Links
Address
Newton City Hall
1000 Commonwealth Ave
Newton Centre, MA 02459
617-796-1000
TDD/TTY 617-796-1089
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am-5:00pm
Tuesday
8:30am- 8:00pm
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Telephone number for any billing inquiries (i.e. bill too high, change of address or final reads) is 617-796-1040 Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5:00PM located in Room 105 at City Hall, Tues. evenings until 8:00PM.
Telephone number for service inquiries (i.e. applications for equipment, repairs or service line installation) is 617-796-1640 Mon-Fri 7AM-3PM located at 74 Elliot Street, Newton Upper Falls.
What is an encoder?
The little black box (approx. 5" by 2") on the outside of your house, which is wired to the water meter in your basement or storage area (i.e. utilities closet or garage). The meter readers plug their equipment into the encoder to obtain a read from your actual water meter.
Where is my water meter?
In the basement of your house or in a utility closet at the water main shut off. In some cases, the meters are in an outdoor manhole. It is a brass colored pipe meter with an odometer type read.
Why is my bill so high?
You may have used more water than you realized, especially if it is during the summer months. In addition, your last bill might have been estimated, or there may be a leak in your home. One way to verify if the bill is correct is to read the water meter. If the reading is equal to or appropriately greater than the read to which you were billed, then the water was used. If the read is less than the billed read, please call the Billing Office at 617-796-1040 Mon-Fri 8:30-5:00, with the actual read from your meter. This would have been the result of a bad electronic reading.
How can I tell if the meter is broken?
If a meter is broken, it slows down and then eventually stops. Industry experience indicates that a "positive displacement" meter runs sluggish and will stop registering use. It is impossible for a meter to speed up. It can only register when water passes through it.
How do I obtain a Final Read?
The Seller or a representative for the Seller calls 617-796-1040 two or three days before closing with a meter read and the name of the new owner. We produce an Interim Statement that will be ready the next day after 12:00 noon. The Interim Statement is calculated from the last read date to the day they call it in. The amount reflected on this statement will be a part of the amount that will appear on the new owner's next bill. Interim Statements are current amounts only; this does not show any overdue amounts, which you would obtain from the Treasury Department. We do not shut off the water; we just transfer the account to the new owner's name. If at closing you do not receive an interim statement, we encourage the new property owner to call us so we may update our records. There is no charge for this service.
What must I do to renew or install a new water and sewer line and where do I go to apply for this service?
Applications for a renewal or new service for Water and Sewer lines can be obtained at the Water/Sewer Department in City Hall (Room 105). You file an application for an "estimated" amount of the cost of doing the replacement or new service. With applications for new service, please provide a plot plan and have the Engineering Department approve the location address and provide the Parcel I.D. (the Section, Block & Lot). The application will not be processed without Engineering approval. The application then goes to the Service Department to be estimated and is sent back to the billing office to be processed. You will then receive an "estimate", which must be paid in advance to be placed on the list to schedule the work. For Water Services, you must hire a private contractor for excavation of the trench.
What is the meaning of A, E or C printed next to the Current Meter Reading?
The A next to the meter reading means that this is an actual read, while the E is a system estimate and C is a manual estimate. Occasionally, the meter reading equipment does not transmit a valid read and the Billing Office estimates a bill. However, if you have more than two estimates in a row, you should contact the Service Department at 617-796-1640 Mon-Fri 7AM-3PM to make an appointment to have your encoder repaired.
What are Elderly O and Elderly W?
Printed on everyone's bill are the words "Elderly O and Elderly W". If you are over 65, own the property as a primary residence, and have an income of less than $40,000 annually, and have been approved for either of these discounts by the Assessor's office, the amount discounted will appear next to these words. It is a 30% discount off your water bill.
Why is my water discolored or rusty? Is there anything I can do to clear the water?
Discolored or rusty water may occur as a result of a few different events. If a fire hydrant has been opened for routine testing ("flushing,"usually performed in the month of October), or if City street sweepers have opened the hydrant to fill their trucks, residents nearby may experience dirty or discolored water. In addition, if a main water or sewer line develops a leak, or construction is ongoing near you, you may also experience dirty or discolored water as a result of the main water line being shut down, then brought back online, stirring up sediment in the course of this process.
We recommend that you do not run your hot water immediately, since this will draw the dirty water into your hot water tank. To clear the water, we suggest you run the cold water for a time (10 minutes at most, at one time), ideally later in the day when other surrounding residents will also be doing the same - running the cold water to eliminate the dirty water from the system - since the more homeowners run their cold water, the faster it will flush through the piping and clear up for everyone.
If you notice dirty water in the course of washing clothes, DO NOT PUT THE CLOTHES IN THE DRYER, as this will set stains from the discolored water. The Water/Sewer Business Office has a supply of a rust and stain remover called Iron Out, which you may obtain for free by picking up a bottle at Room 105 in City Hall's Water/Sewer Division while supplies last. Please call ahead to confirm that this is still available: (617) 796-1040.
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