All persons taking water from the city shall keep their own service pipes, stopcocks and apparatus in good repair and protect them from frost at their own expense and shall prevent all unnecessary waste of water. When leaks occur in service pipes, the Utilities Superintendent shall shut off water service until the leak is repaired at the expense of the customer to the satisfaction of the Utilities Superintendent. All water meters shall be kept in repair by the municipality at the expense of the municipality. When meters are worn out, they shall be replaced and reset by the municipality at the expense of the municipality; provided that, if the customer permits or allows a water meter to be damaged, injured or destroyed through his or her own recklessness, carelessness or neglect so that the meter must be repaired or replaced, the Utilities Superintendent shall bill and collect from the customer the cost of such meter repair or replacement in the same manner as water rent is collected. 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 such test shall be borne by the municipality. The municipality reserves the right to test any water service meter at any time and, if said meter is found to be beyond repair, the municipality shall always have the right to place a new meter on the customer’s water service fixtures at municipal 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 such basis for comparison exists, the customer shall be charged such amount as may be reasonably fixed by the Utilities Superintendent. It shall be unlawful for any person to tamper with any water meter, or by any means or device to divert water from the service pipe so that the same shall not pass through said meter, or while passing through said meter, to cause the same to register inaccurately.
(2005 Code, § 3-110)