Smith Utility District – Water Rate Increases – Effective with the billing of January 1, 2024:

Due to ever-rising operational costs and replacement of aging water meters and water lines, it is incumbent upon the district to raise the current water rates. This increase will take effect with the January 1, 2024 billing. Smith Utility District has not had a rate increase since 2017.

Any person desiring water service from Smith Utility District (SUD) must fill out a Customer Application Form and pay a Service Fee. The Service Fee associated with the application is NOT a security deposit and is NOT refundable unless SUD cannot, within a reasonable period of time, provide service.

Service Fees:

A Service Fee shall also be charged to transfer an existing account to a new service or change the name on the existing account.

A Reconnection Fee is charged when service is discontinued due to non-payment of the water bill, or when a property owner, who has an application on file, reconnects service formerly in the name of a tenant.

A Tap Fee is charged when utility service is run from the main line to the customer’s property (50 ft max) and a meter is set.

The Board of Commissioners of Smith Utility District meet every month on the first Wednesday at 8:00 am at the office located at 193 Gordonsville Hwy, South Carthage, TN 37030.

If you receive a water bill that is much higher than normal, you may have a water leak. Leaks are often the culprit for unexplained water consumption. To determine if you have a water leak:

• Take shorter showers. Long, hot showers can waste 5 to 10 gallons every unneeded minute.
• Install low-flow shower heads and toilets. Low-flow toilets use 1/2 the water of a standard toilet.
• Install low-flow faucet aerators to faucets.
• Fill a glass with water when brushing your teeth for rinsing instead of running the water.
• Rinse your razor in the sink. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water.
• Wash only full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher.
• If you wash dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running for rinsing.
• Don’t let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a pan of clean water.
• Use a nozzle on your garden hose that will stop the water flow when appropriate.
• Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks.
• Water your lawn only when it needs it. When you step on the grass and it stays flat, fetch the sprinkler.
• Water your lawn during the cool parts of the day. Early morning watering prevents fungus growth.
• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator. Running tap water to cool it off for drinking is wasteful. Plus any air or chlorine taste in the water will dissipate.
• Watch for wet spots in the yard, dripping faucets, and listen for running toilets. Leaks waste thousands of gallons of water each month. When you use your garden hose, make sure you remember to turn off the water when you’re done. Leaving the garden hose running is a common reason for a high water bill also.
• If you have always had good water pressure, and you suddenly have a drop in pressure, check your meter first to make sure you haven’t sprung a leak in your waterline. However, pressure problems are most likely due to a pressure regulator that is no longer functioning, and therefore lowers your water pressure too much.

Smith Utility has teamed with ServLine, a water loss/water line protection company. For a monthly charge of $1.60 for residential or $5.00 for qualifying commercial, ServLine will cover any excess water charges on your bill resulting from eligible plumbing leaks, up to $2,500. This charge is automatically added to your bill. If you don’t want to pay this charge each month, you must contact ServLine to opt-out of this program. However, if you have a high water bill as a result of a leak, your bill will not be adjusted and you will be responsible for the full amount of the bill. Renters may be required to pay this charge by the owner.

Also, ServLine offers water line protection from the meter to the residence or building. For a monthly charge of $4.00 for residential or $13.50 for qualifying commercial, ServLine will cover costs of repair or replacement of water line up to $10,000. This protection is not automatically added to your bill. You must contact ServLine to opt-in for this program.

The Customer Service phone number for ServLine is (615) 448-0173.

Please be aware that it is the customer’s responsibility to install a cutoff valve at the meter and at the house to aid in turning the water off in the event of a leak. The water meter is the property of the District and any damage done to the meter due to customer tampering can result in a charge to the customer for repair of damage.

Cross-Connection Program

A cross-connection is a potential hazard which threatens to contaminate the drinking water. To ensure our water is safe, SUD continues to work to implement our cross-connection program to prevent problems; but ensuring our water is safe is everyone’s responsibility.

What is a cross-connection?

A cross-connection is a connection between drinking water and other water or fluids of unknown quality. The backflow of water from a customer’s plumbing system into community drinking water happens when water is drawn backward due to a pressure loss in the utility main pipe or pushed back by a pressure source. It is important that each cross-connection be identified and evaluated. There are two types of backflow:

• Backsiphonage: backflow is caused when there is a stoppage of water supply due to nearby fire fighting, hydrant flushing, large system demands or major piping breaks.
• Backpressure: backflow is caused by an increase in downstream pressure; this can be created by pumps, temperature increase in boilers, or elevated plumbing, etc.

Why be concerned?

Backflow can cause contaminants to enter our drinking water system. Identifying potential hazards associated with cross-connections, and eliminating or protecting against them is a concern of SUD. The best prevention to cross-connection is an air-gap between the drinking water and contaminate, but is sometimes hard to accomplish. A hose bibb vacuum breaker is required if the area is low hazard, but a reduced pressure backflow preventer is required for areas where there is a high hazard. SUD now requires all new taps to have a reduced pressure backflow preventer installed.

Some principal areas of water use that pose a threat due to cross-connections are:

• Lawn irrigation systems
• Greenhouses
• Chemical Sprayers
• Hard-piped Swimming pools
• Automatic water trough
• Commercial/Industrial Buildings
  
  

What you can do to prevent contaminations:

• Do recognize your problems and correct them. Please call our office for assistance.
• Do keep ends of hoses off the ground and clear off all possible contaminants.
• Do make sure all faucets and spray hoses are above the flood rim for your sinks and tubs in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Don’t submerge hoses in buckets, pools, tubs, sinks, ponds, etc.
• Don’t use spray attachments (like lawn fertilizers or herbicides/pesticides) without a backflow protection device.
• Don’t use a hose to unplug blocked toilets sewers, etc.
  
  

Any questions please call David Thaxton (615) 683-9150 or Laura Gibbs (615) 735-2793.

There are several things that water systems do to help keep water that is served to their customers fresh and healthy. One of these is to flush the water lines on a regular basis. Smith Utility District flushes their water lines at the first of every month and have been doing so for years.

This insures that fresh water will be available to our customers at all times. Aggressive flushing will occasionally result in a temporary discoloration of the water. This usually clears up within one or two days and is not dangerous to your health.

If at any time you have discolored water at your home, please contact our water treatment facility at (615) 735-0795. Our business hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm. If you are not able to reach someone at that number, you may call our Plant Manager, Rich Potter, at (615) 683-5721 at any time.

Smith Utility District’s desire is to always produce clean and safe water at our treatment plant, and to keep the water in the waterline at the same standard.