Avon Lake Regional Water’s Response to Coronavirus COVID-19
Avon Lake Regional Water provides a critical public health and safety role in our region, working 24/7, 365 days a year to provide water services to over 200,000 residents living in the seven-county area surrounding Avon Lake and sanitary sewer services to about 30,000 residents living in Avon Lake and parts of Lorain County.
Given our critical public health and safety role, Avon Lake Regional Water has implemented emergency response and contingency plans for our staff, especially our water and wastewater operators to ensure your water and wastewater services remain seamless.
As a reminder, per the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no evidence detecting COVID-19 in drinking water because of the filtration and disinfection steps to treating the water. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a statement on March 11th stating, “The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. Based on current evidence, the risk to water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.”
The Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities and Avon Lake Regional Water take great pride in their critical roles in public health and safety. We will continue our ongoing commitment to the highest quality operations so you and your family can count on your water and wastewater services to remain reliable, wholesome and seamless.
Additional Information
Update to Payment Plan Options – 1/5/2021
Avon Lake Regional Water will no longer be offering payment plan options. All balances for customers currently on payment plans will be due by April 20, 2021. Avon Lake Regional Water will continue to absorb the credit card processing fee for payments through April 20, 2021.
Payment Plan Options for Customers Experiencing Financial Hardship During COVID-19 Pandemic – Updated 7/13/2020
Avon Lake Regional Water is committed to helping our customers through the COVID-19 pandemic through providing seamless water and wastewater services, which are critical to public health. We continue to offer our customers, who are experiencing financial hardship during this pandemic, payment plan options for their water and wastewater bills. We ask that those customers utilize our payment plan options, otherwise we will have to resume water shutoffs for nonpayment. Please call our Customer Service team at (440) 933-6226 to further discuss payment plan options.
Water Continues to Remain Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic – Updated 5/29/2020
As summer is upon us, many of us want to cool off by the pool but are concerned about the on-going coronavirus. As a reminder, the CDC states that there is no evidence COVID-19 can spread to people through water used in pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds because proper disinfection of the water should kill the virus that causes COVID-19. The CDC recommends limiting close contact with people in public spaces, both in and out of the water, and regularly washing/sanitizing hands. The CDC also recommends not sharing swimming goggles and other pool items without proper cleaning.
Also, with warmer weather, it is all the more important to remain hydrated. Public drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations are a great way to help with hydration. However, certain precautions must be taken. The CDC states that the virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water. The CDC also states that proper cleaning and disinfection of the drinking fountain/filling station hard surfaces should regularly occur to kill the virus left there from someone who is infected. To be safe, it is encouraged for people to bring their own water (in reusable containers) to minimize touching of hard surfaces, if it is unknown when they were last disinfected.
Avon Lake Regional Water is additionally working on modifications to public drinking fountains to discourage hand and mouth contact with the fountain heads.
Updated information on Customer Service Staffing – 5/4/2020
Starting Monday, May 4, 2020, our Customer Service team will be back in the office M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our office lobby will remain closed to the public for the public health and safety of all. Our drive-thru window will be open.
Customer Service Staffing
Effective March 24, 2020, Avon Lake Regional Water’s office will remain closed to the public and our customer service staff will be working remotely until tentatively April 7, 2020. Please continue to call our main office number at (440) 933-6226. Our customer service staff will respond to messages for non-emergency calls within 1 business day. As always, if you do have an emergency, our recording will provide further direction for immediate response.
No Paper Towels, Kleenex, Baby Wipes, and/or Flushable Wipes Down the Toilet
Our wastewater treatment facility and sewer system are critical to the public’s health and safety. As a reminder, please do not flush paper towels, Kleenex, baby wipes, and/or flushable wipes down the toilet. These items do not break down like toilet paper and can cause backups in your private sanitary lateral and our system and plant. If these items are used, please place them in the trash.
Keeping the Water Flowing for Those Customers with Past Due Bills
Avon Lake Regional Water realizes this is a difficult time for all with respect to the potential health effects of the pandemic. The health and safety of our customers is first and foremost. For those customers with past due bills, we will not shut the water for this nonpayment. Keeping the water flowing is critical to hygiene.
Updated information on Winter Quarterly Bills – 4/7/2020
On April 2, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine extended the “stay at home” order to May 1st. Since the original order was extended, Avon Lake Regional Water will be sending out the winter quarterly bills during the week of April 6th to ensure this bill does not overlap with the spring quarterly bill.
The Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities and Avon Lake Regional Water staff understand that the Governor’s order has financially impacted our customers, both residential and commercial. To help our customers, we will be extending the bill due date to June 1st. A letter providing more information on the due date and payment options will be sent to all Avon Lake customers.
We appreciate your patience and understanding with us during this pandemic. During this unsettling time, rest assured that the Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities and Avon Lake Regional Water take great pride in their critical roles in public health and safety and will continue our ongoing commitment to provide you with seamless water and wastewater services.
Postponing the Mailing and Due Date of Avon Lake’s Winter Quarterly Bills – 3/26/2020
The Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities and Avon Lake Regional Water understand that this is a challenging time for both our residential and commercial customers.
Avon Lake Regional Water will be postponing the mailing of the upcoming quarterly bill (bill for the months of December, January, and February) that would have arrived in mailboxes on March 31st. Postponing the mailing will also change the bill’s due date, too.
We will provide further information at a later time. For now, rest assured that your water and wastewater services will continue seamlessly.