Due to the extremely cold temperatures this winter, the City of Kalamazoo has advised water customers to keep a pencil-sized stream of water consistently running in their homes through April 1 (or until otherwise notified). Maintaining running water reduces the likelihood that water service lines and/or interior plumbing will freeze. Frozen pipes can results in an interruption in water service and potentially lead to expensive repairs if interior plumbing freezes and pips rupture.
When determining whether or not to issue an advisory, the City of Kalamazoo’s Public Services staff considers the observed or predicted depth of the frost line. Water mains and water service lines are buried at a depth of five feet to protect them from frost, however due to the age of the system some properties may not have their services at this depth. To account for this, a freezing pipe advisory is generally issued when the frost line reaches 30 inches. A warning is issued when the frost line nears 42 inches, the level at which reports of frozen pipes increase sharply.
The goal of these notices is to help prevent damage to property & infrastructure and to avoid interruption in service. While maintaining running water can help you prevent expensive damage to your home or property, it can also raise household utility costs. To offset the cost of this request, water bills for this period (January 1 - April 1, 2018) will be based on usage from the same period last year (if usage was lower ONLY). As a result, water bills issued between January 22 and July 16, 2018 may be reduced. Your billing statement will display the actual usage and include an adjustment if last year’s usage was less. Please note that usage may be adjusted but current water rates will still be applied.
If you have questions about your bill, please call contact the City Treasurer’s Office at (269) 337-8149