Public Utilities (Water and Sewer)

Call the emergency line at (864) 499-4162. That number covers nights, weekends, and holidays, any time outside normal business hours.

Your water meter doubles as a leak detector. Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance in the house, then watch the meter, and if it’s still moving with everything off, something is leaking somewhere. A running or silently leaking toilet is by far the most common cause of an unexpectedly high bill.

Most outages come from water main breaks, which can’t be predicted, so there’s no way to warn customers ahead of time. Planned infrastructure work is different: when a project requires a scheduled shutoff, the City announces the timing in advance on the website and Facebook page.

There are several ways to pay:

• Online through XpressBillPay
• By phone at (864) 638-4343, ext. 1, or 1-844-712-2843
• In person at 206 N Church St (bring your bill)
• Automatic bank draft: sign up in person with a voided check
• By mail using the included return envelope and payment slip
• Night deposit at the corner drop box at 206 N Church St

Every metered account pays a monthly base rate, which varies by whether the property is inside or outside city limits and covers meter reading and billing, meter repair and replacement, line maintenance, fire hydrant protection, and a share of general administrative overhead. A separate usage charge, billed per 1,000 gallons, covers the cost of running the water plant. The current rates are listed in the fee schedule below.

City Council approved a $3 base-rate increase effective July 1, 2024, to fund a dedicated three-person water crew focused on system maintenance and repairing main breaks.

Start by checking for a leak:

• A dripping faucet
• A running or leaking toilet: test for a silent leak by adding a few drops of food coloring to the tank; if color shows up in the bowl after 20–30 minutes without flushing, it’s leaking
• A garden hose left running
• Leaks in a basement or crawl space
• A pool that was recently filled
• Lawn or garden watering
• A leaking water heater

Remember that your current bill reflects last month’s usage, so factor in any houseguests, extra water use, or seasonal upticks (summer usage runs higher for most households). You can also turn off all water in the house, check the meter, wait a couple of hours, and check again, and if it moved, there’s a leak. If none of this explains it, call the Water Department and ask for a meter reread.

You can view your account online and print a copy, or visit the Walhalla Water Department at 206 N Church St to request a duplicate bill.

The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule requires water systems to maintain an inventory of service line materials for every property they serve. You can complete the survey using the paper form included in your September bill, or online. It asks a few basic questions about your service line and current contact information.

The monthly base charge applies whenever water service is available to a property, regardless of how much (or how little) water was actually used.

You’re responsible for the line from the meter to your house, including any pressure regulator installed to manage water pressure on the property. Walhalla Water is responsible for the line from the main in the street up to and including the meter. If you suspect a break on the City’s side of the meter, call (864) 638-4343, ext. 2.

Crews flush water lines through fire hydrants at least monthly at designated dead-end mains to keep water quality within standards. The Fire Department separately tests every hydrant each October to confirm they’re operating properly, which can cause temporary low pressure or discolored water.

The City is replacing all roughly 6,000 meters in the system. Many of the older meters are past their useful life; newer meters support better leak detection and can flag system problems before they show up on your bill. Over 2,000 meters have been replaced so far.

White or cloudy water is usually just tiny air bubbles released when water pressure changes, similar to a soft drink. Harmless, and it typically clears from the bottom up if you let a glass sit for a few minutes.

Brown or yellow water for a minute or two, only on the first draw of the day, often points to your home’s own internal plumbing, where an aging galvanized pipe’s interior coating has worn thin. It isn’t a health concern; running the tap for a minute or two should clear it.

Brown or yellow water that doesn’t clear, on the other hand, usually traces back to the city’s older cast-iron mains: hydrant testing or a nearby main break changes water velocity and stirs up sediment. Try running a cold tap for a minute after waiting 30–40 minutes; if it’s still happening after that, report it online or call (864) 638-4343, ext. 2.

Discoloration only from the hot tap usually points to the water heater. Turn it off, let it cool, then safely drain and flush the unit per your owner’s manual, or contact a licensed plumber.

That’s a personal choice. If you do install a filter, keep in mind it needs regular maintenance (an unmaintained filter can actually degrade water quality) and because of the older iron mains in parts of the system, a filter will visibly accumulate (harmless) iron sediment over time.

A $2.47 million line upgrade on Highway 11 is nearing completion, and roughly $10 million in additional projects are out for bid to address sewer system trouble spots, replace aging water mains, and add a booster station for water pressure. These efforts follow “A Way Forward: Water Strategy,” adopted by City Council in August 2024, built around four components: addressing urgent concerns, gathering the facts, containing existing problems, and long-term planning.