Chester Water Authority
Customer News and Information
Summer 2015 Vol. 22 No. 1
2015 Water Main
Rehabilitation
T
he Chester Water Authority (CWA) Annual Water Main
Rehabilitation has begun! The process consists of
cleaning old unlined cast-iron water mains and coating
the water main with a thin layer of cement. Older valves, fire
hydrants, and services will be renewed.
Approximately 13,200 feet of 6-, 8-, and 12-inch water main
will be cleaned and lined and 21 services will be renewed.
There are two (2) fire hydrants that will also be renewed
during this project.
Before
After
This year there are multiple locations that will benefit from the cleaning and lining project.
• Post Road, Borough of Trainer
• portions of West 10th Street, West 13th Street, Columbia Avenue, and
Concord Roads in the area between Engle and Townsend Streets, Chester Township
• Bethel Road in the City of Chester and Upper Chichester Township
Cleaning and lining water mains improve water pressure, fire flows, and water quality. Improving our
infrastructure will minimize the chances of an interruption of service to customers in these areas if a water
main break were to occur.
This project is on target for completion this November 2015.
We Accept VISA and MasterCard!
C
hester Water Authority has added a new option for paying
your water bill - Automated Phone Payment System.
This system provides you the convenience and simplicity
of paying your water bill as well as obtaining your account
balance and due date by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
by calling 1-855-748-8522.
This new payment option accepts VISA, MasterCard, and
e-checks.
The vendor charges a $2.75 convenience fee to process a
payment.
1. Dial 1-855-748-8522
2. Enter your customer number
3. Enter your account number
4. Enter your payment information
CWA Construction Crews — Let’s Keep Them Safe!
E
very year, highway workers and motorists are injured and killed as
a result of work zone crashes. In the summer months, Authority
construction crews are more at risk due to an increase in traffic.
In Pennsylvania, it is a law that drivers are required to turn on their
headlights when in work zones. If you are caught breaking the Work Zone
Safety Law, fines are doubled. Do not risk losing your driver’s license,
heavy fines, and (most importantly) putting a person in jeopardy.
We want our work crews to make it home safely to their families, so please
slow down to protect our workers from harm.
Come visit us at:
www.chesterwater.com
www.facebook.com/ChesterWater
Water Main Replacement Project
O
ut with the old and in with the new! CWA’s
water main replacement project is in full
swing and affects two (2) areas in Delaware
County – Brookhaven and Parkside Boroughs. This
project consists of replacing 7,200 feet of existing
water main (which dates from the early 1920’s) with
new 8-inch ductile iron pipe. A total of 105 water
services will be replaced during this project.
Church, Seiger, and Houston Streets will also have
new water main installed.
The replacement project which is currently underway
in Brookhaven Borough involves Ridge, Barlow,
Virginia, Grandview, Wellington, and Burke Avenues.
The completed project will result in better reliability
when it comes to supplying water to our customers.
The projected completion will be in September 2015.
West Elbon, West Avon, East Chelton, East Rowland
Roads, Norfolk Lane, and Chester Boulevard in
Parkside Borough are also included in the replacement
project and construction will begin once work in
Brookhaven Borough has been completed.
Fishing and Boating at the Octoraro Reservoir
C
hester Water Authority is proud of its beautiful
Octoraro Reservoir and we invite you to bring your
fishing rod! We have opened parts of
the reservoir for fishing and boating (electric
motors only) are located right off of Route
472 in Kirkwood, Pennsylvania. Need a
boat? The Authority has boats to rent. If
you are not a fan of boats, you can fish
from the banks of the Octoraro Reservoir.
Largemouth bass are the most sought-after
game fish in the reservoir. Smallmouth bass
are also present, but considerably less abundant. The
reservoir is also home to white crappie, yellow and white
perch, walleye, northern pike, and catfish.
Each year the Fishing Headquarters opens on
April 1st and closes October 31st and is open
from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. We are located
at 212 Spruce Grove Road in Kirkwood,
PA. If you have any questions pertaining to
fishing and/or boating, please call (717) 529-2488.
Our Fishing Headquarters also offers bait, tackle, and
restroom facilities.
Go to our web site www.chesterwater.com and download
the fishing brochure that is located under “About CWA”.
Prevent Illegal Hydrant Use
C
hester Water Authority (CWA) ensures that our customers are provided
with safe, clean, and reliable drinking water. Illegal connections
threaten the quality of water delivered to your home or business,
and can lower pressure in the water lines required for fire protection.
CWA is requesting your help to protect our water and prevent water
theft. Only authorized users can connect to fire hydrants. Please
contact CWA immediately at (800) 876-8181 or (800) 793-2323 if
you see or suspect the unauthorized use of a fire hydrant. You
can also e-mail CWA at www.chesterwater.com and clicking
on the link “Contact CWA” located at the bottom left. Please
obtain as much information as possible regarding the incident.
It can be as simple as taking a picture of the event in progress or
recording critical details such as the time and location. Please note
vehicle type and license plate, company name/emblem on the vehicle.
You can contact us 24 hours a day and you will remain anonymous.
Annual System Flushing
S
cheduled to begin the last week of July 2015, CWA
will begin its annual water system flushing. This
annual project allows the Authority to inspect all
of the public fire hydrants throughout its service area to
ensure that they are operating properly if and when they
are needed to fight fires. The process also preserves water
quality for you — our customers.
The Authority has a total of 2,756 public fire hydrants and
approximately 669 miles of water main. Each year a team
of three (3) CWA employees inspects and flushes all of the
fire hydrants which will take approximately nine (9) weeks.
Please note that all hydrant flushing will be performed
during the nighttime hours to minimize any inconvenience
to our customers. All CWA personnel will be wearing CWA
uniforms and traveling in company-marked vehicles.
You may experience some discoloration of your water.
Simply running your cold water for a couple of minutes
should solve the problem.
Our Distribution Department mails scheduling notices to
municipalities, fire chiefs, and county fire boards. These
efforts are synchronized with the Authority’s Public
Relations Department, which places the notices in local
newspapers on a monthly basis and posts notices on our
web site www.chesterwater.com and to our Facebook
page www.facebook.com/ChesterWater. If you have any
questions, please contact our
CWA is closed on
Customer Service Department
the following dates:
at (610) 876-8181 or (800)
793-2323. You can also contact
Independence Day
July 4, 2015
us via our web site by clicking
on the circle titled “Contact
CWA”.
Quality•Service•Value
www.chesterwater.com
Labor Day
September 7, 2015
Chester Water Authority Contact Information
Business Hours
and Phone:
Emergency Hours
and Phone:
Walk-in: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Telephone: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Monday through Friday
Telephone: (610) 876-8181
(800) 793-2323
24 HOURS A DAY
7 DAYS A WEEK
Telephone: (610) 876-8181
Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 467
Chester, PA 19016
Physical Address:
Chester Office:
415 Welsh Street
Chester, PA 19013
Web Site:
www.chesterwater.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ChesterWater
Kennett Square Office:
148 West State Street,
Suite 101
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Keeping You Safe
Safety for our customers is important. Chester
Water Authority wants to help you stay safe.
This includes helping to protect you from impostors
and scams relating to your water services.
All CWA meter readers/installers and all of
our construction crew wear uniforms and carry
identification cards that indicate they are employees
of CWA.
Three facts:
1. We do not call customers with offers for free
water testing.
2. CWA does not show up unexpectedly asking
for entrance into your home. Authority
personnel should always have an appointment
before they come to your home.
3. Chester Water Authority personnel do not
collect water bill payments while at your home.
Payments should be made either in person at
our Main Office Building, by mail including
your payment in the envelope provided with
your water bill, or using our new Automated
Phone Payment System (see article on page 1).
Before letting a stranger into your home, look at the
uniform or ask to see their identification. If you have
questions about the authenticity of a CWA employee
and the nature of his or her visit, please call us at
(610) 876-8181 or (800) 793-2323. We will be glad
to confirm the identity of our employee.
If the Authority is notified about a potential scam,
we will post the alert on our web site and on our
Facebook page to keep you informed.
Water Quality Report: 2014
T
he Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report) for the
calendar year 2014 is available on our web site at www.chesterwater/
waterquality/CCR2014.pdf. This report has been produced in
accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP)
regulations. Because this report follows reporting standards that are fairly
technical, it contains a glossary to help you better understand it.
We are proud that our water meets or exceeds all state and federal
regulations! And we are pleased to be able to provide this information to our
customers.
If you would like to receive a paper copy, please call our Customer Service
Department at (610) 876-8181 or (800) 793-2323.