Tag Archives: Wastewater

My Water, Water Quality

A Cautionary Tale…Replace Your Plumbing Before It Becomes An Emergency

For years, as a Charlotte Water employee, I have encouraged customers to plan ahead for the replacement of their private plumbing, especially if their pipes are nearing 50 years. I thought about replacing my plumbing, but I waited too long. Below is my warning to customers in old houses.

I started hearing a dripping sound that I hadn’t heard before. I followed the sound into the basement and traced it back to our private plumbing line coming into the house. It soon went from a dripping noise to several dripping noises.

I quickly called CharMeck 311 (704-336-7600) to request an emergency water turn-off by Charlotte Water Customer Service. The call took just a few minutes, and a field technician was there to turn off our water at the meter in less than an hour.

A Temporary Solution

We used coolers to capture and store the water leaking out of our walls and then used the water to flush toilets later.

I bought a few gallons of distilled water for coffee and a few gallons of purified water for drinking.

How to flush a toilet without water service

  1. Talk to your next-door neighbors to see if you can hook up a hose temporarily to fill containers.
  2. Lift the toilet tank lid off (see picture)
  3. Pour water to the water line mark inside the tank.
  4. You will need to pour at least two gallons per flush.
  5. I refilled containers using a hose connected to my neighbor’s house and refilled each night at a relative’s home.
  6. We put the containers by the toilets to refill the tank and reused small water bottles to wash hands.

Pro tip– designate one or two toilets as the one(s) you plan on using during the outage. Make others off-limits to reduce the number of toilets you must refill.

Pour water to the ‘water line’ mark in the toilet tank.

After replacing our plumbing line, we ran cold water first for several minutes outside spigots/hose bibs and then indoor tubs and water faucets. The water heater took more than an hour to reheat. As a precaution, we tossed out the old ice and the next batch of ice from the automatic ice maker in the fridge.

Everything changes when you don’t have easy access to flowing water. Our children appreciated tap water more and conserved water because they knew it took extra steps. We are so thankful to have a new water line and I hope my experience helps you prevent a similar emergency and provides a few ideas on how to survive it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some signs I may have a plumbing leak between the water meter and the house?

If you hear a dripping noise or notice wet spots in your crawlspace or basement or even a greener-than-usual patch of grass on the area between your meter and your house you may have a leak.

How much water do I need each day?

At least a gallon for hand washing, brushing teeth and drinking, so at a bare minimum, you will need seven gallons per person per day to drink, brush, and flush. This doesn’t include showers, laundry, or dishwashing. Consider purchasing paper plates, plastic cups, and utensils.

Any purchased water containers (gallon jugs or small water bottles) can be refilled several times to reduce the cost of purchasing water at a store.

Use any large containers you have around to store and refill toilets.

  • Wet dry vacuum to suck up any water if you experience flooding
  • Coolers
  • Dehumidifier and humidifier tanks
  • If possible, store water in a bathtub and keep a large container to scoop the water out

How can I prevent a plumbing emergency?

If your plumbing is 50+ years old, you should plan in advance to prevent this from happening to you:

  • Talk to your home insurance provider to see if your policy covers water line replacement or if it should be added to your policy.
    • Some homeowners’ insurance only covers the damage (i.e., flooding) and not the plumbing repair.
  • Research alternative insurance options, including home warranty or service line protection plans to see if they would be a good fit for your situation

Find out what your plumbing materials are made of.

  • Lead – installed 1900-1986, dull gray and easily scratched surface, although banned in 1986, installation of lead pipes was very rare in Mecklenburg County.
  • Copper – installed 1930s – present, reddish (like a penny) to dark brown or green, in some cases may contain lead-based solder if home was built before 1986 and hasn’t had plumbing replaced after 1986.
  • Galvanized Steel – 1930-1980s, gray or metallic, may rust internally and externally, limited lifespan.
  • Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – 1950s – present, white, doesn’t corrode or rust.
  • Polyethylene (PEX) – 1990s to present, many colors (typically red and blue for hot and cold supply lines), flexible to install.

Don’t wait…

  • Get three quotes/price estimates from licensed plumbers.
    • Each plumber may have a different strategy to replace your plumbing
    • Ask a lot of questions
    • Plumbers are very busy and a project like this will need time to schedule.
    • Know what is under your front yard. Do you have buried fiber optic, wastewater pipes, storm drain, etc? Trees can also affect where your service line is installed. Contact NC 811 to learn about what public utilities can be marked and how to find locators that find private lines (well, septic, gas, etc.)
    • Don’t do anything to your plumbing that could possibly cause a leak.

How long will it take for plumbers to install new plumbing?

It can vary. We were without water for seven days before our new plumbing line was installed and service was restored.

Our water pipe repair damaged a sidewalk. Will the City fix the sidewalk?

If your repair requires damaging or removing the sidewalk, you will need to replace the sidewalk. Make sure to get three quotes and ensure that they are trained and able to complete the work to the city / town sidewalk specifications.

Did you know that your plumbing actually starts at the building side of the meter box? Learn more on this blog.

My Water, Wastewater

Understanding Homeowners Responsibility

Is it My Plumbing or Charlotte Water’s to Maintain?

Where does my private plumbing start?

Property owners maintain all water pipes beginning at the end of the meter, which is the tailpiece for a common 5/8-inch service. Property owners are also responsible for all plumbing, plumbing fixtures, and appliances in their buildings. Likewise, an owner’s responsibility for wastewater pipe (sewer) begins, as a rule of thumb, at the street right-of-way. There may be exceptions. Charlotte Water maintains the water meter, including the meter yoke assembly, meter box, and water and wastewater mains under public streets.

The above Illustration shows that Charlotte Water maintains the water pipes under the public streets and service lines from the water main to the meter box. Charlotte Water also maintains the meter and meter box. The property owner's private plumbing starts at the tailpiece or pipe that leaves the water meter box and piping under the private plumbing to the building and inside the building.
A top-down view of water pipes serving your home. Charlotte Water maintains the water pipes under public streets, public hydrants, and through the meter box. Property owners maintain pipes from the meter box to the buildings and inside the buildings.

You also have a backflow prevention device if you have an irrigation system.

backflow assembly illustration showing that a backflow preventer allow water to flow only one way with vales that auto close if water goes back toward the public water system.

If you live near Lake Norman, Mt. Island Lake, or Lake Wylie, you may also have a low-pressure sewer system (LPSS) that pumps wastewater to the public system.

Construction, Repairs and Spills

Central Avenue Repair Update

Last month on February 7, Crews responded to a wastewater overflow and found a leaking water pipe under the railroad crossing on Central Avenue. Below is an overview of key steps required to complete the work and reopen the road.

Completed steps

•            Stopped a wastewater overflow and found a leaking water main that contributed to the overflow and was not showing above ground.

•            Installed a water valve to maintain service to customers.

•            Turned off leaking portion of the water pipe.

•            Inspected drinking water, wastewater pipes and storm drains to identify all necessary repairs.

•            Installed another valve for pipe installation process.

•            Installed new water pipes to maintain service long-term.

•            Disconnect the leaking pipe from the water system.

•            Excavate and replace an old brick manhole with a new precast concrete manhole.

Ongoing Steps

•            Add a new lining in wastewater pipes under railroad easement at a future date.

•            Excavate and repair storm drain pipes under railroad crossing. Additional work required at a later date.

•            Rebuild and reopen the road.

All of this while maintaining railroad for daily use by CSX. These repairs require extensive coordination with CSX and Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT). The goal is to maintain water service and access to businesses during the repair effort. Local traffic can drive around signs to access open businesses. Crews estimate completing the work around March 17th.

Construction, Repairs and Spills

How Does CLTWater Respond To A Wastewater Overflow?

There is a wastewater spill. What should I do?

Call 311 or 704-336-7600 and say or select ‘wastewater emergency’ to speak to a CLTWater dispatcher. We will respond 24 hours a day.

Photo showing a wastewater manhole in Freedom Park
Wastewater manholes are throughout our neighborhoods. If you see water overflowing, call 311 or 704-336-7600 and select wastewater emergency.

How can I help reduce overflows? 

  • Toss in the trash: paper towels, wipes, hair, cotton swabs, feminine products, dental floss, coffee grounds, and excess food. 
  • Toss in the toilet: only toilet paper. 
  • Drain in the sink: soap suds, small amounts of food from the plate, and liquids. 
  • Always call 811 before you dig.

Take to a full-service recycling center: used and expired oils and grease. 

What causes wastewater overflows?

  • Clogs of wipes, paper towels, leftover kitchen grease, oils, or anything other than toilet paper.
  • Pipe failure (tree falls and breaks pipe, stream/creek erosion causing the pipe to fall into the creek)
  • Tree roots attacking and clogging the pipe
  • Damage by nearby construction. 

How does CLTWater respond?

A rapid response crew will investigate the area and attempt to remove the clog. This work does not impact drinking water quality. Residents and their pets were encouraged to avoid contact with the creek during an overflow response.

How does CLTWater respond to a large overflow?

For example – a tree falls into the creek washing out the creek bank and undermining the wastewater pipe just behind the creek bank. Crews frequently inspect these areas, but erosion can occur quickly during heavy rain events. Crews will:

  • Create a temporary access road or path if necessary to respond.
  • Install a temporary wastewater pipe to bypass the broken pipe and stop the overflow. The pumps and temporary above-ground pipes are checked several times daily to prevent possible wastewater overflows.
  • Stabilize the creek bank.
  • Construct a barrier / temporary stream bank to protect workers.
  • Remove the broken pipe. 
  • Install the new pipe and test it.
  • Rebuild the stream bank with clean fill material (soil). 
  • Remove temporary pipes and pumps.
  • Remove large spoil piles of dirt.
  • Complete grading/drainage.
  • Plant trees/shrubs and seed/straw the area.
  • Restore the stream bank and revegetate.
  • If the greenway was closed during work, it would be restored and reopened. When greenways are affected, CLTWater works with Mecklenburg County on restoration.

How does CLTWater handle tropical storms or heavy rains and prevent spills?

The underground sanitary sewer pipe network is not designed to handle rain, yet the runoff and flooding from large rains inevitably infiltrate the wastewater pipe network. Overflow basins at the five largest wastewater treatment plants capture and later treat more than 160 million gallons of rainwater mixed with wastewater. These equalization basins (EQ basins) help prevent wastewater from overflowing out of manholes in our community.

CLTWater has also added several large wastewater pipes to help reduce the impact of heavy rains. Crews work to prevent rainwater from getting into the sanitary sewer system and are out investigating our system soon after a storm ends.

picture showing excavator beside a creek bank.
Crews create a temporary creek bank to stop the spill. Crews then install pumps to redirect the community’s wastewater around the broken pipe. Crews then add new pipe and rebuild the creek bank.