Water Department
Beaux Arts Water Tower
The Beaux Arts Water Department supplies water to residents of the Town and is the only utility owned and operated by the Town. Originally developed in 1908 by the Western Academy of Beaux Arts, the water system was acquired and operated as King County Water District No. 22 from 1925 through 1973, when the Town took over operation of the system.
The Water Department draws water from a deep artesian well located near the north end of the beach, stores it in a 30,000-gallon water tank, and moves it on demand by gravity feed from the tank sitting 67.5 feet high to each residence in Beaux Arts.
Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code Chapter 13.05 establishes the rules and regulations of the Water Department. The Town's water is neither chlorinated nor fluorinated, but it is regularly tested to meet Washington State Department of Health requirements and is often praised for its taste and freshness.
Newcomers may notice that the Town's water pressure seems lower than in other locales, but this is normal for our gravity-fed system. The Water Department maintains a connection to the Bellevue Water Utility, which is designed to activate automatically in an emergency, ensuring that no residence is left without water if the Water Department is out of service for any reason.
The Water Department is supervised by a resident volunteer who oversees the operation and maintenance of the water-distribution system and reports to the Town Council. The Water Supervisor is assisted by a contractor, who acts as the Water Superintendent handling routine maintenance, installing new water-service connections, collecting water samples for testing, and performing special projects as needed.
Each year, the Water Department prepares a Water Quality Report that is mailed to each residence. This report, also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, provides users with a "snapshot" of the quality of the water provided by the Water Department. The report summarizes the water source, contaminants detected over the previous year (if any), and a discussion of of those contaminants. Please visit the Water Quality Report page to view the current report.
If you have questions about the Water Department or your water bill, please contact Clerk/Treasurer Sue Ann Spens
CONTACT US
To contact Clerk/Treasurer Sue Ann Spens, please visit our CONTACT US page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Water Department Address
Beaux Arts Water Department
10530 SE 27th Street
Beaux Arts, WA 98004
Please use this address for payments to and mailed correspondence with the Beaux Arts Water Department.
Billing by Email
The Water Department offers residents the option of receiving water bills by email instead of by US Mail. If you would like to receive your water bills by email, please contact Clerk/Treasurer Sue Ann Spens. Unfortunately, we do not have an option for autopay at this time.
Payment Options
At this time, the Water Department is only able to accept payments by check -- either processed through your bank's Online Bill Pay option OR written and mailed / hand-delivered to the Water Department mailbox across from the water tower.
We are working to find an option for true automatic payments. If you would like to set up a monthly payment through your bank's online billpay that replicates that option, please contact Clerk/Treasurer Spens for help in determining a regular monthly payment that will cover your water usage over the course of a year.
Backflow Prevention Device Testing
Homeowners who have a lawn-irrigation system, fire-sprinkler system, pond, spa, hot tub, swimming pool or any other installation that is permanently connected to the water-distribution system are required to install and maintain a backflow prevention device (BFD). This device prevents water sitting in any of these systems from flowing back into the water-distribution system -- a potentially serious source of contamination. Every BFD must be tested annually by a certified inspector.
Each spring, the Town arranges for bulk testing of BFDs on behalf of residents who wish to participate in the program. There is a nominal fee for this testing, usually about $45 per test. Homeowners who choose NOT to participate in this bulk testing must arrange for their own annual test and submit the results of that test to the Beaux Arts Water Department, 10530 SE 27th Street, Beaux Arts, WA 98004.
Sulfur-Like Smell?
On occasion, customers report a sulfur-like smell in the water coming from a tap inside or outside their homes. That smell is caused by an anaerobic organism that lives on the trace amounts of manganese in our well water. Neither the manganese not the organisms pose a health threat, but the smell can be objectionable. These pockets of smelly water tend to develop in taps that are seldom used and in garden hoses that sit idle through the cooler months.
The best way to eliminate the smell is to run chlorinated water through the affected tap, line or hose, but that isn't always easy to do. (On those rare occasions when the Town switches to Bellevue Water for a short period, the chlorine in their water supply usually does the trick.)
Many homeonwers find that just running the affected tap for a period of time flushes out the smell, but that doesn't always work. Homeowners who are unable to completely eliminate the smell may want to call a plumber, particularly one with experience in water treatment.
The Town does not, as a rule, recommend firms to our residents. We suggest that you perform an internet search for suggestions or consult a service like Home Advisor or Angie's List.