• How often does OMWD bill & when does the bill become due?

Customer bills are mailed on the first of each month, and become due on the 26th of each month. Bills become delinquent on the 7th of the following month and a 5% delinquent charge is assessed. Customers receive a past due notice if payment is not received by the delinquent date. If further notification is needed, a 48-hour notice is placed on the front door of the property address prior to interruption of service due to non-payment.

• Why doesn't my payment show on my current bill?

Payments received after the due date of the 26th are not reflected on the new bill. Our invoices are calculated and sent to an outside service to be printed and mailed. To allow time to prepare and mail bills, our cut-off date for payments reflected on your current bill is the 26th of the month.

• What time period does the monthly bill cover?

The date range for your bill is listed as ‘Service Period’ in the lower left corner of your billing statement. This will indicate the time period covered by the bill. OMWD bills for water used during the period prior to billing.

• What methods of payment are available?

You can submit payment by mail, online at our website, or at OMWD offices during working hours. For after-hours payments, there is a drive-up drop box available near the flag pole in OMWD parking lot.

You can pay using your credit card by calling 800-530-8287. Please have your account number available. We accept MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express. A fee is charged by the company that provides this service. You can also pay your bill with a credit card online. A fee is also charged for this convenient service.

You may also sign up for our Direct Payment Program by printing and signing the DPP Form.  The total amount due for your water bill is then automatically deducted from your checking or savings account. You can choose to have the payment made on either the 15th or 25th of the month when you sign up.

• Does OMWD charge more for water during peak times during the day?

Not at this time.  OMWD does not have a mechanism for recording the time you actually use water. Some OMWD costs could be avoided if customer demand did not spike at certain times of the day. It is conceivable that future water meters could include this capability. At this point, it might make economic sense to charge more for water during peak times so that more people shift their use to non-peak periods. This would enable more growth without having to construct larger reservoirs and pipes.

• What if I use well water?

There are several dozen properties within OMWD that have wells. These wells generally draw water from shallow aquifers and produce water that is generally non-potable. Such water is primarily used for irrigation.

Customers who have both a well and OMWD service generally use OMWD water for drinking and bathing. If the well is approved for drinking by the County Health Department, a service from OMWD is not needed. For existing wells, contact the County Environmental Health Department at 858-565-5173. For new wells, contact a drilling contractor and the County at 760-471-0730.

If you have a private well on your property, state law requires that you have a backflow prevention device installed on your water service. If there is no device installed at this time, you must contact OMWD at 760-632-4205 or email us to get the information on the backflow program.

If you wish to discontinue use of a well, contact a licensed well drilling contractor. The contractor must obtain a permit from the County and follow special procedures to properly abandon the well.

• What is my water pressure?

It can be difficult to estimate your water pressure without your elevation and address; however, OMWD personnel may be able to assist you. Give us a call at 760-753-6466. OMWD has developed a flyer on water pressure to help customers troubleshoot their systems. Household Water Pressure-Simple Solutions

• What is in my water?

Water distributed by OMWD exceeds all water quality requirements set by the state and federal governments. These requirements are much more stringent than those placed on bottled water. The water has a variety of naturally occurring minerals and also contains residual chlorine to ensure the high quality of the water as it passes through the pipes.

Each year, OMWD provides every customer a Consumer Confidence Report that details all of the detected compounds in the water. This report is mailed in June of each year. The reports are available in OMWD's lobby or online. OMWD Consumer Confidence Report on Water Quality

• How much fluoride is in my water?

Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance found in drinking water. OMWD does not add additional fluoride. The level of fluoride in the finished water is approximately 0.25 parts per million. This is well below the state maximum of 2 parts per million. More information about fluoride is available here.

• Why don't I have water?

There are several factors that may cause a sudden loss of water. Perhaps a shut-off has occurred due to non-payment. If we have not turned off your water, check your owner's valve at the meter and at your house. If these valves are open, the problem is with the main. Please contact OMWD immediately (760-753-6466) if this is the case, as it is a potentially serious condition that must be resolved.

Periodically, water mains are shut down for repairs and new connections. We make every effort to notify customers in advance, but sometimes it is possible for a house to be missed. Be assured that we will come to your home as soon as possible to evaluate the problem.

Helpful brochures:
Household Water Pressure-Simple Solutions
Leak Guidelines for Homeowners
 

• Why is there a water system shutdown?

Due to growth in OMWD, there are several of projects underway that involve water main extensions. When new mains are tied into old lines, it’s necessary to shut down some sections so the pipes can be joined. We regret the inconvenience that this situation causes for our customers.

The duration of each shutdown is kept to the minimum necessary to complete the work. Coordination meetings and site preparation are performed in advance so that the job proceeds as smoothly as possible. Every attempt is made to notify each customer as to the nature and extent of the shutdown.

On rare occasions, pipeline failures occur due to aging of pipes or damage by contractors. When these events happen, it’s sometimes necessary to perform an emergency shutdown of a section of pipe to avoid injury or property damage. In these instances, we make every effort to notify customers. Unfortunately, due to the critical nature of the event, we are sometimes unable to provide advance notice of the shutdown.

• Where does my water come from?

The water delivered to OMWD customers is a blend of water from the Colorado River and water from the State Water Project (water from Northern California). Some water is blended at Lake Skinner in Riverside County and is usually about 75% Colorado River water. The water is treated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at the Lake Skinner treatment plant and transported through pipelines owned by the San Diego County Water Authority to pipelines located within the OMWD service area.

About 75% of OMWD water is a blend of imported water and local water treated at the David C. McCollom Water Treatment Plant.
 

• Can/should I use a water softener?

The water supplied by OMWD has naturally occurring hardness (16 grains per gallon) caused by dissolved minerals. These minerals can be reduced using softeners, although the reduction of these minerals does not provide any health benefits.

Salt-based water softeners usually regenerate the softeners at night and discharge a brine waste to the sewer during this process. There are many local sewer agencies that prohibit the discharge of these brine wastes into the sewer. Contact your local sewer agency for details.

There are companies that provide softening services that regenerate the softening agents off site. These services involve replacing canisters of softening agents on a regular basis. This sort of softening system is generally in compliance with local sewer regulations and is recommended over the brine system.
 

• How many customers are in OMWD?

As of 2008, there were just over 26,500 service connections within OMWD serving an estimated population of 68,000 residents.
 

• Why should I try to conserve water when I see new developments going up all over the place? My bills are still going up despite my efforts.

OMWD encourages all customers to use water wisely. Your bill is a direct reflection of the amount of water you use.

All of the growth occurring in OMWD has minimal impact on the operating costs of OMWD. OMWD collects millions of dollars in capacity fees from developers to pay for infrastructure improvements, and since the adoption of the Drought Response Conservation Ordinance in July 2008, no new meters or annexations are allowed in the OMWD service area. (Exceptions include unexpired building permits, or if a developer can offset the water demands of the new connection.)  The developer demand offset fee is used by OMWD to develop new local water supplies to offset the potable water demands of the development in question. Staff time spent on these projects is also charged to developers. Our goal is to ensure that the cost of expanding the system to accommodate growth is levied entirely on developers whose projects are driving the growth. 
 

• How do I apply for service?

You may either email us or call our customer service department at 760-753-6466 to begin the process of applying for service. We will need your name, address and other contact information in order to mail you an application for your signature.

• How do I request a free water use evaluation of my home?

You may email us or call 760-632-4641 to schedule a free water-use evaluation of your home and landscape. A representative will provide you a custom list of ways to save around the house and develop an irrigation schedule specifically for your landscape.

Be sure to visit h2ouse.org and bewaterwise.com for water saving tips and water-wise landscape advice.

• How do I report water waste?

If you have witnessed water waste, please email us your name, address and telephone number – anonymous reports are not accepted. Also, leave all pertinent information on the offense including the address, the date, time of day, and violation witnessed. Contact information is extremely helpful as the entity listed on the account is not always the one who maintains the irrigation system. A photo can be sent to better document the violation - be sure the street number and site identifying marks are visible in the photo. We will not share your information with others, but may require more information on the event. A return response will not be generated unless more information is required.