Water Services

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Customer Service (Billing): (816) 331-4331

Water Shop (Maintenance): (816) 322-1885    

Email backflow reports to: backflow@belton.org

After-Hours Emergency: (816) 331-1500

Business Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

The Water Services Division operates and maintains the city's water reservoirs, pump stations, and water mains to deliver the highest quality drinkable water to our customers.  The City of Belton currently purchases its water from the Kansas City Water Department.

The City of Belton’s 2023 Water Quality Report is now available.

Water Services collects over 350 water samples a year and this report details results collected during 2023. If you have questions or would like to request a paper copy, please contact the Water Services Manager at (816) 322-1885.

For information regarding water/sewer billing, please visit Utility Billing. 

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Account Holder
It is the account holder's responsibility to provide continual access to the water meter. If a meter reader encounters an obstruction to the meter, a 24-hour notice will be posted to the account holder's door (or vehicle if it is the obstruction) requesting that the obstruction be removed. If the obstruction is not removed within 24 hours, the matter will be turned over to the Codes Department as an ordinance violation and possible tow.

The property owner is responsible for maintaining the service line from the meter to the building / home as well as all plumbing within the building / home.

 

Responsibilities of the City of Belton
City responsibilities are limited to those things it controls, owns, or maintains, which include the water line leading to the customer's meter and the meter itself. Since the City of Belton does not control, own, or maintain the elements of the customer's home / business plumbing system, it cannot be held responsible for failures to this system.
 
Problems
Water service-related problems between the water meter and the customer's home / business or within the customer's home / business are the customer's responsibility.
 
For More Information
For more information about responsibilities with regard to water service operations, please contact the Water Services Division at (816) 322-1885.
 
Water Billing
For information about water billing or questions on your water account, please contact Customer Service at (816) 331-4331.

 

Backflow

Explanation of Backflow
Water distribution systems are designed with the intention of the water flowing in one direction - from the distribution system to the consumer. However, hydraulic conditions within the system may deviate from the normal conditions, causing water to flow in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is possible (and common) for water to flow in the opposite direction in unprotected systems. This is called backflow.
 
Cross-Connection Contamination
A cross-connection is formed at any point where a drinking water line connects either to equipment such as boilers or to systems containing chemicals such as:
  • Air-conditioning systems
  • Fire sprinkler systems
  • Irrigation systems

Cross-connection contamination can occur from backpressure, or when the pressure in the equipment or system is greater than the pressure inside the drinking water line. Contamination can also occur when the pressure of the drinking water line drops due to fairly routine occurrences, such as main breaks or heavy water demand. This causes contaminants to be sucked out from the equipment and into the drinking water line, known as backsiphonage.
 
Solution
Community water supplies are continuously jeopardized by cross-connections unless appropriate valves, know as backflow prevention assemblies, are installed and maintained. It is both a city and state regulation to have annual inspections and tests of each backflow assembly.
 
Resources

Water Quality

Drinking Water Quality
The City of Belton water customers are fortunate to enjoy their water supply from one of the nation's top-ranked water producers, the Kansas City Water Plant.  The Kansas City Water Plant draws water from the Missouri River and two deep well aquifers.

The Water Services Division operates and maintains the city's water reservoirs, pump stations and water mains to deliver the highest quality product at the most reasonable cost.

2018 Lead and Copper Report(PDF, 5KB)

 

2022 Water Quality Report(PDF, 353KB)
2023 Water Quality Report(PDF, 189KB)

 

 

Frozen Pipes

 Frozen water lines can lead to costly repairs for homeowners. Explore the information below to learn how to prevent water lines from freezing and actions to take if they do freeze.

Frozen Water Pipe Precautions

Tips for Keeping Pipes from Freezing
Every winter, many homeowners face the expense and inconvenience of frozen water pipes. However, you can cross that issue off your list of winter worries by taking a few precautions.

Allow Steady Water Flow
In some places, you're advised to leave a steady drip or pencil-lead thin stream of water flowing from a bathroom faucet during the worst of a cold spell.

Disconnect & Drain Outdoor Hoses
Detaching the hose allows water to drain from the pipe. Otherwise, one hard, overnight freeze can burst either the faucet or the connecting pipe.

Find the Master Shutoff
It may be near the water heater or the washing machine. More likely it's where the water line comes into your house from the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house, this valve turns it off. Find it now and paint it a bright color or hang a tag on it. Be sure everyone in the family knows where it is and what it does.

Insulate Pipes or Faucets in Unheated Areas
If you have pipelines in an unheated garage or a crawl space under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. Hardware or building supply stores will have good pipe-wrapping materials available.

Seal off Access Doors, Air Vents & Cracks
Repair broken basement windows. Winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes. But don't plug the air vents your furnace or water heater needs for good combustion.

Thawing Frozen Pipes

Tips & Helpful Examples
During an extreme, extended cold spell, pipes can freeze despite precautions. Follow these tips to thaw frozen pipes.

Keep the Plumber's Telephone Number Handy
Write down your plumber's number now before you need it in an emergency. Make sure to keep it in an easy-to-find location.

Take Care when Thawing Pipes
If you think you know where the freeze-up occurred and want to try thawing it yourself, do not, under any circumstances, use a torch with an open flame. The whole house could catch fire. Also, overheating a single spot can burst the pipe, and heating a soldered joint could allow it to leak or come completely apart.

Use a Hair Dryer
The easiest tool for thawing pipes is probably a hair dryer with a low-heat setting. Wave the warm air back and forth along the pipe; do not focus on one spot. If you don't have a hair dryer, you can wrap the frozen section with rags or towels and pour hot water over them. It's messy, but it works.

When Thawing, Prepare for Leaks
Even if it isn't leaking, the pipe may already be broken. The frozen water prevents the pipe from leaking. However, water can come gushing out when you thaw the pipe. Be ready to run for the master shutoff valve if necessary.

 

Line Locates

Please call Missouri One Call at (800) DIG-RITE or 8-1-1 for line locates. Requests are accepted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Saving Water

Tips for Conserving Water
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) recommends the following tips to help conserve water:
  • Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave instead of running water over it.
  • Don't over-water your lawn. Only water every 3-5 days in the summer and 10-14 days in the winter.
  • If you have a swimming pool, get a cover. You'll cut the loss of water by evaporation by 90%.
  • Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when they are fully loaded.
  • Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year; leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.
  • To prevent water loss from evaporation, don't water your lawn during the hottest part of the day or when it is windy.
  • Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
  • When washing dishes by hand, use two basins - one for washing and one for rinsing - instead of letting the water run.

Resources:

Water Saver Website

Additional Conservation Tips

Inside
The following tips help conserve water inside the home:
  • Add food coloring to your toilet's water tank. If the color appears in the bowl without flushing, there is a leak. Replace the defective parts. 
  • An average bathtub holds 50 gallons of water. Conserve water by only partially filling the tub. 
  • Don't run water while brushing your teeth. Fill a glass for rinsing.
  • Install water-saving shower heads. Turn the water off while soaping or shampooing.
  • Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator and use ice instead of running the tap until the water is cold.
  • Repair leaks and install low-flow aerators in faucets. 
  • Use a partially filled sink or short blast of water to rinse your razor.
  • When replacing appliances, look for machines that use less water and are more energy-efficient.
  • Wrap hot water pipes with insulation to avoid waiting for hot water.
Outside
Follow these tips to conserve water outside the home:
  • Deep soak your lawn weekly in the morning or evening when the least evaporation occurs. Aerate your lawn on a regular basis.
  • Don't water the pavement! Position sprinklers so that your lawn and garden receive all of the water.
  • Longer grass means less evaporation. Set your mower a notch or two higher in hot, dry weather.
  • Regularly check pipes, hoses, valves, and faucets for leaks.
  • Use a broom instead of a water hose to clear debris from patios, sidewalks, and driveways.
  • Use a bucket to wash your vehicle, and keep a nozzle on to save water.
  • Use a pool cover to keep water clean and reduce evaporation. Recycle water for use on the lawn or garden.
  • When landscaping, use drought-tolerant plants, which need less water. Mulch your garden to slow evaporation.
For More Information

Usage Statistics

Explore the information below to learn more about water usage statistics. 

Water Use Statistics

Using No Conservation Methods
Americans drink more than one billion glasses of tap water per day. On average, 50-70% of home water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens. Daily indoor per capita water use in a typical single-family home with no water-conserving fixtures is 74 gallons. Here is how it breaks down:

Use

Gallons Per Capita

Percentage of Total Daily Use
Baths

1.2

2.1%
Clothes washers

15.1

20.9%
Dishwashers

1.0

1.3%
Faucets

11.1

15.3%
Leaks

10.0

13.8%
Showers

12.6

17.3%
Toilets

20.1

27.7%
Other domestic uses

1.5

2.1%

Using Conservation Methods
By installing more efficient water fixtures and regularly checking for leaks, households can reduce daily per capita water use by about 30% to about 51.9 gallons per day. Here's the breakdown for homes using conservation methods:

Use

Gallons Per Capita

Percentage of Total Daily Use
Baths

1.2

2.4%
Clothes washers

10.6

21.4%
Dishwashers

1.0

2.0%
Faucets

10.8

21.9%
Leaks

5.0

10.1%
Showers

10.0

20.1%
Toilets

9.6

19.3%
Other domestic uses

1.5

3.1%

 

 

Residential Water Use Summary

Sources
The following information is provided through the U.S. Geological Survey and the American Water Works Association.

Water Conservation Fixtures
If all U.S. households installed water-saving features, water use would decrease by 30%, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. This would result in savings of $11.3 million per day, or more than $4 billion per year. Water-conserving fixtures installed in U.S. households in 1998 alone saved 44 million gallons of water every day, resulting in total dollar-value savings of more than $33.6 million per year.

Household Water Use

  • Average daily household water use - 350 gallons
  • Average household water use annually - 127,400 gallons

National Water Use
Approximately 339,000 million gallons per day (MGD) of freshwater (about a quarter of the national renewable supply) were withdrawn during 1990 for use by the nation's homes, farms, and industries. About 220 billion gallons per day were returned to streams after use. The withdrawals during 1990 were about 7% less than during 1980, the maximum year reported, and about the same as during 1985. Some reasons for the decline are:

  • Active conservation programs
  • Enhanced awareness by the general public to water resources
  • Higher costs to obtain water
  • New technologies requiring less water

Locations & Water Use

Location

Amount of Water Received (in MGD)
Alaska

30
California

3,740
Florida

1,250
New York

1,890
Texas

2,310
Vermont

27
Virgin Islands

1

 

 

 

 

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