The District staff is available to answer questions during normal business hours by phone and by email. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions and answers that may be of service to you.
You can pay your bill online or by mailing a check to the District office upon receipt of your bill. You can also pay by debit/credit by calling or coming in to the office at no charge. Pike Creek also can accept cash, checks, or money orders at the office. You may also set up an ACH auto debit (draft from your account account) or you can set up on auto bill pay through your bank.
Not all homeowner or rental insurance policies include coverage of sewer back-ups. Coverage can be added for a minimal charge. Contact your homeowner’s insurance agent to see what your policy covers. Make sure your home or business and its contents are covered.
Call the sewer district at 573-778-1321. The district provides emergency service 24 hours a day, seven days a week at no extra charge. We will check to see if there is a problem in the part of the system the sewer district maintains that may be affecting your private system.
Pike Creek requires that all public or private sewerage and drainage works proposed to be constructed, altered or reconstructed by any person or corporation, public or private, within the District’s boundaries, be submitted for review and approval. Please visit the Rules, Regulations & Standards page for more information.
You should contact a plumber if internal plumbing is causing a backup in your sink, bathtub or your toilets to overflow.
Yes. Pike Creek inspectors must inspect all sanitary sewer construction, repairs to the sewer mains, and lateral connections made to the sanitary sewer system. All inspections require advance notice for scheduling purposes.
Yes. Anyone who wishes to connect to Pike Creek must contact the district prior to any connection being made. Connection agreements and connection fees are required for all connections to the system. However, in some instances such as a new subdivision construction, the developer or home builder may have already obtained permission to connect the home to the district’s system. In all instances, the homeowner is encouraged to contact the district office to be certain that all fees have been paid to the district and to fill out an application for service.
If you do not pay your bill and you do not make arrangements for a payment plan, the sewer district will ask the water district to shut your water off. If the water is shut off, there will be a disconnect fee and reconnect fee added to your account, in addition to the full amount of the past due bill.
A leaky faucet or a running toilet uses more gallons of water than you imagine, inflating your water and sewer bills.
The Missouri Public Service Commission has great instructions on how to check for water leaks.
The District is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees elected by the residents of the District. This board meets the second Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the District Office (4550 Highway PP, Poplar Bluff, Missouri). You are encouraged to attend to voice your questions and concerns or simply find out what is happening with the District.
The District is funded solely by the user fees it collects. The District does not receive any tax funding nor does it have the ability to issue General Obligation bonds, which would enable the District to assess a tax on your property.
Sewer service involves the collection and treatment of wastewater. Wastewater is “used” water that is deposited into drains by residents and businesses. Flushing the toilet, taking a shower, and running the washing machine are all examples of everyday activities that produce wastewater. This wastewater drains down the sink or toilet and travels through a network of underground pipes known as the sanitary sewer system. Reclaiming wastewater is fundamental to protecting our water supply and guarding against water pollution.
There are several ways you can reduce the likelihood of stoppages in your private sewer lines and your neighborhood’s main lines. Most sewer line obstructions are caused by grease, tree roots and debris. The simplest way to prevent these materials from blocking your lines is to keep them out of your lines.
The sewer line between the house and the main line and the connection to the main is the homeowner’s responsibility. The sewer district will clear the main if there is a problem; if there is no problem in the main, then the homeowner will be advised to call a plumber to check their private line.
If you experience a water leak, contact your water provider and contact the sewer district. Let us know when the leak started and when you had it fixed. If the leak is during the winter months, usage records from before or after the leak may be used to figure the water usage average that will be applied to your sewer bill. Sewer charges during the leak period depend on the circumstances. Adjustments will be determined on a case by case basis.
The policy of the sewer district is to bill the base service availability fee on all homes, rental units and businesses connected to the sewer district’s sewer system regardless of whether the property is occupied or not. When a property is vacant, the landowner will be billed the monthly base service availability fee. We do not add a volume charge to the billing. Please call the office if we are charging you for water usage on a vacant rental unit, home or business.
The sewer district conducts an annual water usage update. The water usage or volume charge portion of your bill will be adjusted each year to reflect your current average water usage. Each spring your water supplier provides us with your actual water usage for November, December, January, February and March. We use the winter months so we are not charging you for outdoor usage like watering your lawn or washing your car. These five months are averaged, and this figure is applied to the volume charge portion of your billing from May of one year until April of the next.
Your water usage is determined by your water provider. The water provider reads the water meter at your home or business and shares the information with the sewer district. The sewer district receives this information on an annual basis.
Your monthly sewer rate includes a monthly base service availability fee or base rate plus a volume charge for every 1,000 gallons of water used.