Water & Sewer Transmission

The Water and Sewer Department is responsible for the water after it leaves the Water Treatment Plant through the mains to the water meter at the edge of your property. This department reads your water meter monthly (electronically) in order to determine how much water your household or business has used during the course of the previous month. They then transmit that information to the Utility Billing Department located at the Municipal Office.

The Water and Sewer Department also maintains and monitors sewer main lines, as sewage leaves your property and travels by gravity flow (or pumped by pump station) to the Waste Water Treatment Plant to be treated.

Water & Sewer Billing

Questions regarding water and sewer billing, rates, and connections may be directed to the municipal office. Field or technical questions may be directed to the Public Works Department.

Emergency Situations

To report incidents of an emergency nature (water main breaks, loss of water pressure, overflowing manholes, sewer back-ups, etc.) after normal business hours, call the Shenandoah Emergency Operations Center at 540-459-6101. You may also call the regular listed telephone numbers for the Municipal Office and Public Works Department and follow the recorded prompts to be connected to the "on call" technician.

What Can I Place in the Sanitary Sewer System?

It is very important to limit what you are putting into the sewer system. Toilet paper is the only material that should be flushed down the toilet. Wipes (even the "flushable" variety), paper towels, tissues, rags, etc. do not break down as easily as toilet paper and can cause costly back-ups in the sewer system. In addition, disinfectants, chemicals, medications, and other hazardous materials shall not be disposed of in the sink or toilet. This upsets the biological process at our wastewater treatment facility and can cause a great deal of harm. Please see our useful guide for more information and spread the word. 

Before you Dig

Please call MISS Utility of Virginia at 811 before you dig or excavate! This will prevent vital and costly utilities from being damaged as a result of not knowing where utility lines are located.

Hydrant Flushing

Hydrant flushing helps to keep water lines free of deposit buildup and to check the mechanical operation of fire hydrants and valves. Regular flushing is necessary to provide better water quality and fire protection. This program allows our crews to perform minor repairs to hydrants in order to ensure continued operation.

Customers may experience periods of lower water pressure and/or discoloration of their water during flushing. If you experience discolored water, run your cold-water tap until it clears. During periods of discoloration, postpone washing clothes and limit your use of hot water until the cold water clears.

The hydrant flushing may occur near adjacent roadways, therefore there may be water present in the gutter pan. Please use extra caution when driving during this time.

Smoke Testing the Sanitary Sewers

The Water and Sewer department will be conducting smoke testing in various locations throughout the Town of Woodstock. The test of the sanitary sewers will assist the town in locating breaks and defects in the sewer system.

Do not become alarmed if you see smoke coming from vent stacks on buildings, manholes, and holes in the ground. The smoke is a vapor that is odorless, non-toxic, and non-staining. It is simply a visual aid.

If vapor should enter your building during the test, it probably means that there are defects in the plumbing that could allow dangerous sewer gas to enter. Note the location of the vapor and call your plumber. Open all doors and windows to ventilate any vapor that enters the building.

You do not need to be present for the smoke testing to be conducted.

Annual Backflow Prevention Device Testing

The Town has adopted a program which requires that appropriate protection against cross connections and backflow prevention be installed and maintained. For testable backflow devices  this program requires yearly inspections and passing a test conducted by a certified plumber. This program was adopted in accordance with Virginia Department of Health Waterworks Regulations regarding Cross Connection Control (Article 4, 12VAC5-590-580). If you have questions about the program, please contact the Public Works department at 540-459-3045.

Sewer Clean-out Caps & Sewer Stacks

Please keep your sewer caps and stacks in good repair. During smoke testing, the Water and Sewer department will inspect your sewer caps and stacks. If they are broken or the sewer caps are missing, you will receive a notification in the mail stating that they must be replaced within 14 days (2 weeks) and will be re-inspected for repair.

Sewer caps and stacks can be purchased at your local hardware store.

Design Specifications Manual

The town Design Specifications Manual is utilized to inform design requirements developers pertaining to policies and procedures for water, sewer, stormwater management, and streets standards and specifications. Please contact Public Works at 540-459-3045 with any questions about the information contained in the manual.