?

Water Conservation Tips:

Outdoor
• Avoid runoff – don’t water sidewalks or gutters.
• Use a broom or rake to clean driveways. Using a broom instead of a hose to
clean driveways, walkways or patios can save 80 gallons of water.
• Adjust your watering schedule with the weather.
• Use a bucket and pistol grip nozzle to wash automobiles. Hoses without a nozzle
can spout 10 gallons or more per minute.
• Water only between midnight and 10 a.m.
• Apply a layer of mulch around trees and plants to slow evaporation.
• Group plants with similar water, soil and sun exposure needs.
• Replace a portion of your lawn with water-efficient ground cover, shrubs and
perennials. Lawn care accounts for 32 percent of outdoor water use. Xeriscaping
(landscaping that does not require supplemental irrigation) can save up to 550
gallons of water a year.
• Remove water-stealing weeds.
• Maintain your irrigation system – check for leaks, clogs or misdirected sprinklers
and emitters.
• Incorporate hardscape elements such as decks, patios and paths into your
landscape.
• A covered pool can save 900 to 3,000 gallons of water a month.

Kitchen
• Install an efficient faucet aerator.
• Use faucets at less than full pressure.
• Hand wash dishes by filling the sink or dishpan for washing and another for rinsing.
• Fill the sink or dishpan to wash vegetables and other foods instead of using running water.
• Keep a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running tap water until cold. This also improves the taste.
• When running the faucet for hot water, collect the initial cooler water for plants and other uses.
• Pre-rinsing dishes prior to loading in a dishwasher is unnecessary and wastes water.
• Do not use running water to melt ice or frozen foods. If necessary, use ponded water.
• Use water-conserving ice makers.
• Pre-soak utensils and dishes in ponded water instead of a running water rinse.
• Scrape dishes instead of using the pre-rinse cycle on the dishwasher.
• When using the dishwasher, use the shortest running cycle you need for each job.
• Run the dishwasher only for full loads of dishes.
• The average washing machine uses 43 gallons of water per load.
• Use the water level appropriate for the load.
• Wash only when you have a full load. Running the dishwasher and washing machine with only full loads can save 1,000 gallons of water a month.
• Don’t use the optional rinse cycle unless the clothes are really dirty.

Bathroom
• Place a glass quart jar without a lid in the tank of your toilets as a displacement
device.
• Flush only when necessary, and do not use toilets as garbage disposals. If
everyone in the U.S. flushed the toilet just one less time per day, we could save a
lake full of water about one mile long, one mile wide and four feet deep.
• Replace old fixtures with new 1.6-gallon-per-flush models. A water-saving ultralow
flush model toilet can save up to 14,000 gallons of water a year.
• Fixing a leaking toilet can save more than 500 gallons of water a month; fixing a
leaking faucet can save 140 gallons of water a week.
• Showerheads more than five years old should be replaced with a high-efficiency
model that uses 2.5 gallons per minute. A standard showerhead uses about five
to seven gallons of water per minute. A low-flow showerhead reduces water use
by 50 percent or more.
• Take shorter showers and turn off the water while soaping or shampooing.
Cutting showers to five minutes or less can save up to 1,000 gallons of water a
month.
• Taking a shower instead of a bath saves about 30 gallons of water.
• Install a 1.5-gallon-per-minute aerator in faucets to cut water use in half.
• Use faucets at less than full pressure.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving. Only
run the water to rinse. Turning water off while brushing teeth can save nearly
1,000 gallons of water a year for an average family household.
• When shaving, put a stopper in the sink and dunk the razor in water instead of
rinsing it under the faucet. Turning off water when brushing teeth, washing or
shaving can save up to 10 gallons of water a day.
 
5.    How much is a water/sewer connection?  How do I set up a new water account in my name?  

A water and/or sewer connection is $500.00 each connection.

If you own the property  in which you want your account, there is no deposit required, with the exception of mobile home parks; therefore, all renters must pay a $50.00 deposit and fill out the form, which is available at the Town Hall or our website www.chilhowie.org.

 
6.    When are monthly utility bills due?  

Utility bills are mailed the last working day of each month and must be paid in full by the 15th of the following month to avoid delinquent penalty.
 
A ten percent (10%) penalty will be assessed and added to a delinquent account and/or outstanding balances not paid in full by the 15th of the month.  Delinquent accounts will be disconnected without further notice 10 days following the due date if payment in full is not received by the 25th of each month.  A $25.00 disconnection/reconnection fee will be added to the account and payment must be made prior to reconnection.
 
 
7.    What is the policy on water bill adjustments? 

Upon presenting proof that a leak has been fixed, if the current water bill is at least $15.00 above the average bill,  an adjustment will be made to the bill.  The customer pays their average bill plus ½ of the leak and ½ of the leak is adjusted.
 
8.    How do I check for a water leak?

Step 1
Turn all water-using appliances off so that no water is being used. This means turning off all water inside and outside the house including showers, sinks, washing machines and any appliance that uses water. If you have a sprinkler irrigation system, turn off the controller and manually shut off the two valves at the double check valve assembly (DCVA) to isolate the irrigation system.

Step 2
Take the lid off the meter box and lift the protective cover. Watch the meter. Your meter will have a triangular red or silver and black round disc that is commonly called a “leak indicator.”
If it is spinning, you have a leak. If there is no indicator and the actual meter dial hand is moving, water is running somewhere in your system and you have a leak – go to step 3.
If the hand is not moving, note the position of the hand and wait 10 minutes. Check the meter again, if it has moved, you have a slow leak - go to step 3. If not, you do not have a leak.
Step 3
Locate the main shut-off valve  to the house. This is usually located close to the meter box.
Step 4
Turn off the valve.
Step 5
Turn on a faucet inside the house to test.
If water still flows from the faucet after several seconds, the shut off valve is not working.
If no water flows through the faucet, the shut off valve is working. Return to the meter.
Step 6
Check if the meter’s leak indicators hand is moving.
If the leak indicator or dial hand is still moving, water is flowing between the meter and the shut-off valve. That means you have a leak between the meter and the customer-side shut-off valve.
If it is not moving, then you have a leak between the customer-side shut-off valve and possibly somewhere in the house. Check toilets, washing machines, faucets, etc., for any leak.
Step 7
To check a toilet for a leak:
Flush the toilet and while the reservoir is still filling, add 2 or 3 drops of food coloring to the water in the reservoir. Wait 15-30 minutes. If the water in the bowl changes colors, the flapper valve needs to be replaced.

9.    What events are sponsored by the Town of Chilhowie?
Please contact the Wellness and Parks Director, Kelly Spencer-Hill, at (276) 646-3232.  There is a monthly newsletter that lists all of the events.

10.    When does the Town of Chilhowie provide brush pickup? 
Brush, tree limbs and grass clippings are picked up in the town limits of Chilhowie on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.