FAQs • Jupiter, FL • CivicEngage

What is a "Base Charge"?

The Town Water System Extension Policy Oridnance, defines the Base Facility Charge (or Base Charge) as follows:

Base Facility Charges: Those charges required by the Town to financially support all or a portion of the fixed and non-variable costs of maintaining service facilities for an active consumer, whether any commodity is consumed or not. (Of course our commodity is Water).

The Town is constantly repairing and maintaining the entire water treatment and distribution systems, regardless of whether we produce and sell 10,000,000 gallons of water per day (gpd) or 20,000,000 gpd. The fixed costs of the utility generally include the repair and maintenance of our raw water wells, raw-water transmission mains, the water treatment plant, storage and pumping facilities, potable water transmission lines, distribution lines, hydrants, valves and the water meter. The base charge covers most of these fixed costs plus the costs associated with all the Utility personnel.

Similarly, as a customer or property owner, you have the responsibility to repair and maintain your home and property even if you don't live in it all year. You still have to repair and maintain the parts of your home that need service like painting inside and out, lawn care, irrigation system repair, and repair and replacement of the roof, windows, garage door, hot water heater, air conditioning, kitchen appliances, and any other electrical or plumbing fixtures in the home.

In contrast, the variable costs of the utility are the costs that are directly related to the cost of treating and pumping water to our customers. Costs associated with electrical power, fuel costs, treatment chemical costs, and the remaining portion of our fixed costs not paid by the base charge or other miscellaneous service charges. These variable costs are paid by the consumption or volume charges our customers pay from their monthly water use.

If you have any further questions about of base charges or about our volume charges, please do not hesitate to call us.

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Utilities

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1. Why does my bill show a previous balance?

There are several possibilities

a) Your new bill may have been issued before payment was received,

b) You may not have received your previous bill to be paid, or

c) If you are looking at your account information online, your payment may not have been updated in our system yet. Payments are updated on your account the next day, Monday - Friday. Payments made over the weekend will be updated to your account the following business day.

2. When Will My Deposit Be Refunded?: Deposits are refunded after 60 months of exceptional payment history. A deposit held by the Town shall accrue interest at a rate established by the Town at prevailing market rates. If you move out of Town, the deposit will be refunded on our final bill. If you transfer to a new home in Town the deposit will transfer to the new address.

3. Why is My Water Bill So High?

There are several reasons why a water bill may be higher than usual:

a.) Adjustments to lawn irrigation systems by property owner or homeowner's association. Customers should monitor the operation of their irrigation systems at least once per month for proper operation.

b.) There could be a "Silent" toilet leak. Silent toilet leaks occur when the tank flapper does not seal properly to the bottom of the tank. The Utility provides free test kits at the payment counter in Town Hall.

c.) Exterior pressure washing may have used more than expected.

d.) Pools with an automatic fill system may be malfunctioning.

e.) Exterior hoses could have been left on by the customer, by workers around the house, or by local children playing in the area.

f.) Backflow Preventers can leak on occasion, causing excessive water use.

4. What is a Backflow Prevention Device?: Just what its name implies, it prevents water from flowing back into the water lines from a residence or business. Backflow devices are required when there is a possibility of backflow contamination to the water lines which may occur from irrigation systems and some high risk residential and commercial properties where there are conditions that might warrant additional protection to the potable water supply for both the customer and the Town.

5. How do I get my Water Account Number?: You can get that information on your utility bill, or by calling (561) 741-2300, then press '2' for a Customer Service Representative. You must be billed at least one time before you may sign up your account on-line.

6. What do I do if I am a Seasonal Resident?: Please e-mail or call us with your forwarding address so your bills can be paid in a timely manner. We also will accept an advance payment to help cover the average bills to the property. You also may want to talk to your plumber about turning your water off at your house valve to prevent flooding if there is an inside leak while you are away. Again, talk to your plumber to be sure that turning the water off will not damage your water heater, water softener, ice machine or the ice maker in your refrigerator.

7. What is the service area for the Town of Jupiter Utilities?: Our water service area runs from South Martin County to Juno Beach. To see our specific boundaries check out our Utilities Service Area Map.

8. What is a "Base Charge"?

The Town Water System Extension Policy Oridnance, defines the Base Facility Charge (or Base Charge) as follows:

If you have any further questions about of base charges or about our volume charges, please do not hesitate to call us.

9. Why am I billed for Stormwater?: Please click on the link for a brief history of the Stormwater Operations within the Town of Jupiter. Stormwater Home Page

10. Does your office also take care of my sewer bill?: The Town of Jupiter Utilities is not who provides you with your sewer service. Please call the Loxahatchee River District (Encon) at (561) 747-5700 or visit them on the web at Loxahatchee River District Website

11. What are your current rates?: View the Town's Rates Page.

12. Is there flouride in my water?: We do not add fluoride in the treatment process, however, trace amounts of fluoride are in our water because fluoride occurs naturally in the water supply. To learn more about the quality of our water view our Water Quality Report.

13. What are your office hours and location?

Our office hours are: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: (561) 741-2300

Location: We are physically located at 210 Military Trail, on the first floor of the 2 story addition, in the rear of the Jupiter Municipal Complex.

14. What's this pink stuff in my bathroom?: To learn more view this article.

15. How do I care for my hot water tank?: For information on caring for and flushing your hot water heater click here .
For information on electric water heater element failure click here .

16. What are these small white and/or grey particles plugging my strainers?: To learn more view this document.

17. Where can I find more information about the water quality at our local beaches and river?

The Palm Beach County Health Department publishes results on the beaches every other week while the Loxahatchee River District publishes results every week for the quality of the water at Jupiter beaches and parks.

To view the latest beach report visit here.

To view the latest Loxahatchee River reports visit here.