The following rules and regulations for the government of water users, plumbers and others are hereby adopted and established:
A. Every person desiring a supply of water must make oral application therefor to the City Clerk. Not more than one (1) house or premises shall be supplied from one (1) tap, except by written permission of the City Council and not then in any case unless provision is made so that each house or premises can be shut off independently of every other house or premises. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 1975 Code; 2004 Code)
B. Each applicant for water connection to the mains as provided in subsection A of this section shall pay the cost of running his own water pipeline to said main and shall pay the reasonable cost for tapping said main and connecting thereto. Said applicant shall also pay a meter deposit of one hundred dollars ($100.00), which shall be refunded when said applicant discontinues the use thereof and pays all water bills in full. (Ord. 1-17, 3-13-2017)
C. All bills must be paid promptly when due. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 2004 Code)
D. Water will not be turned on in any house or private service except by order of the Mayor or person designated by him. This rule shall not be construed to prohibit plumbers from turning water into any pipes to test the same for that purpose only.
E. No consumer shall supply water to other families nor suffer them to take water off their premises, or after water is introduced into any building, or upon their premises, shall any person make or employ any plumber or other person to make any taps or connections with the pipes upon the premises for alterations, extensions or attachments without filing a regular application therefor and issuing a permit by the City Clerk. All water shall pass through a meter before being tapped. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 1975 Code)
F. All persons using water shall keep the hydrants, tap, hose, water closet, urinals, bath or other fixtures allotted to their use, closed except when obtaining water for use, and shall be responsible for any damage or injury that may result to others from the improper use of water.
G. All meters shall be so placed as to be easy of access and convenient to read and inspect. They shall also be protected from frost in such a manner as to prevent freezing. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940)
H. All meters shall be tested when deemed necessary by the mayor or when ordered by the water committee of the city council, and all defective meters shall be repaired by the waterworks superintendent or under his supervision.
I. Should a meter get out of order or repair, or fail to register properly, the consumer will be charged with the average quarterly consumption as shown by the meter, when in order, for the two (2) quarterly periods previous thereto or any fraction thereof if the same has not been used that long.
J. In no case shall licensed plumbers or others remove a meter from its setting or interfere with its reading for any cause, without first obtaining a permit from the mayor.
K. All persons taking water shall keep their own service pipe, stop cocks and apparatus in good repair and protected from frost at their own risk and expense, and shall prevent all unnecessary waste of water, and it is expressly stipulated that no claim shall be made against the city by reason of the breaking of any service pipe or service cock, or if for any cause the supply of water should fail or from damage arising from shutting off the water to repair mains, making connections or extensions, or for any other purpose that may be deemed necessary, and the right is hereby reserved to cut off the supply of water at any time, any permit granted or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding.
L. Every person taking water supplied through the waterworks system shall permit the mayor or his designee at all reasonable hours of the day to enter their premises or buildings to examine the pipes and fixtures and to read meters. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 1975 Code)
M. The use of hose for sprinkling yards, gardens and streets or for washing windows and sidewalks is prohibited during a fire or when there is an alarm of fire upon order of the mayor in case of an emergency.
N. All underground service pipes from the mains to the basement or meter shall be of seamless copper type K connected by brass couplings. (Ord. 35, 82-19-1940; amd. 2004 Code)
O. Every service pipe must be sufficiently waving and laid in such a manner as to prevent rupture by settlement.
P. Mains must be tapped on the top and not in any case within ten inches (10") of the hub.
Q. All service pipes must be laid as much underground as the main pipe in the street, and in all cases to be deep enough to prevent rupture freezing.
R. Stop cocks shall be placed in every service pipe at the outer sidewalk line and protected by stop cock box of a pattern approved by the city council, reaching from the stop cock to the surface of the ground, of a suitable size to admit a stop key for turning on and off the stop cock and with heavy metal cover having the letter "w" marked thereon, visible and even with pavement or ground. Where one service pipe is intended to supply two (2) or more consumers, there shall be separate service cocks for each.
S. There shall be a stop and waste cock of a pattern and weight approved by the city council, attached to every service pipe at a point where it enters the building, inside the same easily accessible and so situated that the water can be conveniently shut off and drained from the pipes.
T. In making excavations in streets or highways for the laying of service pipes or making repairs, the planks or paving stones or earth shall be deposited in such a manner as to occasion the least inconvenience to the public and provide for the passage of water along the gutter. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940)
U. Service pipes must be thoroughly flushed before a meter is attached. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 2004 Code)
V. After the service pipes are laid, in refilling the excavation, the earth must be laid in layers and each layer thoroughly tamped and packed to prevent settlement, and this work, together with the replacement of the sidewalk, ballast and paving, must be done so as to make the street at least as good as it was before the excavation was made and to the satisfaction of the mayor. (Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 1975 Code)
W. Water service may be severed upon notice to the Mayor whenever the premises are to be unoccupied and be reconnected, and if the premises are unoccupied for more than one month, the minimum charge for water service will be charged.
(Ord. 35, 8-19-1940; amd. 1975 Code; 2004 Code)