UTILITIES
The City of
Canfield Utility Department is responsible for meter reading, billing,
collections and customer service for water, sewer and storm water. Customers served are within the limits of the
city. However, some customers residing
on the borders also receive water services and are considered extra-territorial
users.
Water is
purchased in bulk from the City of Youngstown. This water is metered at Kirk Road and reaches the City via a 24”
pipeline that travels south along Route 11.
The City maintains two 1,000,000 tanks to provide the necessary pressure
for distribution to its consumers. The
City also owns the infrastructure for distributing water, removing sanitation
and maintaining storm water. The
physical maintenance of this infrastructure is served by the city’s Public
Works Department.
INFRASTRUCTURE
There are 3
separate systems for the flow of City utilities: one for water, one for sanitary sewer, and
one for storm water.
Quality of
water is ensured by the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (a.k.a. Meander
Water) located in Mineral Ridge,
Ohio. Questions regarding taste, testing, hardness,
etc. may be answered by contacting MVSD at 330-799-6315 or learn more about our
supplier online at www.meanderwater.com.
Sanitary
sewer/wastewater generated within the City of Canfield exits the city near the intersection
of Herbert Road
and Sawmill Creek. Said wastewater is
transported in a 36 inch concrete sanitary sewer that flows north following Sawmill
Creek through Canfield Township, Austintown
Township, and Mineral
Ridge to the Meander Water Pollution Control Facility. The wastewater is then treated; whereas the
solids are removed and transported to a landfill and the liquid – upon further
treatment – is returned to Meander Creek, the headwater of the Mahoning River.
The Meander Water Pollution Control Facility is owned and operated by
the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer.
The City of Canfield
is billed by the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer, based on the amount of
metered water consumption, for treatment of the wastewater generated within the
City.
Storm water
is captured in downspouts, roadside storm inlets and street catch basins
through-out the City. Storm water
captured and transported via the City’s storm water system, is directed to the
nearest open ditch or creek. Two-thirds
of the storm water generated within the City of Canfield is discharged into Sawmill Creek
(the headwater of Meander Creek, Meander Reservoir) and is within the Meander
Watershed. A smaller portion of the
City’s storm water (approximately one-third) flows toward Indian Run Creek (the
headwater of Mill Creek) and is within the Mill Creek Watershed.
UTILITY BILLING
DEPARTMENT
The City
Council establishes water, sewer, storm water, and sewer bond debt charges
through corresponding ordinances. http://www.conwaygreene.com/Canfield/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-h.htm&2.0
All rules and regulations for the City’s public utilities are equally
governed through laws passed by City Council.
Employees of the municipal offices are charged with the task of adhering
to these laws.
Water is
billed at a rate determined by City Council and is billed in thousands of
gallons.
Sewer is
billed according to water consumption in thousands of gallons and has its own
ordinance. In some homes, a separate
water line has been installed that is only connected to lawn sprinkling systems
and/or outside spigots. A second meter
is set on this line to determine the amount of water that will not incur a
sewer charge. This option is available
to all consumers.
Storm water
is billed at a rate of $3/month/single-family residence and all other
commercial, industrial and multiple family dwellings are measured as to their
impervious surface area. This area is
billed at a rate of $.00177/square foot.
The Utility
Billing Department is responsible for meter reading, billing, collections and
customer service for over 3400 accounts for water, sewer and storm water. Our office is located at 104 Lisbon Street (State Route 62), south
of Main Street
(State Route 224) and just west off the Green in the Municipal Building. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday,
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our telephone
number is 330-533-1101.
METER READING
The City of
Canfield is divided into 3 sections: northwest quadrant (all consumers west
of North Broad St to Palmyra Rd, north to Herbert Rd and on the north side of
West Main Street); south quadrant (all
consumers east of South Broad St to Fairground Blvd, west of South Broad St to
Palmyra Rd on the south side of East and West Main St); and the northeast quadrant (east of North Broad
St to Talsman Dr, locations north of Herbert Road and the north side of East
Main St).
Billing Timetable - One section of the city is read while
another section of the city is billed.
Following is the schedule of dates and sections for billing, due dates,
and termination dates:
Date Billed (First
week of):
|
AREA
|
DUE
|
SHUT-OFF
|
January
|
Northwest
|
Feb 15
|
Feb 28
|
February
|
South
|
March 15
|
March 30
|
March
|
Northeast
|
April 15
|
April 30
|
April
|
Northwest
|
May 15
|
May 30
|
May
|
South
|
June 15
|
June 30
|
June
|
Northeast
|
July 15
|
July 30
|
July
|
Northwest
|
August 15
|
August 30
|
August
|
South
|
Sept 15
|
Sept 30
|
September
|
Northeast
|
October 15
|
October 30
|
October
|
Northwest
|
Nov 15
|
Nov 30
|
November
|
South
|
Dec 15
|
Dec 30
|
December
|
Northeast
|
January 15
|
January 30
|
Remote Readers - Some meters are equipped with a remote
reader that is connected by a wire to the actual meter inside the building and
reads the inside meter reading in a rounded-off version. If this reader is working properly in
conjunction with the actual meter, the meter reader is able to rely on this
reading 3 out of the 4 times/year. It is
necessary, by law, for the billing department to have the actual meter’s
reading once a year. This is to confirm
whether or not the remote reader is working.
Wiring not
contained in a conduit or stapled or exposed to the outdoors unprotected is
subject to interruption in current, causing a false reading.
Meter Reading – The meter reader walks through each area of the City in
an effort to gain access to homes and businesses to record meter readings and
inspect meters. Actual access to meters
for inspection is required at least once a year by law. When the resident is not home or the business
is not open, an orange door-hanger card is left. On this card are 3 options for the
respondent: Read the meter inside the
home/business and….
- fill out the card and drop in the
mail (postage paid),
- e-mail the reading to water@ci.canfield.oh.us,
or
- call (330-533-1101) the reading to the City offices.
Pets - Our meter reader carries dog biscuits as a
treat to your companions. If excitable
or aggressive pets are not fenced or leashed and/or if an electric fence
encloses areas of the yard that include the remote reader, it is impossible for
the meter reader to get to the remote reader.
Please be aware of all your public utility meter locations when
setting up fences with gates that lock or electrified fences.
Obstructed Meter & Remote Reader –
The water meter
located inside your home should be fully accessible at all times. Remodeling that causes obstructions to fully
accessing the water meter is prohibited.
Bushes,
shrubs, trees and other foliage that have matured over the years around the
outside remote reader should be inspected each spring and fall and trimmed to
enable the meter reader to read the remote.
Before replacing siding or remodeling the outside of the home/office,
contact Public Works to protect the Remote Reader.
UTILITY BILL
Utility bills
are printed on a 4-1/2” x 6” card and mailed during the billing cycle in a
first-class envelope. Your bill will
have the basic look as follows:
The right
side of this invoice should be returned with payment. The left side is for your records.
The
“informational” (left) side of the invoice indicates the date the meter was
read (or date we received your reading), number of days since the last recorded
reading, the current reading, prior reading and the amount (in thousands of
gallons) consumed. You will note that
the amount consumed in the sample is 6,236 gallons. Line items indicate the appropriate charges
for each utility in accordance with the size of the meter on site.
Discrepancy? – Upon receiving your bill, compare the
current reading stated on your bill with the current reading on your
meter. If the reading on your meter has
surpassed the reading stated on your bill, it can be assumed that the bill is
accurate. If you feel this is unusually
high, please read our section regarding
Conservation or call our offices for counseling regarding possible leaks
within your home/company. We are only
human: the meter reader or you could have misread the meter or the reading
could have been entered in error.
Adjustments can be made due to an error in reading. However, it is imperative that you call the
offices as soon as possible. A history
printout is available to consumers upon request for comparison.
Moving in or moving out? – The Utility Department performs what
is called a Final Reading on
properties that have been sold or newly rented.
The person moving out or selling property arranges for a final reading
whereby the meter reader comes into the home on the last day of occupancy and
takes a reading off the actual meter inside the residence/company. An appointment is made for a specific day and
time – you do not have to wait around for hours for the meter reader to
come. If the property is a rental, the
landlord must also contact us to confirm this move. This reading must be done from the meter; a
remote reading is not acceptable.
The new owner
or renter is required to make application with our offices. Failure to do so in a timely manner may
result in termination of water service to protect the property.
Payment – Payment by check or money order may be
made by mail and sent to: Canfield
Utilities, 104 Lisbon St,
Canfield, OH 44406. Or, you may drop your payment off at the Municipal Building between the hours of 8-4:00
p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are
unable to bring your payment during business hours, the Police Department (open
24 hours/day, 7 days/week) will accept payments by check or money
order only, enclosed in an
envelope.
CONSERVATION
Water is a
precious commodity and can be economical for every household. Finding and fixing leaks can save homeowners
more than 10% on water bills and thousands of gallons of water per year. Below are some water-saving tips for all
consumers:
- Avoid running water for cold drinks,
thawing foods, rinsing dishes, while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your
face, and while preparing fruits and vegetables.
- Run appliances only when you have a
full load – or – adjust the capacity to save energy and water.
- A bathtub filled half full holds
around 50 gallons of water. Consider
showering instead.
- An unrestricted showerhead runs at
five to ten gallons a minute!
- Run yearly maintenance on the
humidifier that is mounted on your furnace.
These may become calcified and stick – sending a continuous overflow of
water directly down the drain.
- Shut off all outside spigots when you
are going to be away from your property.
Drain these lines to prevent freezing in winter.
- Regular maintenance on toilets can
prevent huge costs in water. Test for
toilet leaks by dropping dye or food coloring into the toilet tank. Do not flush.
Lift the lid and seat and observe the bowl. If any color comes into the toilet bowl
within 5 to 15 minutes, that is a leaking toilet. Toilet dye packets are free and available at
the utility office.
- Instructions for running an overnight
audit of consumption are available at the utility office, also. Through process of elimination, you will be
able to determine exactly where a water leak is located, saving money on the
leak as well as plumbing expenses.
EMERGENCY
If you feel
there is an emergency situation within your home or business regarding Canfield
Utilities, call 330-533-1101 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00
a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
After hours,
please contact the Police Department at 330-533-4903. They will assess the situation and provide
the proper assistance.
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