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General Water Services FAQs

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1. Where is my water meter, and how do I read it?

Your meter is located inside your house, about 1 foot off of your basement floor. It could also be in a crawl space, pit in the floor, or utility room. It is not outside. The water usually comes in from the street side of the house. The meter sits on a water pipe that comes through the floor. The head of the meter is about 3 inches in diameter.

How to Read Your Water Meter

2. When do you open the Highland Park Water Tower to visitors?

The Highland Tower will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, 2013. It will be open again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, on October 12-13, 2013.

Every year, the summer open house is held in conjunction with Highland Fest, usually the third weekend in July.

The second open house is timed to offer a view of the fall colors, traditionally the second weekend in October.

The Highland Tower is located at the intersection of Ford Parkway and Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. Tower Open House Video

3. How do I determine if I have a toilet leak?

Toilet leaks are leaks in which water from the tank seeps into the toilet bowl. From there, the water goes into the sewer. If you can hear the toilet running or need to jiggle the handle to get it to stop running after you flush, you have a toilet leak.

Sometimes you cannot hear the leak, however. To determine if you have a leak, place a dye tablet or food coloring into the tank and do not flush the toilet for about a half an hour. If the dye coloring has seeped into the stool from the tank, the flapper is leaking and needs to be replaced. Local hardware stores carry new flappers, complete with installation instructions.

If you have more than 1 toilet, either do the dye test for all of them, or turn the toilets off 1 at a time, and do the overnight reading again. Find more information on finding toilet leaks.

4. When my water first comes out of the tap, it looks cloudy, but then clears up. Should I be concerned?

The cloudy water is caused by tiny air bubbles in the water similar to the gas bubbles in carbonated soft drinks. After a while, the bubbles rise to the top and are gone. This type of cloudiness occurs most often in the winter when the drinking water is cold.

5. What is typical water usage?

On average, 1 person uses 7-10 units of water and a family of four uses about 22 units per 91-day billing cycle. A unit is equal to 748 gallons.

6. Can I make an appointment to get my water turned back on?

Water is reinstated between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays. For economy and efficiency, we turn on water services by area. Call Customer Service at 651-266-6350 to find out if we will be in your area in the morning or afternoon.

7. How do I find a leak?

Leaks are most often silent and go undetected until your water bill arrives. To find a leak, take an overnight reading of your water meter. Read the meter at night before you go to bed; don't use any water during the night. Turn off icemakers and humidifiers. Read the meter again the morning. If the meter has moved and you have not used any water there is a leak. The most common leak is from the toilet.

8. The leak isn't from my toilet. How do I find out where it's coming from?

Check every plumbing fixture on the property, i.e., sink and tub faucets, outside sprinkler, washer, etc. Do not use any water. Shut off the valves that supply each fixture, 1 by 1. Then check the water meter for movement. When closing a valve stops the indicator from moving or slows it down, you have found the location of a leak. It is possible to have more than 1 leak.

9. Are there are more pollutants in drinking water today than there were 25 years ago?

Not necessarily. Back then, we didn't have the technology to know everything that was in our drinking water. Today, sophisticated testing instruments enable us to know more about our water. Armed with this knowledge, the drinking water community is taking steps to keep our water safe by treating it appropriately and curbing the flow of pollution.

10. What are the appointment hours for meter repairs?

Appointments can be made between 8 a.m. and noon, or 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, except holidays. Call the meter office at 651-266-6850 to make an appointment.

11. Do you have to come inside the house to turn the water on?

No, however, you must be home for us to turn on the water to prevent flooding or damage that could be caused by open faucets, etc. We will knock on the front door and you must answer, or the water will not be turned on.

Exception: If the water has been off for more than 30 days, you will need to make an appointment with us so that we can enter the house to ensure that the meter is operational. To schedule an appointment, call 651-266-6350.

12. Why is my water off?

If your bill is past due and you have a tag on your door, your water has been shut off for non-payment. Your bill needs to be paid to restore service.

If your bill is current, there may be construction in the area, or an emergency that required that the water be shut off. Call Customer Service at 651-266-6350 to determine the problem and find out approximate service restoration time.

13. What if I only have cold water?

Saint Paul Regional Water Service only supplies water to your property. If you have water, but it will not get hot, it may be due to faulty hot water heater. You will need to contact a repair service to address this concern.

14. Where are you located?

Our office is located at McCarrons Center, 1900 Rice Street, Saint Paul, MN 55113-6810.
We have 2 public entrances. 1 is on the east side of Rice Street, between Larpenteur and Roselawn avenues. The other entrance is on Larpenteur Ave., 1 block east of Rice Street on Sylvan Street. From I-35E and Larpenteur Ave., go west on Larpenteur Ave. to the third set of stoplights at Sylvan Street and take a right.

15. What communities are served by SPRWS?

The city of Saint Paul and suburbs of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Lilydale, Maplewood, Mendota, Mendota Heights, and West Saint Paul receive retail services. These include water, infrastructure maintenance, and water billing. For Saint Paul, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Maplewood, and West Saint Paul, SPRWS includes sewer billing services.

We provide wholesale services directly to Little Canada and Roseville, and indirectly to Arden Hills, which purchases its water from Roseville. SPRWS delivers water to the borders of these suburbs, and the suburbs distribute and provide all other services to their customers.

16. Whom do I call if I live in a city to which SPRWS does not supply water?

Contact the city in which you live. Call the main City Hall phone at 651-552-4100, and staff can direct you to the appropriate department.

17. If I have a water emergency, whom do I call?

Call our dispatch office at 651-266-6868. The line is answered 24 hours a day.

18. What do I do if water is leaking near the water meter or if water is coming out of the ground in my yard or in the street?

Call our dispatch office at 651-266-6868. The line is answered 24 hours a day.

19. Does SPRWS make a profit?

No, we are a not-for-profit city of Saint Paul department governed by the Board of Water. Commissioners. The utility's budget is completely funded through the rates charged for retail and wholesale water and services provided to customers. Rates are based on the cost of providing the services.

SPRWS does not receive any tax revenues.

20. How many steps are in the Highland Water Tower?

Built in 1928, it has 151 steps and is 127 feet tall.

21. Is the Highland Water Tower still being used?

Yes, the 200,000 gallon water tower is still used along with the nearby 1 and 1.5 million gallon water tanks.

22. What can I do to improve water pressure?

If a recent loss of water pressure has occurred at all the faucets in the building, make sure the meter valves next to the water meter are open. If the meter valves are open and the recent loss of water pressure persists, call the 24- hour emergency number at 651-266-6868.

If low water pressure has a been a long-term problem and there are no apparent water leaks, some or all of these items may cause poor water pressure:

1. Meter valves and other valves not fully open.


2. Clogged screens on faucets.


3. Old and corroded galvanized iron water piping inside the home.


4. Corroded connections between galvanized iron and copper pipe.


5. Undersized water service.

You may need to contact a plumber for professional advice if the problem stems from with in the home. Maintenance on all water piping on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. SPRWS advises home owners to seek advice and obtain bids from at least three licensed plumbers that are familiar with low-water pressure problems.

23. Who is responsible for maintenance of meter valves and the water service?

The property owner is responsible for all water piping on their private property. This includes all the water piping inside the building and the underground water service to the property line. SPRWS is responsible for the meter and the couplings that attach the meter to your pipes. If the meter is not working properly, call meter operations at 651-266-6850.

24. Where does your water come from?

We draw a large percentage of our water from the Mississippi River, which we pump through a chain of lakes, including Charles, Pleasant, Sucker, and Vadnais before it reaches our treatment plant. Ground water from several deep wells provides a small percentage of our water supply.

25. What are you doing to address taste and odor issues?

The utility installed granular activated carbon filters, much like a home filter on a large scale. The addition of these filters reduced taste and odor complaints by 92 percent from 2006 to 2007.

In addition, SPRWS has restored wetlands, which act as natural filters, around Vadnais Lake. Aeration systems have been installed in Vadnais and Pleasant lakes in an effort to increase oxygen levels and control the nutrients which fuel algae growth at the source. The utility is boosting its ability to pump well water that can be used to dilute the water coming primarily from the Mississippi River when taste and odor problems arise.

26. What chemicals are added to the water supply?

In the source water reservoirs and prior to treatment plant, ferric chloride is added to aid in the control of phosphorus. At the treatment plant, chemicals added consist of alum for coagulation, lime for softening, ferric chloride for improved settling, fluoride for dental hygiene, carbon dioxide for pH stabilization, chlorine and ammonia for disinfection, and tin chloride and sodium hydroxide for corrosion control.

27. What uses the most water in my house?

In an average home, flushing the toilet is the largest single use of water. Without counting lawn watering, typical percentages of water use for a family of four are:

• Toilet flushing: 40 percent


• Bath and Shower: 32 percent


• Laundry: 14 percent


• Dishwashing: 6 percent


• Cooking and drinking: 5 percent


• Bathroom sink: 3 percent

28. How hard is our water?

SPRWS water averages 5.3 grains of hardness per gallon. Dissolved minerals make water hard. As the amount of minerals in the water increases, the water becomes harder.

Two common minerals found dissolved in drinking water are calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Total hardness is defined as the sum of the calcium and magnesium concentrations, expressed as calcium carbonate (CaCO3), in milligrams per liter.

The average hardness of the raw water coming in to the plant is 189 mg/L or about 10.8 grains per gallon. However, we treat our water with lime to reduce water hardness, so the water leaving the plant averages 93 mg/L or 5.3 grains per gallon. Our water hardness levels are posted every month as part of the laboratory's physical and chemical analysis of SPRWS water. View the most recent monthly water analysis.

29. Do I need a plumbing permit?

For detailed information on when a plumbing permit is required by the water utility and how to obtain one, please call our Permit Office at 651-266-6270.