(a) Program Introduction. All water lines and plumbing on the outlet side of the water meter are considered "private" and are the responsibility of the customer/property owner. However, the Village recognizes leaks in water lines, plumbing, and water-related equipment occur-despite proper maintenance and diligence on the part of the customer/property owner.
(b) Circumstances Under Which an Adjustment to a Utility Bill Will Be Considered. In order to provide financial relief to customers/property owners who experience sizeable water leaks, the Village will consider granting an adjustment to the customer's sanitary sewer bill under the following circumstances:
(1) The leak did not result from a willful or negligent act on the part of the customer/property owner.
(2) The customer can demonstrate the leak was repaired within ten (10) days of discovery.
(3) The customer's Village utility account is current, unless prior arrangements have been made in accordance with another Village program.
(4) The customer has not received a leak adjustment within the past thirty-six (36) months.
(5) The customer completes and submits a "Credit for Leak Adjustment" form, and required information, along with proof of the repair, within thirty (30) days of making the repair. Forms can be obtained online at www.obetz.oh.us or by calling the Village of Obetz Utility Office at (614) 491-1080.
(c) Calculating the Leak Credit for Leak Adjustments.
(1) As used in this section
A. "Leak Amount" means the difference in water usage during the month in which the leak occurred and the average usage of the customer/property owner. Calculating the Leak Amount varies based on the amount of historical data available. The Leak Amount is expressed in thousands of gallons.
B. "Leak Credit" means the amount of money that will be applied to a customer/property owner's utility account.
(2) Calculating the Leak Credit for utility accounts with more than one year of data. The Village will take the past usage amounts for the same month as the leak occurred for all prior years available in the Village electronic records to create an average amount of water used. The average amount used will be subtracted from the month during which the leak occurred to get the Leak Amount. The Village will then multiply the Leak Amount, expressed in thousands of gallons, by the current commodity rate for the sewer portion of the customer/property owner's utility bill to arrive at the Leak Credit amount.
(3) Calculating the Leak Credit for utility accounts with less than one year of data. The Village will take the past usage amounts for all months of available data to create an average amount of water used. The average amount of water used will be subtracted from the month during which the leak occurred to get the Leak Amount. For accounts with no data, the Village will assume an average water usage of 7,000 gallons to calculate the Leak Amount. The Village will then multiply the Leak Amount, expressed in thousands of gallons, by the current commodity rate for the sewer portion of the bill to arrive at the Leak Credit amount.
(d) Program Rules.
(1) The Village will only issue Leak Credit for the sewer commodity portion of the Leak Amount.
(2) The Village will not issue a Leak Credit under $10; $10 is the minimum Leak Credit that may be issued.
(3) The Village will not issue a Leak Credit in excess of $1,000; $1,000 is the maximum Leak Credit that may be issued.
(4) The Village will not issue a credit of any type for water features (fountains, ponds, etc.), swimming pools, and hot tubs.
(5) The Village will not issue a Leak Credit for more than one (1) billing period.
(6) The Village assumes no responsibility for damage, repairs, or inspections necessitated by leaks.
(7) The Village retains the right to inspect both the leak and repair.
(e) Final Decision on Issuing a Leak Credit. The Administrator has the final decision on whether or not to issue a Leak Credit.
(Ord. 20-14. Passed 5-12-14.)