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Gary Thompson Director County of Cumberland, Virginia Department of Public Utilities 1 Courthouse Circle P.O. Box 110 Cumberland, VA 23040 (804) 492-9267 (phone) (804) 492-9224 (fax) [EMAIL REDACTED] www.cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov PUBLIC WATER & SEWER CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How Do I Know If I Have To Connect? Determining whether or not you have to connect to the utility system depends on whether or not you are in the utilities service area and how close your principal structure is to the public water and sewer system. Determination is based on a 2-step process: 1. Does your property abut a utility right of way or the actual utility? a. If “yes”, proceed to b. If “no”, you are not required to connect to the system. 2. Is the nearest point of the principal structure: a. within 600 feet of the property line that abuts the utility right of way or actual utility? i. If “yes”, you must connect to the water system. ii. If “no”, you are not required to connect to the water system. b. within 300 feet of the property line that abuts the utility right of way or actual utility? i. If “yes”, you must connect to the sewer system. ii. If “no”, you are not required to connect to the sewer system. You may also review the utility service area maps, which are located in the Public Utilities and Planning Department offices. These may be used to determine if your property falls within the service area. What If I Already Have An Existing Private Well? If your property meets the mandatory connection requirements but has an existing well you will still be required to connect to the public water system. You may continue to use your private well supply so long as it meets the minimum standards as determined by the Virginia Department of Health. In this case, you will be responsible for a nonuser fee of $25.00 each month, pursuant to Section 66-51(a)(3) of the Cumberland County Code. What If I Already Have An Existing Septic System? If your property meets the mandatory connection requirements but has an existing septic system you are not required to connect to the public sewer system. When the septic system no longer meets the minimum standards, as determined by the Virginia 1 of 3 (Revised - 5/20/10) ---PAGE BREAK--- Department of Health, or requires replacement, you will be required to connect to the public sewer system. What If My Property Abuts Only One of the Utilities? If your property abuts a utility easement containing only water or sewer you will only be required to connect to that utility in accordance with the requirements listed above. How Much Does It Cost To Connect? Determining how much it costs to connect depends on what type of structure will be connected to the utility system. When new service is made available to existing structures, customers will have an opportunity to connect to the system for a discount fee of $50.00. After the initial discount period for new service areas, and for all other customers on the existing system, the connection fees are listed below. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Public Utilities at (804) 492-9267. Customer Class Water Meter Size (inches) Number of ERU's per Unit Connection Fee Water Wastewater For a dwelling, single-family, including townhouses,mobile homes that are not located in a mobile home park,and individually metered multifamily dwelling units. 5/8 1.00 $ 3,970.00 $ 2,725.00 (ii) For a dwelling, two-family (per unit) 5/8 1.00 3,970.00 2,725.00 (iii) For mobile homes that are located in a mobile home park and for master metered multiple-family dwellings other than multiple-family dwellings used exclusively as housing for colleges and/or universities (per unit) 0.85 3,375.00 2,316.00 (iv) For all other customer classes 5/8 1.00 3,970.00 2,725.00 ¾ 1.50 5,955.00 4,088.00 1 2.50 9,925.00 6,813.00 1 1/2 5.00 19,850.00 13,625.00 2 8.00 31,760.00 21,800.00 3 16.00 63,520.00 43,600.00 4 25.00 99,250.00 68,125.00 6 50.00 198,500.00 136,250.00 2 of 3 (Revised - 5/20/10) ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 of 3 How Much Is My Bill? The county bills customers Your bill is based on the type and amount of usage. The usage charges are listed below. In addition, a administrative charge of $5.00 will be assessed for each account, except for customers who have only a water or sewer service account for which an administrative charge of $3.50 will be applied. If you have any questions about your charges, please contact the Finance Department at (804) 492-3251. WASTEWATER CHARGES A rate of $25 per ERU applies WATER CHARGES Rate Charges as follows Customer Class Unit equivalent ERU’s Per Unit Residential Non-commercial, non-residential facilities 1 family unit Per structure 1 1 $25.00 for first 2,000 gallons, additional usage @ $4.00 per 1,000 gallons Car wash, Laundromat, Restaurants, Industries or Industrial-zoned, Salons and Barber Shops Meter required Meter required $25.00 for first 2,000 gallons, additional usage @ $4.00 per 1,000 gallons Professional, Office, Retail space (not storage) and Business (except those otherwise listed) Per 1,000 sq. feet 1 $25.00 for first 2,000 gallons, additional usage @ $4.00 per 1,000 gallons Nursing / convalescent & homes for the aged Motels, hotels & bed & breakfast Per bed Per room 0.045 0.045 $25.00 for first 2,000 gallons, additional usage @ $4.00 per 1,000 gallons Governmental & Educational Flat rate as determined by the Board of Supervisors Flat rate as determined by the Board of Supervisors $100.00 first 2,000 gallons, additional usage @ $15.00 per 1,000 gallons For More Information, Please Visit: www.cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov (Revised - 5/20/10)