Show All Answers

1. Where do I pay my water bill?

Water bills can be paid in person at the Village Hall Finance Department, mailed with payment or paid online through the Village’s website: Online Bill Pay

2. I have a water quality problem. Who do I contact?

Water quality issues can be caused by many different factors, and the water utility can help troubleshoot if the problem is in your home or in the outside distribution system. Before you call the water department, first try to do some homeowner detective work. Verify if the water quality issue is in the whole house, in one fixture or multiple fixtures. Is it on the hot side or the cold side or both? If it is in only one room of your home, more than likely the problem is in your home. We can’t send clean water to the rest of the home and dirty water to a single room.

To speak to someone about the issue, please call the water utility office at 262-250-4703 or 262-253-8254.

3. I have low or no pressure in my house! HELP?!

Before you call the water department, first try to do some homeowner detective work.

• Determine if the whole house has low or no water pressure by checking every faucet. Determine if your house has low or no pressure in one fixture or multiple fixtures.
• In the basement or utility room where the water meter is, make sure your main water valves is in the open position.
• Determine if the low or no pressure is on the hot side, cold side or both.

If you haven’t been able to find the problem after taking these steps, please give us a call. You can call  the water utility office at 262-250-4703 or 262-253-8254, of for after business hours, call the Germantown non-emergency Police Department line at 262-253-7780.

4. My water meter is leaking. How do I get it fixed?

Please call the Water Utility at 262-250-4703 or 262-253-8254, and we will be happy to take care of it. We will only replace the water meter in your home; any other leaks are the responsibility of the property owner. The water valves used to shut off the water to replace the meter are the responsibility of the property owner, and they need to work prior to any meter replacement. If they start to leak or break at the time of the meter replacement, the cost of the repair is the responsibility of the property owner.

5. How do I read my electronic meter?

The Village of Germantown is undergoing a meter conversion program from a dial register meter to an electronic reader. This meter keeps track of your home’s usage in its internal memory.  This meter is read every quarter by radio frequency signal from outside your home.  It can also be accessed by utility staff when a reading outside the norm is reported or discovered by utility staff.

Please see the link on our meter description sheet.

6. My water smells like rotten eggs! Why?

In most cases, water that smells like rotten eggs is caused by the anode inside your hot water tank. Anode rods are designed to attract corrosive elements in the water, thereby diminishing corrosion in the vulnerable steel liner. The degrading of the anode and/or the chemical reaction causes a rotten egg smell. Also see our link to many hot water heater issues on the village web site at:

https://www.germantownwi.gov/341/Water-Quality

and for water heater tank issues:

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Troubleshooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

7. I have a leak in my house. Will the water utility fix it? Who is responsible?

The water utility only owns the water meter; we do not own any valves or piping connected to the meter. Any leak in your home is the responsibility of the property owner even if the meter was just replaced. The Utility owns the water service from the connection point at the water main up to the water shut off in your yard, located at the road right of way line.

8. Where does my water come from and what's in the water?

Germantown water comes from a ground water source aquafer distributed and pumped by wells though miles of buried underground pipes. Please see the link for a description of Aquifer water sources.

Wisconsin Aquifers

Hydrogeologic Framework of Southeast Wisconsin

The water quality is largely affected by the contact the water has with its surroundings from the underground aquifers through the pumping and distribution process and your interior plumbing. Please see the link for a list of our testing requirements in the annual Consumer report.

Water Quality Report

9. I have blue, green, red, yellow and white flags in my yard. What are they for?

If you see small 4”X 4” plastic flags in your yard, these are locating flags marking buried underground utilities. A utility, the Village, a neighbor or someone at your property called Diggers Hotline which is a system to identify these lines; it is frequently utilized for constructing, repair, planning and installing underground utilities. These lines could be power cables, phone or cable TV lines, storm, gas, water or sewer lines. Most of the flags have identifiable owner references and phone contact numbers. They should stay in until the work is completed.

10. What's this pink/black stuff in my bathroom?

We get calls from time to time by property owners asking about a pink or black film around plumbing fixtures, showers/tubs or toilets and at the bowl water level wondering if there is something wrong with the water. This condition can be caused by an airborne bacteria that can breed into a pink or black stain once it encounters a wet or damp environment. See link for in-depth article describing this condition.

11. Why does my water look like light colored coffee?

Water distribution pipes over time react like the human body. As our bodies age, and depending on one’s diet, we can develop plaque buildup in the blood vessels. The water distribution is very similar because we do not pump and distribute distilled or nonmineral water. Over time, water travels through the aquafers picking up minerals. These microscopic minerals settle out into the utilities’ distribution pipes and pipes in your home. When velocities of the water or water directions change due to hydrant flushing, valve turning, water tower and pump operation, water main breaks and fires, buildup can break free mixing it in the pipes and changing the color of the water. If you experience a change in the color of your water, please give us a call.