(A) Applicants shall be required to sign the standard Water Department form of application for water service before the water is turned on. The application for service shall clearly state the class, scope and type of use to be made of the service, as well as the purpose for which it shall be used. Any failure or deviation from the stated purposes shall be sufficient reason to terminate water service. By signing the application for water service, the applicant agrees to all terms and conditions set forth in this chapter, and further agrees to comply with all such provisions to the same extent as if those conditions were written in the application.
(B) The town may reject any application for service that may affect the supply of service to other customers, or for other good and sufficient reasons.
(C) The town may reject any application for service when the applicant is delinquent in payment of bills for service previously supplied at any other location.
(D) No unauthorized person(s) shall uncover, make any connections with, opening into, use, alter or disturb any public water and/or sewer line, or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the town.
(E) The owner(s) or his or her agent shall make application to the town for a building water and/or sewer service permit. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the town or its representative. Pipe on the consumer’s premises shall be so arranged that the point of connection is conveniently located with respect to the town’s service lines and water and/or sewer mains.
(F) All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building water and/or sewer service shall be borne 100% by the owner(s). The owner(s) shall indemnify the town from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building water and/or sewer service.
(G) The size, alignment, material of construction of a building water and/or sewer service, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of pipe, joining, testing and backfilling the trench shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the town.
(H) The connection of the building water and/or sewer service to the municipal water system shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the town. All connections shall be watertight and verified by proper testing.
(I) The applicant for the building water and/or sewer service permit shall notify the Town Inspections Department when the building water and/or sewer service is ready for inspection and connection to the municipal water and/or sewer system. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Public Utilities Director, or his or her designated representative.
(J) All excavations for building water and/or sewer services shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the town.
(K) The town shall charge the applicant a water and/or sewer tap fee (as set out in the town’s fee schedule) for which the town shall provide a water meter and/or sewer tap at the town right-of-way line or other mutually agreeable and convenient point. The owner(s) agree(s) that by signing the applications for water service and the building water and/or sewer service permit that they shall grant the town a right-of-way to install and maintain the water and/or sewer service line to the metering point. All applications for water service shall contain language granting the town an easement for these purposes by the owner(s) of the property. The owner(s) shall be responsible for installation and maintenance of the building water and/or sewer service to the town’s metering point or service connection point.
(L) The town may reject any application for service which involves excessive service cost, or which may affect the supply of service to other customers, or for other good reasons. The Town Manager may also require the actual cost of providing a service plus 10% be paid when the cost is substantially above the fees set forth in the town’s fee schedule.
(M) All rents, rates, fees, charges and penalties for service under this chapter shall be the legal obligation of the person contracting for them. In the event one meter is used to provide water to several living units or separate facilities located on one commonly owned property, then the owner of said property shall be responsible for all water used through such meter and/or sewer service provided, without regard to whether tenants of the owner pay a portion of said water bill.
(N) The town shall not be responsible for the user’s piping or other appliances under any circumstances.
(O) When two or more meters are to be installed for the same premises but for different consumers, such meters shall be closely grouped and each clearly designated to indicate to which consumer it serves. New multiple unit dwellings (duplex, triplex and the like) shall have a separate meter for each living unit, and shall be considered as separate dwellings for the purposes of figuring tap fees, impact fees and the like.
(P) Water furnished for a given lot shall be used on that lot only.
(Q) Where meters are presently located on or near the premises of a user, the user shall be responsible for the town’s meter and shall provide an unobstructed and accessible location at all times for meter reading and system maintenance.
(R) In compliance with the State Division of Health Services cross-connection and backflow prevention program, where required, all new or modified services shall be installed with an approved backflow prevention device. This device shall be of a type that is approved by the Public Utilities Director. The customer, at his or her own expense, shall install, operate and maintain the approved backflow prevention device as directed by the town. Each backflow device shall be tested upon installation and annually as required by public water supply regulations. The customer’s responsibility starts at the point of delivery from the town’s potable water system and includes the user’s entire water system. The town reserves the right to refuse or discontinue service unless the customer’s lines or piping are installed in such a manner as to prevent cross-connection or backflow. There is no “grandfather clause” or any exception to the requirements for backflow prevention. (See § 51.032.)
(S) Each consumer’s water service must be separately metered in a single delivery and metering point. Each commercial unit and each storeroom or stall used for business purposes shall have separate meters when deemed practical and in the best interest of the town by the Town Manager. All commercial use, including storerooms and stalls for business purposes, shall be metered separately from any residential use and vice versa, whether now in service or to be installed in the future.
(T) If the user’s piping on the user’s premises is so arranged that the town is required to provide additional meters, the consumer may be required to relocate the piping such that connection can be made with a single meter per commercial or residential unit at the town’s right-of-way.
(U) The town shall not be liable for damage of any kind whatsoever resulting from water and/or sewer or the use of water and/or sewer service on the consumer’s premises. The town shall not be responsible for any maintenance of, or for any damage done by or resulting from any defect in the piping, fixtures or appliances on the consumer’s premises. The town shall not be responsible for negligence of third persons or forces beyond the control of the town resulting in any interruption of service.
(V) The user shall furnish and maintain a private cut-off valve on the user’s side of the meter. The town will provide a like valve on the town’s side of the meter.
(W) Application for industrial service; authorization required.
(1) All users discharging industrial waters or wastes other than normal waste into the town’s sanitary sewerage system shall make application for service to the town.
(2) Users making application for service to the town shall do so in writing and shall provide the following information in support of the application:
(a) Name, address and standard industrial classification of user;
(b) Average volume of wastewater to be discharged; 60-minute peak wastewater flow rates including daily, monthly and seasonal variations; time and duration of discharge;
(c) Wastewater constituents and characteristics as determined by chemical analyses by a certified analytical laboratory for all applicable parameters;
(d) Description of activities, facilities and plant processes on the premises including all chemicals, materials and types of materials that are, or could be, discharged;
(e) Site plans, floor plans, mechanical and plumbing plans and details to show all drains and sewers, and appurtenances by size, location and elevation; and
(f) Any other information as may be deemed appropriate by the Town Manager or his or her authorized representative.
(3) The Town Manager shall approve or disapprove all applications in writing. The reasons for disapproval shall be provided.
(4) Approvals of applications for service shall be valid until rescinded. The town reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions of providing sewer service at any time based on demonstrable causes.
(Ord. passed 5-3-2011; Ord. passed 9-11-2014)