FAQs

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Water / Sewer

1. Who should I contact in case of a water or sewer emergency?: Please call the Water and Sewer Division’s emergency line at 781-721-7109.

2. Where is my water meter, and how do I read it?: Your meter is usually located in the basement of your property. The water usually comes in from the street side of the house. The meter sits on the water pipe that comes in through the floor or wall. The head of the meter is about three inches in diameter and has a large hand and a small red diamond or triangular dial. Read the first four numbers on the meter display, where it says cubic feet, from left to right (e.g. a reading of 1234.56 would be “1234”).

3. How does the town read the meter?: Most of the water meters in Winchester have a radio remote reading device that allows the town to obtain readings via electronic radio transmission. Some meters still have an automated reader box (ARB) that requires a manual reading via handheld device. Any meters without remote devices will require a meter service technician to enter the property to install and wire a radio-reading device. All of the Town of Winchester will have radios installed by 2008.
Meters are read 4 times per year in March, June, September, and December.

4. How often am I billed?: The Town of Winchester sends bills out quarterly, 4 times a year, (January, April, July, and October) for your domestic use. Should you have a second meter for irrigation purposes, you are billed once a year, on a separate bill within the January billing period.

Please note that all water use is metered and charged for sewer use as well.

5. What is a unit of water?: Water usage is measured by consumption units. One consumption unit is 100 cubic feet or about 748 gallons. A container 5-feet long by 5-feet wide and 4-feet high holds 1 consumption unit.

6. Why is my consumption so high?: Consumption may be high for many reasons. If a bill is estimated too low for a length of time, an actual meter reading may result in a large increase. More people may be living in the household. During the summer, water consumption may be higher because you are watering the lawn or garden, or an outside hose may be left on. In commercial situations, you may have water cooled air conditioning or your business may have increased or changed adding to water usage. Often consumption may be high because of leaky plumbing. Typically, the October billing is the highest usage period as it represents summer use.

7. Can I monitor the consumption of my water meter?: Customers often think the meter is not working correctly causing high readings. To monitor the use of your meter, record the first 4 numbers found on the meter-head display, where it says cubic feet. The next time you read the meter, subtract the previous reading from the most current reading to get the usage for that period. For example, if your reading on June 1st was “1234”, and on June 30th it was “1250”, you would have used 16 units within that time frame.

8. What if I feel my bill is too high?: Contact the Town of Winchester Water and Sewer Department at 781-721-7100, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., to schedule an appointment.

9. How can the water meter tell me if I have a leak?: Newer types of water meters have a leak indicator on the face of the dial. It is a triangular or diamond-shaped indicator that revolves 354 times for every gallon of water that passes through the meter.

To check for leaks, look at the indicator when no one is drawing water. It should not be moving. If it is moving, check every plumbing fixture at the property, i.e., toilet, sink, outside sprinkler, washer, etc. Shut off the valves that supply each fixture, one by one, and check the indicator after each shut off. When closing a valve stops the indicator from moving, or slows its movement, you have found the location of a leak. There may be more than one leak!

Once the leak is repaired, check the leak indicator again and make sure all leaks are repaired.

10. What are your appointment hours for service calls?: Appointments can be scheduled between the hours of 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please contact the Town of Winchester, Water and Sewer Division, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. We are flexible in setting up appointments if the stated hours are not convenient for you.