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1. When is ONWASA's Operations Center open?

Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

2. Where are ONWASA offices?

In addition to our Jacksonville Operations Center on Georgetown Road, we have three satellite offices located in the Holly Ridge Town Hall, Richlands Town Hall, and the Swansboro Town Hall. The Swansboro Town Hall closes for lunch from 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm daily.

3. Where can I mail my bill?

Please mail your bill to: Onslow Water & Sewer Authority PO Box 63036 Charlotte, NC 28263-3036 For other correspondence, please us this address: 228 Georgetown Rd Jacksonville, NC  28540.

4. Can I get reimbursed after filling up my swimming pool?

If you have ONWASA sewer, the sewer portion of your bill can be adjusted one time per year according to the size of your pool.  However, the water portion of your bill can not be reimbursed since that is water used.

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1. What is backflow?

Backflow is used to describe a condition that occurs when a difference in water pressure causes contaminants to enter the municipal water distribution system and/or the customer’s water piping.  The two most common kinds of backflow conditions are back
pressure, where a device such as a pump forces higher pressure water and contaminates into the distribution system against the existing system pressure, and back siphoning, where a sudden
loss of system pressure (due to a water main break or heavy demand) causes
contaminates to be drawn into the distribution system.  Backflow prevention assemblies are designed
to sense these conditions and react to prevent contamination.

 

2. How does ONWASA protect the public water system against Backflow contamination?

ONWASA has adopted rules and regulations, based upon State and Federal laws, that require the installation of backflow prevention assemblies at locations that have been identified as having potential hazards to the public water distribution system should a backflow condition occur. This includes all commercial properties and residential properties meeting certain criteria identified in Article VI of the ONWASA Utility Ordinance. Backflow assemblies are also required to be tested annually by a Certified Tester to ensure they function and continually protect the public water system. A link to Article IV may be found below.

3. Why do I have to install a blackflow assembly if my neighbors do not have them?

The ONWASA Utility Ordinance requires the need for backflow prevention be reviewed for all new construction, at any time there is a change in the property’s owner or water service account holder, or whenever a hazard is identified by ONWASA personnel through an on-site survey. When your neighbors sell their property or the water service account changes, a site survey will be performed and if a backflow hazard is identified an installation will be required at that time. Residential properties where no identified hazard exists are not required to install a backflow assembly.

4. How can I tell if water/sewer service is available to my property?

ONWASA water and sewer mains are located either within public street right-of-ways or within public utility easements that run through private property or along private streets. Properties that have frontage along these locations and where water and/or sewer mains already exist have direct access and can apply for a new service connection. If the main is located in a private street or the new service line must cross private property, additional easement(s) may be necessary to cover your new water or sewer service up to and including the meter or first sewer cleanout. For additional information or to find out if water or sewer is available to your property, please call the Technical Operations Supervisor at (910) 937-7526. Information on fees associated with new service may be found on the latest Rate and Fee Schedule under the Customer link above or by contacting Customer Service at (910) 455-0722.

5. If I don't have direct access to a water or sewer main, will ONWASA extend a water and/or sewer main to my property?

ONWASA may extend water or sewer mains as required to build, maintain or upgrade existing system features (such as a water or sewer treatment facility); however, ONWASA does not extend water or sewer mains upon request due to the expense and limited funding available. Any extensions necessary to serve existing residential areas must be paid for by the recipients of the service. For additional information or to find out if water or sewer is available to your property, please call the Technical Operations Supervisor at (910) 937-7526.

6. Why are there blue or green marks and/or flags in my yard?

These markings mean a utility locate request has been called in for construction work that will be done on or near your property. Blue lines and flags indicate there is a buried water main or service in that area, while green lines and flags indicated buried sewer lines. Any time someone needs to make an excavation, they are required by the State’s NC811 law to make a request for all buried utilities to be located and marked prior to the performing the work. Requests may be made by calling 811, entering the information at the NC811 website or with their downloadable mobile application. This is a free service. Additional information on NC811 regulations and contacts for companies that perform locates on private lines may be found at NC811.org.

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1. When are checks written for payments of invoices and deposit refunds?

Payment of invoices or accounts payable checks are typically issued each Wednesday and Deposit Refunds are issued with their corresponding billing cycle.

2. How do I get information about an invoice or payment on an invoice?

Contact Robin King at (910) 937-7568 or email.

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1. How can I tell if I have a water leak?

On each register you can easily tell if there is water leaking in the residence. If you have all water sources turned off and the red triangle in your meter register is not moving then there is no leak. If the red triangle is turning then there is a leak somewhere in or around the residence.

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1. How can I find out when my water or wastewater service might be interrupted?

We will place outage notifications, such as planned outages, on our website under Alerts. Emergency, or non-planned, outages will be on a scrolling alert banner across each page of the website. ONWASA crews may leave a door hanger for smaller affected areas. With larger areas, an automated call will call those affected and give the proper information. Please be sure to have your correct phone number on your ONWASA account in order to receive the call.

2. Why is a boil water advisory issued?

From the State:
What should I do?
As a precaution until additional testing can confirm the absence of coliform bacteria, you are advised to boil all water used for human consumption or use bottled water. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What does this mean?
This is not an emergency as total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves.
Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially-harmful bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.
Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the treatment or distribution system (pipes). Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present. We did not find any of these bacteria in our subsequent testing. However, we advise customers to boil water used for human consumption until we have determined that the coliform bacteria are no longer present in the system. After we have determined that coliform bacteria are no longer present we will rescind the boil water advisory.

3. What if I see something suspicious?

To report suspicious activity near ONWASA facilities such as well, plants or other infrastructure, please call 910-455-0722.

4. How can I find helpful tips for water conservation?

25 Simple Ways to Conserve Water

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1. How do I know my water is safe to drink?

Potable water from both the water treatment plants and the well field is treated with chlorine for disinfection purposes and these levels are monitored daily. ONWASA also performs daily, weekly, monthly and yearly sampling according to State and Federal rules to ensure the water meets Safe Drinking Water Standards.

We also rely on you the customer to report any water quality issues you may experience at your home. For a full list of water quality sampling ONWASA conducts please view EPA’s Drinking Water Watch.

2. Why do I see staff opening fire hydrants and wasting water?

We conduct routine and non-routine flushing from these hydrants to remove debris after a main break, to freshen water in dead end lines, and to do water quality checks when there have been reported problems.

3. What is the Fluoride content of my water?

1.00 ppm

4. Why do you add chlorine to my water?

ONWASA adds chlorine to your water as a disinfectant. This ensures the water in our distribution system remains bacteria free. The average chlorine content in the system is 0.80 ppm. Normally the chlorine cannot be smelled or tasted at this level.

5. What is the hardness of my water?

Depending on where you live, your water can range from 12 ppm to 80 ppm. Areas supplied by the water treatment plants have a higher hardness than those supplied by the Black Creek well field. Softer water tends to make your skin feel slick after showering and harder water does not produce suds as well as softer water.

6. What causes the brown of yellow tinge in my water at times?

There are naturally occurring mineral in your water. These include iron, manganese, calcium, chloride and other dissolved minerals. The dissolved iron in the water will react with the chlorine and come out of the dissolved state. This iron settles to the bottom of our pipes and will lay there until disturbed by unusually high flow rates, such as fire department use, or a break in the line. This causes the iron to mix back into the water and cause a yellow or brown tinge. This water, though unsightly, is not a public health threat. These incidences usually clear within a few hours. If the problem persists you can call the office to report the problem.

7. Will ONWASA sample my water for contaminates?

ONWASA routinely performs 100 bacteriological samples throughout the distribution system. Although your home may not be personally tested the area you live in is represented in the sampling. The amount of chlorine is tested daily and once again your area is represented in these daily samples.
Certain tests such as lead and copper can only be sampled from homes meeting a certain criteria as there are no elevated levels of lead and copper in your source water.
All other sampling performed on your water is from the source and if no contaminants are found in the source the chances of them being found in our distribution system and therefore your home a very minimal.

If you are concerned about a particular regulated contaminant being in your home, there are independent laboratories that will analyze your water and ONWASA will be happy to provide you with those contact numbers.