FAQ's

CALL DIGSAFE or visit their website to file a Dig Safe request. Any digging whatsoever without calling Dig Safe beforehand is AGAINST THE LAW. Dig Safe acts as a intermediary for public utilities throughout the Northeast Regions. As intentions to dig are reported, Dig Safe sends these requests to each public utility that might provide service within the proposed excavation area. Utilities are then REQUIRED to visit the area and mark areas where their utility lines exist and could be affected by digging. The person performing the digging must designate the area to be excavated with white lines so the utilities know where the work will be performed. Don’t make the common mistake of neglecting or forgetting to call Dig Safe, because it may result in damage to underground utilities which is both dangerous and inconvenient to the public. There is also a fine for failure to contact Dig Safe.
 
Call DIGSAFE 1-888-DIG-SAFE
Visit digsafe.com

Call our office immediately. Customers are usually the first to discover problems within the water system, even with the most innovative technology. The problem could be within the distribution system or isolated to your property only, so don’t assume someone else has probably called to report a water outage.

Check to ensure that your quarterly bill has been paid and is not overdue. Service is disconnected if there is an unpaid balance approximately 75 days past the billing date.
 
If you a seasonal customer who had your water turned off for the winter, you will need to have LRWC turn your water on outside at the street valve. Since many customers have plumbers drain their internal piping & turn the water off inside the home to prevent freezing, broken pipes & floods, check to make sure the water is on INSIDE your home as well.
 
If the prior two situations do not apply, call the LRWC office immediately. There may be a problem within the distribution system or within your water service that needs to be addressed. You may also check the homepage of our website as known water problems will be listed here & updated accordingly.

First, make sure all the appropriate valves are in proper working condition inside your home to eliminate possible culprits such as a broken water heater, clogged aerator on the kitchen sink or a valve in the off position, etc. Also, if the cold water side of your faucet is working properly but the hot side is not, there may be something wrong with your hot water tank or heater in which case you will need to contact your plumber or oil/heat technician. If everything appears to be in working order, call our office to report the issue. While pressure is expected to fluctuate slightly, we are required to provide pressure between 20 psi and 125 psi. Anything above or below this range is not acceptable per PUC rules. If you feel you fall outside this range, we can arrange to have an employee troubleshoot the problem upon request.

Yes. It is illegal for any persons other than Lakes Region Water Company Inc. field personnel to manipulate service valves. Call or email LRWC to request disconnection or reconnections, allowing at least 3-5 business days advanced notice for scheduling purposes. We would prefer to have the homeowner or homeowner’s representative present during such service as a precautionary measure. There is a fee for service calls, which can be found in the Customers section of this site under the Bill Payment & Rates section.
 
For Winter Disconnections: It is customary for the homeowner to hire a plumber to drain internal piping and shut the water valve off inside the home. Normally, we will coordinate our shut off at the street valve with the customer’s plumber.

• If there is a discrepancy between your water bill and what you believe you are using, you have the right to have the meter tested for accuracy. A LRWC employee will disconnect your meter, have it tested and reconnect the meter (or a new meter if found to be inaccurate). If upon testing, the meter is found to be registering correctly, the customer will be liable for all costs of such service. If the meter is found to be registering incorrectly, LRWC will incur all charges.
• Sometimes the connection between your meter and the remote sensor outside the home becomes corrupted. In this case, we will need to repair the wiring and/or the remote sensor itself; however, any water flow through the meter not billed during the time the remote sensor wasn’t working properly will remain the responsibility of the homeowner. This is because water flow through the meter will still register at the meter itself even if the connection to the exterior sensor is broken. If you are getting billed for zero usage despite the fact you are using water, you should call us asap to have your meter and/or sensor repaired.
• Meters sometimes need to be cleared of sediment that accumulates in the meter over time, preventing the meter from properly registering water flow.
• LRWC reserves the right to estimate customer usage based on the customer’s account history if accurate meter reads are unobtainable. Such estimations will be adjusted accordingly when an actual meter read is obtained.

Per Company and PUC rules, the customer is to provide a warm, adequate environment to protect their meter from freezing. Remember to properly winterize your home if you are a seasonal resident so that the meter will not freeze & cause flooding. If your home is not properly winterized, you will be charged for repairs. Large costs are incurred for broken meters at the expense of the customer. Always contact LRWC as soon as possible to schedule repairs and PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM YOURSELF.

• If the leak is within the meter or anywhere between your meter and the shutoff valve at the street, contact LRWC. You own the service line between the street shut off and the meter, so any repairs to such are at the customer’s expense. Otherwise, you will most likely need to contact a plumber. LRWC is not authorized to attempt to fix any plumbing, faucets and associated fixtures inside the customer’s home.
• If a LRWC employee happens to discover a leak inside a customer’s home, your water may be shut off and we will make every attempt to contact you to let you know what is going on.
• Report any odd observations within your water system. If it has not rained for many days and you notice a large puddle anywhere within the distribution system, this may be an indicator of a leak. Most of the time, water will bubble within a standing puddle of water if a leak in the pressurized system has occurred.

These issues will commonly occur following a water line break or system maintenance. Running an outside faucet for 15-20 minutes will usually solve the problem. If it does not, please contact us.

This too may occur following system issues. Fill a glass of water from your tap and set it on an even surface. If your water is clear in about 30 seconds to one minute, there is nothing to worry about. Water turbidity is a measure of the clarity of your water and does NOT affect your health.

You may find water quality sampling results on the NHDES’ website, within your yearly-issued CCR (Consumer Confidence Report), or by contacting our office. Please note that we follow a schedule predetermined by the NHDES and do NOT sample for EVERY contaminant every year or even within the same time periods. The frequency of testing for each contaminant all depends on the system’s source, number of customers, previous sampling results, etc and is NOT determined by LRWC. Any potential threat to public health is distributed to each customer and will be posted on our homepage. Please note: detection of contaminants does not necessarily indicate poor water quality.
 
Please refer to our water quality page for further information.

Yes. The NHDES may select your home as a sampling source on your system’s testing schedule. If this is the case, you may view these results on the NHDES website or request results from our office. Otherwise, you may have your water tested at your own expense. There are several labs offering chemical testing services to the general public that are state approved. Please understand that LRWC does not have the authority to add, remove or change sampling locations on their testing schedule at the customer’s request.
 
See the list of labs.

Refer to our rates page & search for your water system to view your billing rates and applicable service fees. All rates & fees are approved by the NHPUC. When a utility company puts in a request to implement a rate change, several things happen. The following is an abbreviated version of the steps of a rate case. Full rules & regulations can be reviewed on the PUC’s website under Rules on the left hand side of the navigation pane.
 
View our Rates page.

• The Company must prove the need for all rate increases.
• The PUC will request answers to any and all questions concerning the Company and its customer base, historical records, income, expenses, capital improvements & future capital improvements among other things. The Company must then respond to all questions within a prescribed time frame.
• The PUC will perform a complete audit of the Company’s business and may have access to all Company financial records.
• Several meetings & hearings are held which will include discovery, testimony, exhibits and evidence, etc.
• After review of all records and meetings with the Company, the PUC publishes an administrative order that illustrates whether or not rate change is approved, what the new rate will be, when it may be implemented and why it is approved. All information is open to the public & on the PUC's website.

You are essentially paying an availability fee similar to a telephone or cable service. Since the majority of our customers are seasonal residents, charging for water based on usage alone is not substantial enough to maintain a water system.
 
Please review the PUC’s “How Water & Sewer Rates are Set” for further information.
You may also call the PUC at 1-800-852-3793

We are excited to announce that Lakes Region Water Company customers are now able to view, print and pay their water bills online.
 
Click to visit our Online Bill Payment page for more information
You may also mail payments to our office or deliver them in person. We accept cash, personal checks, certified bank checks or money orders and they should be made payable to Lakes Region Water Company Inc. and mailed to:
Lakes Region Water Company Inc.
PO Box 389
Moultonboro, NH 03254
 
You may also hand deliver payments to our office located at 420 Governor Wentworth Highway in Moultonboro, New Hampshire. (You may find that Mapquest does not contain directions for the address of 420 Governor Wentworth Highway). If you need directions, please call or email our office and we can walk you through it.

Our Company does not perform this service. Bulk Water Haulers must come from an approved water source authorized by the NHDES.
 
Click here for Bulk Water Haulers!

Depending on your water system, your water may come from one, two or several water sources. Each source must be NHDES approved and chemical tested before being put into service. Visit our Water Quality page & click on your system under “Water Quality Reports” to find out where your water comes from.
 
Different types of wells and their rules.