Someone is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have an emergency after hours and wish to speak to a BLSMWC representative, you may do so by calling the emergency number at (209) 795-7030. Your message will be automatically transferred to the person on call. In most cases, our staff can remedy a problem over the phone. Depending on the nature of the emergency, however, a maintenance person may need to be dispatched to the property. Rest assured though that BLWMWC will respond quickly night or day.
FAQs
You turn the water off at your house shut-off valve. These valves are the owner’s responsibility to install and maintain. The BLSMWC’s responsibility ends at the meter box. Anything beyond the meter box on the customer’s property is the owner’s responsibility to install and maintain, and BLSMWC is not responsible for any water loss or property damage caused by water leaks.
Note: Even if you shut your water valve off, this does not relinquish the property owner’s responsibility for base rate charges, fees, and/or penalties.
The Water Pressure serving the majority of the lots in the Blue Lake Springs water system are regulated through pressure reducing stations located in the main lines that serve you. These pressure reducing valves are made of the best materials. However, if they should fail, they do so in the open position to provide adequate flow in case of a fire emergency. During a failure, the pressure serving your lot could exceed 120 pounds per square inch (psi). While such failures are very rare and unpredictable, when they do happen, there could be damage to your lines, hot water heater, etc. The BLSMWC is not liable for any damage arising from high or low water pressure. The BLSMWC highly recommends that you install a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) at your house to protect your pipes, property, and plumbing.
Since these valves are installed and maintained by you, the property owner, the BLSMWC would not know if you have a PRV or even where it would be located. However, PRVs are most commonly installed in front of the meter box on the customer-owned service line.
Any plumbing or building store will carry PRVs. You should also purchase a pressure gauge at the same time, as you will need to use it to check your PRV annually, and to ensure that it is functioning properly. You may also contact a certified plumber to purchase and install a PRV for you.
You can either install it yourself or hire a certified plumber to do it for you. A list of plumbers can be found under General Information on this website.
Your pressure reducing valve should be set at 60 psi (pounds per square inch) on your property. Most PRVs are pre-set by the manufacturer (refer to your user manual included with your PRV at time of purchase). If the PRV you purchased does not come pre-set, use your pressure gauge and set to the recommended 60 psi.
YES!! The BLSMWC strongly recommends that homeowners install pressure reducing valves on their property. Although water pressure is regulated through pressure reducing stations in Blue Lake Springs, failures can occur. Installing a PRV will help protect against any damage caused by water pressure surges and high and low water pressures. This is similar to how you protect your home electronics against electrical surges and power outages by installing surge protectors.