Need plumbing help

Yes they may shut water off, but may do so under homeowners direction, or if leak is Water dept responsibility.
One way to check if its "normal" ground water is to test for whatever is used by municipality for disinfection. Where I work we use CL2(chlorine). When we test for CL2 content the water turns pink. That shows it's a leak in the pipe and NOT normal groundwater.
Good luck
**you have to be licensed up here to operate any valve in water treatment or distribution system**