Water Services
Chester Public Utility District provides drinking water to about 1,310 homes and businesses from four groundwater wells. Chester’s water comes from underground, not from Lake Almanor.
Who protects your drinking water
- Federal law. The Safe Drinking Water Act sets national standards for drinking water.
- State law. The California Safe Drinking Water Act adds state standards on top of the federal ones.
- Our regulator. The State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water oversees our system directly. It issues our permit, certifies our operators, sets our testing schedule, and reviews every result we report.
Our part: what the District does
- Tests the water on the State’s schedule and publishes the results every year in the Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report).
- Tells customers promptly if a test ever shows a problem.
- Owns and maintains the wells, the water mains, the service line, and the meter, meter box, and curb stop at your property.
- Runs the Cross-Connection Control program so water from private plumbing can never flow back into the public system.
- Keeps the required inventory of what every service line is made of. In the District’s most recent lead and copper testing (July 2024), lead was not detected. To see the inventory, call or visit the District office.
Your part: what customers do
- Pipes past the meter. Everything on your side of the meter is yours to maintain, including leaks and the water lost through them.
- Meter access. Keep the area within 18 inches of the meter box clear and the lid uncovered. Our crews need to reach it to read the meter and to shut water off in an emergency.
- Leaks and breaks. Report leaks and main breaks right away: (530) 258-2171, or after hours (530) 816-0505.
- Backflow devices. If your property has a backflow prevention device, have it tested every year.
- Your own shutoff valve. Know where your shutoff valve is. Please don’t operate the valve inside the meter box; it belongs to the District.
- Water that sits. If water has sat in your pipes for several hours, run the cold tap briefly before drinking or cooking with it.
Your rights as a customer
State law protects customers from having water shut off for nonpayment without advance notice and a chance to set up a payment plan. Read the District’s water shut-off policy (Policy 3050, PDF). Had a leak, or think your bill is wrong? Request a billing adjustment. Questions about your bill? Call the office at (530) 258-2171.
The water shut-off policy is also available in: Español | 中文 | Tagalog | Tiếng Việt | 한국어.