Information on COVID-19

 

UPDATE: April 5, 2021

Effective Monday, April 5, 2021 the SCMA Main Office located at 221 S. Centre Street will re-open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  All customers entering the building must comply with current COVID-19 CDC guidelines.

 

UPDATE: November 24, 2020

Effective Monday, November 30, 2020, as a result of the updated Governor’s Order and with Schuylkill County COVID-19 cases continuing to increase, the SCMA Main Office located at 221 S. Centre Street will be closed until further notice.  Essential SCMA Field Staff will continue to operate in full capacity to ensure access to clean drinking water and sanitary sewer service during this critical time.  Our Main Office is available via phone at 570-622-8240 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM to answer customer service calls, and respond to emergency and non-emergency calls.  Payments can be made using one of our alternative bill pay methods, which are:

Mail: Send check with the payment stub to SCHUYLKILL COUNTY MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY, PO BOX 960, POTTSVILLE PA 17901

Drop Off: SCMA Office after-hours drop box located on wall to left of front door on Centre Street.  Please use an envelope & include payment stub when depositing a payment in the box.

Pay Online: Set up an account online on our website at www.scmawater.com. You will need your account number and

CID # located on the front of your bill.  Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Public customers can use credit card or e-check.

Pay By Phone: Call 1-888-387-9451. You will need the first 8 digits of your account# and your CID# located on the front of this bill. Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Public customers can use credit card or e-check.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important community safety effort.  We commit to keeping our customers updated throughout this event.

 

UPDATE: June 19, 2020

Effective Monday, June 22, 2020 the SCMA Main Office located at 221 S. Centre Street will re-open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  All customers entering the building must comply with current COVID-19 CDC guidelines.

 

UPDATE: May 19, 2020 – EPA Flushing Guidance and Checklist for Reopening Buildings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the following guidance to assist building owners and managers in addressing water stagnation following extended closures due to the COVID-19 response:

In addition the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidance for reopening located on their website here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/building-water-system.html

Among the EPA’s recommended steps to maintain water quality while buildings/businesses are closed for building owners/managers are:

  • Review and understand the plumbing configuration and water usage in your building.
  • Inspect the building.
  • Contact your water utility.
  • Flush the buildings plumbing system regularly.

EPA recommends public water systems:

  • Coordinate distribution flushing activities with nearby building owners/managers.
  • Be prepared to provide information on system disinfection activities or proactively post information on the utility’s website.

Before buildings and businesses reopen, EPA recommends the following steps are taken to prepare the building’s water system:

  • Follow the steps described above to replace the water in the building’s plumbing and maintain all building water systems.
  • Consider contacting your local public health department for assistance if you have specific concerns or to determine if any local requirements are necessary prior to reopening.
  • Review the potential impact that the degraded water quality might have on your building occupants considering their use of the building and the building’s water systems.
  • Drain and clean water storage facilities and hot water heaters.
  • Follow appropriate regulations and policies for worker safety and health while performing all activities.

If you have any questions about reopening your building or flushing your water supply, please contact our office at 570-622-8240.

 

UPDATE: April 24, 2020

Our Main Office is available via phone at 570-622-8240 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM to answer customer service calls, and respond to emergency and non-emergency calls.

 

UPDATE: March 20, 2020

Effective today, March 20, 2020, at 4:00 PM, the SCMA Main Office located at 221 S. Centre Street will be closed until further notice.  Essential SCMA Field Staff will continue to operate in full capacity to ensure access to clean drinking water and sanitary sewer service during this critical time. Essential Management and Office Staff will continue to work remotely with limited functions in the office.  Our primary phone number 570-622-8240 will be forwarded to our answering service who has been directed on how to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls.

 

UPDATE: March 18, 2020

To ensure our customer and employee safety, effective March 19, 2020 we are closing our business office to the public. We are restricting all in-person over-the-counter payments and business transactions. We are requiring customers to use one of the alternative bill pay methods listed below. If you choose to utilize the after-hours drop box to deposit your payment, please use an envelope and be advised that payments will be collected from the drop box between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. If you would like to receive a receipt for your payment, please contact us and we will mail or email you a receipt.

 

ORIGINAL STATEMENT: March 16, 2020

We want to provide our valued customers with an update on how the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority is addressing the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are and will continue to closely follow the status of the Coronavirus. The health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. We are taking many precautionary steps and instituting protective measures into our normal business activities, to minimize the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus.

It is important for us to let you to know that our employees are working diligently to continue to provide the same level of service during this essential time.  Our drinking water continues to meet all current federal and state drinking water requirements.  We are closely following the guidance of our regulatory agencies and industry organizations.  For additional information on the coronavirus and its effect on the drinking water and wastewater industries, please visit the following websites:

We are encouraging our customers to follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines outlining the best way to prevent the spread of illness. These guidelines include avoiding close contact with people, cleaning your hands frequently, and disinfecting surfaces regularly. To enable our customers to follow these guidelines, we are temporarily suspending service shut-offs. This will ensure that our customers have access to clean drinking water and sanitary sewer service during this critical time.

We are taking additional steps in an effort to keep our customers and employees safe by reducing the amount of close contact with people. Therefore, we are limiting non-critical field appointments to customer homes, except in case of an emergency. We are also requesting that our customers limit in-person over-the-counter payments and we are encouraging the use of our alternative bill pay methods, which are:

  • Mail: Send check with the payment stub to SCHUYLKILL COUNTY MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY, PO BOX 960, POTTSVILLE PA 17901.
  • Drop Off: SCMA Office after-hours drop box is located on wall to left of front door on Centre Street. Please use an envelope & include payment stub when depositing a payment in the box.
  • Pay Online: Set up an account online on our website at www.scmawater.com. You will need your account number and CID # located on the front of your bill. Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Public customers can use credit card or e-check.
  • Pay By Phone: Call 1-888-387-9451. You will need the first 8 digits of your account# and your CID# located on the front of this bill. Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Public customers can use credit card or e-check.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important community safety effort.  We commit to keeping our customers updated throughout this event.