Little Elm is a lake town – and proud of it! Residents of Little Elm love their water, so it is just as fitting that Legacy Plumbing is proud to be headquartered in Little Elm right off of Eldorado Parkway. This article discusses the plumbing of Little Elm. Whether you are a long-time resident or a recent transplant, you will get some useful information about your water.
Where Does Little Elm Get Its Water From? Is It Hard Water?
Like many cities in the North DFW area, Little Elm gets its water from the North Texas Municipal Water District. Because of this, Little Elm residents may experience the hard water that many in North Texas must deal with. The high levels of calcium and minerals in the water will result in white, crusty deposits on showerheads, faucets, and aerators.
While the hard water is at a level that many are comfortable dealing with, many turn to water filtration and softener systems to make the water more skin-friendly and drinkable. While whole-house systems are a big investment, many opt for smaller reverse-osmosis systems installed under their kitchen sink just for drinking water.
As a Little Elm resident, it is a good idea to set a schedule for cleaning out your faucet aerators and showerheads regularly. Fortunately, this is fairly easy to do. You can simply unscrew the showerhead or aerator, rinse any debris out of the filter screen, and soak it in vinegar to dissolve the calcium deposits.
The Water Tastes Unusual. Does Little Elm Have Good Water Quality?
You might experience a fluctuation in the taste of the tap water during different periods of the year. This is a normal experience for NTMWD customers and is the result of seasonal “algal bloom”.
Little Elm monitors the water quality for purity and safe levels of different elements. You can read the full 2019 water quality report here. Like most cities in this area, Little Elm water contains both chlorine and fluoride. The majority of this water comes from Lake Lavon, but some may also come from other NTMWD reservoirs such as Lake Texoma or Lake Chapman.
If you have complaints about the water quality, Little Elm has a special form on their website that you can fill out to direct this to the appropriate party.
Does Little Elm Practice Water Conservation?
These water supplies aren’t endless, especially in times of drought. For this reason, water conservation is important to Little Elm. You can read their water conservation plan here. There are regulations for lawn watering schedules, and you can read more about this here on their website.
When it comes to managing your use of water, Little Elm offers a cool tool that will enable you to keep tabs on things better. It’s called the “My Water Advisor App”. Once set up, you can program custom alerts that allow you to measure your water usage in different ways.
For more information about what Little Elm charges for potable water usage and wastewater treatment, you can read about this in their ordinance on this page. The fresh, potable water is, of course, tracked by the property’s water meter. The sewer charge is determined through a calculated estimate created by averaging the water used during December, January, and February (the time of the year least likely to be affected by any irrigation watering).
What Affects My Little Elm Water Bill? How Do I Shut the Water Off?
If you have a water leak that will greatly increase your water bill. If this happens, you can apply for what’s called a Water Leak adjustment with the City of Little Elm to avoid the extra expense. This is set up to incentivize timely repair of water leaks that may occur. Follow the instructions online and submit this form with a copy of your plumbing receipt.
In the event of a leak or some issue requiring the water to be shut off to your home, there are two main ways of accomplishing this. By plumbing code, there is required to be a shutoff valve on the main water line where it enters the home. In Little Elm, the vast majority of these are located in a plastic “valve box” buried in the front flower bed. For some reason, many of the homes in Little Elm have this valve box located around the front corner of the home nearest to the water meter.
The water meter is the second place where water can be shut off to the home. The water meter is located by the street in a round metal or rectangular plastic box. If you need the water shut off to your home at the water meter, the city can do this for you at no cost. You can ring the Public Works Department at their (972) 377-5556 phone number or if this occurs after-hours, you can call their emergency contact number at (214) 975-8040.
In the next article, we’ll discuss more of Little Elm’s plumbing code and what some common plumbing issues are in the town.
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