FAQs

The Service Line Warranty Program by HomeServe offers Livingston homeowners an option to purchase affordable coverage options.  Service Line Warranty Plans offer 3 Plans.

1. Water Lines
2. Sewer Lines
3. In-Home Plumbing and Drainage

Plans may cover failures due to normal wear and tear, including age, ground shifting, fluctuating temperatures, tree root invasion and frozen lines. Participation is voluntary and warranties can be canceled at any time.

Visit https://servicelinepartner.com/what-service-line-plans-cover/ for more information and to sign-up. 

Individual service line: The property owner hires a licensed, bonded plumber to do the work for him. If the mainline tap requires work, the city crew will do the tap work and bill the property owner for time and materials.

Tapping into a line: The property owner must purchase a permit at the City's Water Counter, pay a tapping fee in accordance with ordinances, pay the city for the first water meter, and pay any reimbursement fee associated with the main, as well as Impact Fees based on the size of the water service.

Recycling of glass is provided to the citizens of Livingston at no charge and the City Commission found that this service is desired by and beneficial for the citizens of Livingston, and Livingston is the only municipality in the State of Montana that provides for the recycling of glass and the cost to the city of glass recycling is not covered by the current fees.

The City of Livingston operates solid waste services as an enterprise fund, i.e. that the cost of providing the services to the general public on a continuing basis is financed or recovered through user charges and are not supported by the general tax levy. 

A recycling fee of $1/month for residential users and $2/month for commercial users will cover the cost of glass recycling.

The City Commission held a public hearing on July 16, 2019, at which time the public was invited to attend and comment on its intent to create a user recycling fee of $1/month for residential users and $2/month for commercial users to become effective for solid waste services starting July 2019, to be billed beginning on August 2019.

69-7-101 et sec. Montana Code Annotated (MCA), authorizes increases in utility rates when deemed necessary by the City Commission.

The City pumps over 3 million gallons of water perday with its six wells.  The City also has 3 million gallons of storage in its two reservoirs that serve 90 percent of Livingston.

To verify if/where lead lines exist on private property, Public Works Department has launched an online Water Service Line Inventory.  With easy-to-follow instructions to identify your service line material. Follow the steps provided and report your findings if you discover a lead service line or potential lead service line. 

Identifying your service line material and reporting it in the survey can provide valuable information. If there is not enough voluntary customer identification the City will have to invest much more time, energy, and resources to investigate City service lines.

Other actions the City will take in accordance with EPA guidance include creating a service line replacement plan and testing/monitoring childcare and school service lines. 

Since your sewer bill is calculated by how much water goes down any drain, it’s easy to overlook some wasteful activities or habits that may be contributing to a high bill. Reducing your sewer bill is simple! Once you figure out how you use the most water in your home, it’s easier to know where to cut back. Try these simple tactics to reduce your wastewater use and save cash.
 

Take shorter showers

You might not realize how long you actually stand in the shower. You also might not think about how much water you use before you shower when waiting for the water to heat up! Keep a hand under the water so you’re ready to jump in as soon as it’s up to temp. Then, try setting a 5-minute timer or playing a song about 4-5 minutes long while you shower. Once the timer goes off or the song ends, shower time is over. Challenge yourself to beat the timer, and you might be surprised at how quickly you can get it done!

For extra savings, try turning the shower off while you soap up, then back on when you’re ready to rinse. It might not seem like much, but it can pay off in the long run!

Do larger laundry loads less frequently

Frequent loads of laundry can use up a lot of water, which can be especially wasteful if you’re just washing that one outfit that you really want to wear. Instead, try designating a laundry day for yourself. Pick a day of the week to gather up every loose shirt and sock, and throw them all in.

Only run your dishwasher when it’s full

If you want to reduce wastewater from your dishwasher, start by running fewer loads. Wait until you’ve used all the available space in your dishwasher to start it. The more dishes per load, the less often you need to run the dishwasher!

If you need to hand wash certain dishes, try filling up the sink instead of running the water while you scrub. Additionally, check if your dishwasher has a high-efficiency setting that uses even less water. It might make your cycle run for a bit longer, but it will save you water and money!

Check for leaks

The most common source of the water bill jump is a running or leaking toilet flapper valve. Many homeowners don’t appreciate how much water a toilet uses; the toilet valve is essentially a garden hose going at full blast, and it’s not unusual for a single running toilet to waste hundreds of dollars of water. The easiest way to check to see if your toilet flapper may be leaking is to pour a packet of kool-aid into your reservoir tank. Wait 15 minutes.  If you see color leaking into the bowl, that indicates a leaking flapper valve.