(A) Generally speaking, what happens to the water after it leaves the meter is the responsibility of the customer. At times however, through no one’s fault, leaks do develop that are not detectable until receipt of the water bill and, therefore, it is only fair that an adjustment be made. The following procedure will be used to determine a leak adjustment.
(1) Customer will be informed of a dramatic increase of water usage.
(2) Within seven working days, the customer shall reply that a leak does or does not exist and when the repairs are anticipated to be completed. The Utility Department will then be notified upon completion of said repairs. Receipts may be required.
(3) No adjustments to the sewer bill will be made for a leak that was of a visible or easily determined problem. Below are some examples of what circumstances will and will not be eligible for adjustment. The following is by no means an exhaustive list. The customer is responsible for leaks that are preventable and adjustments may be made to the others.
Item | Sewage |
Item | Sewage |
Filling of pool w/garden hose | Yes |
Garden/hose left running | Yes |
Leak in basement/crawl space | Yes |
Leak in buried piping | Yes |
Leak under skirting of mobile home | Yes |
Leaking faucet or commode | Yes |
Water left running to prevent pipe freeze-up | Yes |
(4) If a customer runs their water to prevent pipes from freezing, he or she shall be allowed up to 200 gallons a month in an adjustment.
(5) If an adjustment is in order, the Clerk-Treasurer’s office will determine a period of previous usage that was reasonably consistent over a period of four months to determine an average usage. The average usage will be subtracted from the usage during the month(s) the leak existed, and the difference will then constitute the number of gallons of the adjustment.
(6) No account may be adjusted more than twice in a 12-month period.
(7) Any account holder that would like an adjustment over $200, must fill out a request form. The account holder will bring their request (with all supporting documents) to the Utility Clerk’s office. Once received, a determination shall be made within 30 days.
(B) (1) Any account holder requesting his or her pool to be filled by the town fire hydrants must pay a $25 connect fee and schedule an appointment with the Town Foreperson.
(2) A meter will be placed on the hydrant for a reading.
(3) Once the Utility Clerk receives the reading, the amount will be adjusted to the next month’s utility bill.
(Am. Ord. 4, 2018, passed 5-21-2019)