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Water Services

Show All Answers

1. Where do I turn on my utilities?

To transfer utilities into your name, a utility service application is required. Applications may be submitted online, picked up at 190 N. Litchfield Rd. (located on the southwest corner of Litchfield Rd. and Van Buren St.), or mailed out at your request by calling 623-932-3015. Please note that it will take up to three business days after submission of your utility application to get service transferred and turned on.

2. When does my water meter get read and how?

Water Services reads meters on a monthly basis. The City is divided into four separate cycles (two, three, four, and five), and a different cycle is read each Monday. The city uses a “radio-read” system for reading the meters. The data is uploaded into a data box, which is then placed in a City vehicle and driven to the designated cycle to be read. Reads are collected via radio frequency by the data box. Once collected, the data is then uploaded from the data box into the city's finance system, which in turn generates your bill.

3. Why is the water hot?

This is a very common occurrence in the summer months in the Desert Southwest. Water pipes acclimate (or adjust) to the temperature around them. As temperatures get higher in the summer, the water pipes absorb heat from the ground around them, and the temperature of the water in the pipes also increases. Heat also transfers to pipes located in walls and ceilings of homes and commercial structures. This exposure to additional constant high temperature further increases water temperatures at the tap. The water will never be "cold" in the summertime because of the consistently high temperatures in the summer months.

For cooler drinking water, fill a container and place it in the refrigerator for a short period of time. Utilizing a refrigerator with a water spout in the door is another way to serve cooler water year round.

4. Where does my water come from?

The City of Goodyear's drinking water source is supplied 100% by groundwater. The city has production wells, storage facilities, and pressure booster stations located strategically throughout the city. The underground aquifer from which the city receives its water is called the West Salt Valley Sub-Basin. The aquifer's depth ranges from 100 to 1,000 feet from the surface. The City has a storage capacity of 15.9 million gallons of water. Learn more about our watershed: U.S. EPA's Surf Your Watershed.

5. Sometimes the water from my faucet is very cloudy. Is this harmful?

Cloudy or milky water is a very common complaint and a difficult one to explain. It is even harder to resolve. There is no real health concern with drinking cloudy or milky water. The cloudiness is usually caused by air bubbles. To make it a little clearer: just like a bottle of soda pop – upon opening the bottle, bubbles start forming. This is because the pressure in the bottle is higher than the atmospheric pressure. The same thing occurs when we pump water from an excess of 40 feet underground. Because the pressure is much higher underground than it is on the surface, groundwater air bubbles are formed when the atmospheric pressure is met. Since our water system is pressurized, this phenomenon usually occurs at the tap, resulting in cloudy water and/or ice cubes.

6. Why does my drinking water sometimes taste like chlorine?

Chlorine is added to potable water supplies to ensure that the water delivered to our customers is safe from bacterial contamination. Although bacterial contamination in deep wells is nearly nonexistent, water regulations, effective as of 1991, requires that all domestic water systems be disinfected. Chlorine is the most popular disinfectant used in the United States. One technique customers close to a chlorination point may use to get rid of the taste is to let the water stand 20 minutes before drinking. This will allow excess chlorine to vaporize away, nearly eliminating the chlorine taste of the water. Another technique to help the chlorine taste disappear is to chill tap water in a pitcher or bottle in the refrigerator.

Chlorine taste complaints may be reported to the Public Works Department at 623-932-3010, where they will be routed to the appropriate area to be investigated.

7. Why is my water sometimes a different color?

If your water is blue, this is very common in newer homes with copper plumbing. It is a by-product of the new copper. It will diminish with time as the new piping is used.

If your water appears reddish brown or orange in color, this may mean it contains excess iron. When iron is dissolved in groundwater, it is colorless. However, when it combines with air, the iron turns reddish brown. Another cause could be rusty water from the water lines or from your hot water heater. Check to see if any neighbors are experiencing this problem. If not, it is probably in your pipes or water heater. Letting the water run for a while will often clear the water.

8. What is hard water?

When water is referred to as "hard," this means that it contains more minerals than "soft" water, especially the minerals calcium and magnesium. These minerals are present in the rock surrounding the aquifer and become naturally absorbed by the water. Magnesium and calcium are positively charged ions. In their presence, other positively charged ions, such as soap and detergent, do not dissolve as easily.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes standards for drinking water which fall into two categories: Primary Standards and Secondary Standards. Primary Standards are based on health considerations, and Secondary Standards are based on aesthetics such as taste, odor, color, and corrosivity. There is no Primary or Secondary standard for water hardness. Water softeners are used to help eliminate or reduce hardness, but are limited in what they can do.

9. What is water softening?

Hard water contains a significant amount of calcium and magnesium and is known to leave a residue and reduce the ability of soap and detergent to dissolve in water. Water softening is a technique that serves as a way to remove the calcium and magnesium ions that are making the water hard. Iron ions may also be removed during softening. The best way to soften water is to connect the water softener unit directly to the water supply.

10. Is it a good idea to periodically check my water softener?

Yes, every home uses different amounts of water. It is a good idea to perform maintenance on your water softener after 15,000-to-20,000 gallons of water has run through your system. That might be about every six months or so for the average household. For specific recommendations on how often this should be done, you should refer to your owner's manual.

Water softener maintenance is essential for keeping your system working efficiently. It does not take much time and only needs to be done a few times a year. You will be thankful you made the effort when your system lasts longer than it was "supposed" to.

11. Does the amount of hardness in the water system vary throughout the City?

Yes, hardness does vary throughout the City. It is important to know the hardness for your area to set the water softener correctly. The softener will remove unwanted minerals from the water supply, but if it is not set correctly or not working properly, excessive salt or backwash discharge can damage or reduce the life of the softener.

If you live south of Interstate 10 and would like information about water hardness in your area, please contact Water Services at 623-932-3010. If your water service is provided by Liberty Water (formerly the Litchfield Park Service Company) you can contact them at 623-935-9367 or visit their website.

12. When should I flush my hot water heater?

Although the City does not deal directly with hot water heaters, they are a major cause of water quality complaints. Heating water will naturally make water more aggressive or corrosive. Maintaining a water heater once a year will eliminate many water quality problems.

13. How do I flush my hot water heater?

To flush a hot water heater, first turn off the heating (or pilot) system by turning off the gas or electricity to the unit and letting the unit stand for 20 minutes to cool down the elements.

After the heating element is cooled:

-Attach a garden hose to the spigot located near the bottom of the tank
-Open the spigot and drain the tank to an open drain area
-Close the drain valve after drainage is complete
-Allow the water heater to fill completely before starting the heating system
-Please follow your manufacturers’ instructions, if different from those above.