The city shall repair or replace, as the case may be, all supply pipe between the commercial main and the stop box. The customer, at his or her own expense, shall replace and keep in repair all service pipe from the stop box to the place of disbursement. When leaks occur in service pipes, the Manager shall shut off water service until the leak is repaired at the expense of the customer to the satisfaction of the Manager. All water meters shall be kept in repair by the city at the expense of the city. When meters are worn out, they shall be replaced and reset by the city at the expense of the city: provided that, if the customer permits or allows a water meter to be damage, injured or destroyed through his or her own recklessness, carelessness or neglect so that the meter must be repaired or replaced, the Manager shall bill and collect from the customer the cost of the meter repair or replacement in the same manner as water rent is collected. Permitting a water meter to be damaged or destroyed by freezing shall always be considered negligence on the part of the customer. All meters shall be tested at the customer’s request at the expense of the customer any reasonable number of times; provided that, if the test shows the water meter to be running 2% or more fast, the expense of the test shall be borne by the city. The city reserves the right to test any water service meter at any time and, if the meter is found to be beyond repair, the city shall always have the right to place a new meter on the customer’s water service fixtures at city expense. Should a consumer’s meter fail to register properly, the customer shall be charged for water during the time the meter is out of repair on the basis of the monthly consumption during the same month of the preceding year; provided that, if no basis for comparison exists, the customer shall be charged the amount as may be reasonably fixed by the Manager.
(Prior Code, § 3-710)