Water Shutoff Policy

Periodically, a home or business owner will contact Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU) and request that the water service be shut off.  This request may be due to a vacancy in the winter months or a pipe that has broken in the building before the main building shut-off valve.  The water service is shut off by turning the water off at the curb stop.  The curb stop is the valve usually located on the property line between the building and the street.  ERMU owns and operates the water distribution system in the street. The property owner owns and maintains their water service line from the main in the street to their building. If the owner desires the curb stop valve to be closed, it is their responsibility to operate it. If they cannot do it, they may have to call a plumber. Many times this curb stop valve is buried or under a driveway/sidewalk, etc. and can be difficult to locate. We will help locate this valve and loan the property owner a valve key if they need one to operate this valve. 

If the property owner is not at the property (out of state, etc.) and still desires the curb stop valve to be closed, and doesn’t wish to contact a plumber to do it, then we have a water shut off policy in place.  A form is completed and a fee of $600 is collected to complete the shut off for the owner.