1. Q: There is a musty smell/taste in my water. What should I do?
• Horsetooth Reservoir, our source for drinking water, is experiencing seasonal biological changes. The earthy or musty odors detected in your tap water are caused by decaying algae in the reservoir. These tastes and odors are not a threat to public health and your tap water remains safe to drink. Typically, taste and odor episodes that occur in the fall are short in duration ending with colder water temperatures that cause lake turnover. The algae cannot survive the cold temperatures and taste and odor issues cease.
  
  Naturally occurring blue-green algae produce taste and odor compounds known as geosmin and MIB (2-methylisoboneol). These taste and odor compounds are not removed by conventional treatment and can lead to detectable odors at your tap. The levels of geosmin and MIB are unusually high in Horsetooth this year. It is difficult to determine the cause of the higher concentrations. One cause may be due to higher temperatures so late in the season, thereby delaying lake turnover and extending the algae growing season. Another possible cause may be that nutrients are being transported from the west slope lakes and increasing algal blooms in Horsetooth.
  
  Lake turnover: During the summer, a lake becomes stratified due to temperature. The warmer the temperature of the water, the less dense the water is and remains (floats) on the upper part of the lake. The colder, dense water remains at the lower level of the lake. As the air temperature decreases, so then does the water temperature of the upper layer of the lake. Once the water temperature of the upper layer gets cold enough, it sinks to the bottom of the lake and the lake mixes, becoming one temperature throughout.
  
  Please call us if you have concerns (970-226-3104).
  
  
2. Q: My utility bill is much higher than it should be. I couldn’t have used that much water. What happened?
• You may have a water leak. Some leaks you can see, but not all leaks are visible. First step we suggest is that you contact a plumber. The major culprits behind water leaks are toilets, appliances, and lawn watering systems.
• Some homes have water meters near their hot water heater. If you have an internal water meter then follow these instructions, they may be helpful. I suggest you make sure the water faucets and all fixtures are off. There should be nothing using water when you do this. Once everything is off, look at the top of the water meter. If you can see dials that look like an odometer then wait. While you wait about a minute, look to see if any of those dials are moving. If they are moving you have a leak in your system.
• How to check for a toilet leaking? A toilet flap that is not seated correctly can cause water to constantly seep from the toilet tank to the bowl. Place a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes without flushing then check the bowl for traces of the food coloring. If the water in the bowl is colored, you have found a leak that can probably be fixed by replacing the toilet flap.
• Another reason for high usage are extra guest at your home. Everything you do they will probably do too, which will increase your overall home water usage.


3. Q: What should I do to protect my water lines from freezing?
• If you are leaving your home unoccupied for any extended period in the winter you should protect your pipes from freezing. Here are some ways to protect your pipes from freezing.
Keep the heat on in your home. We suggest you keep your thermostat well above freezing while you are away for the winter. Temperatures in this region can drop suddenly while you are away. Pipes, faucets, or fixtures in unheated areas need to be insulated or drained completely. Drain and disconnect outdoor hoses.
• Irrigation systems should be drained and winterized each fall, before the freezing temperatures begin.
• If you find a frozen pipe you can try to thaw it with a hair dryer. Be ready to call a plumber if things do not get better. Sometimes water meters will freeze if your house isn’t properly prepared for the freezing temperatures. If you think our water meter is frozen please call our office, or emergency after hours technician.


4. Q: How do I shut-off my water?
• In an emergency it is important that you know where your shut-off valve is located. You do not want to search for the shut off valve during an emergency. If you do not know where your shut off valve is located please call our office and we can help you. Usually shut off valves are located where the water supply line enters the building. Once you have found the valve make sure it can be open and closed “by hand”. If there is an emergency and you can find the water shut off valve, call our office immediately (day or night). We can have a technician turn the water off to the water meter and property.


5. Q: Does the District repair leaks inside my home?
• No. The District's responsibility for repairs ends at the water meter if you have a Meter Pit, or at the Curb Stop Box (CSB) if you have an internal meter. We can let you know which you have if there are any questions. All water lines and devices on the customer's side of the meter pit, or CSB, are the responsibility of the customer. Likewise, all facilities on the District's side of the meter (including the meter) are repaired and maintained by the District.


6. Q: How much water does a typical household use?
• An average residential household uses approximately 2,000 gallons of water per month. Add in extra for appliances like a dishwasher or clothes washer. The appliances energy guide will let you know its consumption. On average (for the sake of simplicity) each of these appliances will add 1,000 more gallons a month. Sprinklers and irrigations systems can use Ten Times that much or more. If you are establishing sod, it is possible to use 50,000 gallons/month or more.


7. Q: New Customer or new to the area?
• Sometimes customers are new to the Water &/or Sewer Districts, and they are new to the Northern Colorado area. We have created a map (list) on Google with some of the utilities in our area. This is not a complete guide just a starting point for people that don't have all their services covered by their respective municipality.
  
• "Larimer County and surrounding area Utilities" -
  Click here to open map link
• "Trash Pick up (not SFCSD)" -
  Click here to open map link


8. Q: Bill Pay online only fits 3 lines of address, what do I do?
• Sometime when you use Bill pay online you have limited space to enter the address for where the Check is to be mailed. That is us.
  
  Customers can leave out the "c/o FirstBank of Northern Colorado" part of the address. This would leave you with the following address:
  
  Fort Collins-Loveland Water District
  P.O. Box 151629
  Lakewood, CO 80215-8629


9. Q: Is there an alternative to Automatic Bank Withdrawal by ACH?
• Sometime when you use Bill pay online you have limited space to enter the address for where the Check is to be mailed. That is us.
  
  Some customers find it easier to use their banks own automatic payment processing. Some customers they want to control when their payments are debited from their banking account. FCLWD doesn't set this up. This is something the customer sets up themselves with their own bank. We can accept these payments at the following address abbreviated so it can fit easier into the website form fields.
  
  FCLWD
  c/o FirstBank of NoCo
  P.O. Box 151629
  Lakewood, CO 80215-8629
  
  Please make sure to include your FCLWD account number. If the bank setup only allows Numbers in the account field then you can leave out the dash in our account number.
  
  Call us with any questions you might have.