SABATTUS — Some residents received notices Tuesday warning that their water service could be shut off on Wednesday if their water bills are past due.

Dire emergency for homeowners? Or just a matter of routine?

Perfectly routine, as it turns out — the town sends out those notices every three months in attempts to get residents caught up on their water bills. Although water service can be shut off for nonpayment, the notice doesn’t mean that droves of Sabattus residents will be without water come Wednesday.

Legally, the town is required to issue notices — and later, to contact the water customer directly — before shutting off water service for a homeowner who is behind on the water bill.

There are no laws forbidding a municipality from shutting off water for nonpayment in winter as there is with electrical services — Central Maine Power, for example, is prohibited from disconnecting electricity to a home between Nov. 15 and April 15.

In 2020, 11 CMP customers filed a complaint with the Maine Supreme Court arguing that issuing disconnection notices during the months where disconnection is prohibited was an “unreasonable” practice.

The supreme court sided with CMP a year later.

While they are legally entitled to shut off a customers water service for nonpayment, town officials say they will make several attempts to work with a customer before taking more drastic measures.

The notice emailed to Sabattus residents on Tuesday stated: “Sabattus Water District will be conducting water shutoffs tomorrow, February 19th, for nonpayment of past due water/sewer bills. Please take care of past due balances to avoid additional fees.”

Several residents contacted on Tuesday said the notice did not cause them alarm — they were used to seeing such notices, for one thing. Otherwise, those contacted either said they were caught up on their water bills or they were using private wells for water and thus, not connected to the town supply.

Sabattus Water District Superintendent Paul Morin did not respond to messages left at the town hall on Tuesday.