A.
Application for service shall be made in person by
the customer or his or her duly authorized agent at the Department
of Public Works' Water Division office located at 718 Main Street,
City Hall, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
B.
Each application shall be accompanied by a completed
water system impact report identifying the size and the estimates
of flow demand for which service will be required. At the discretion
of the Water Division, this information may be provided in a letter
signed by the customer's architect or engineer.
[Amended 11-16-1999 by Ord. No. 443-99]
C.
The Water Division shall review the service data to
determine whether it has sufficient capacity to provide adequate water
service to the customer. If the Water Division determines that it
does not have sufficient capacity under existing conditions, the Water
Division shall not be obligated to provide service but may request
the applicant to make the necessary improvements to expand the present
service capacity to meet the customer's needs at his/her expense.
D.
Once the Water Division has determined that it has
sufficient capacity to provide adequate water service and that all
required deposits or payments have been made by the customer, service
will be approved.
E.
Upon the change of ownership in a commercial, industrial
and/or residential unit, this customer shall be required to notify
and to submit revised service data to the Water Division and shall
conform to all Water Division regulations governing new installations.
A.
The service mains, service pipe, corporation stops
and curb stop located within the limits of the public right-of-way
or utility easement shall be owned and maintained by the Water Division.
All new service mains, service pipes, corporation stops and curb stops
shall be installed at the customer's expense for new installations.
From the limits of the public right-of-way or utility easement to
the premises served, the service pipe and any valve shall be installed
and maintained by the customer at his or her expense and shall be
owned by the customer. All installations shall be approved by the
Water Division and meet all Water Division specifications.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
B.
The Water Division or its duly authorized agents must
inspect connections of any service pipe to a main pipe before acceptance.
Such connections shall be made only from the street which is the legal
address of the premises served, unless otherwise authorized in writing
by the Water Division.
C.
The service pipe shall be installed in a manner approved
by the Water Division and shall be composed of a material which is
acceptable to the Water Division, and the installation and pipe shall
be in conformance with the City of Fitchburg's current Materials and
Installation Specifications for Constructing Water Mains and Water
Services Manual and it's latest revision.
D.
The Water Division's portion of a service pipe shall
be installed during the period of mid-April to mid-November as frost
and weather conditions permit. In an emergency and upon the customer's
request, the Commissioner of Public Works or his or her agents, in
his or her sole discretion, may authorize service installation during
winter months.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
E.
Only one customer shall be provided service through
one Water-Division-owned service pipe.
F.
Where more than one customer is currently provided
service through one service pipe and curb stop, which is in violation
of Water Division regulations, the Water Division may take such action
against any and/or all such customers as could be taken against a
single customer. The Water Division may bill on a proportionate basis.
G.
No new service pipe shall be laid in the same trench
with gas pipe, sewer pipe, drain, electric, telephone cable or any
other facility of a public utility or within three feet of any open
excavation or vault.
H.
The customer shall install and maintain two shutoffs
on that portion of the service pipe located on or within the premises,
one on either side of the meter. The shutoffs shall be of a type acceptable
to the Water Division.
I.
The customer shall be responsible for thawing his
or her portion of the service pipe. The Water Division is responsible
to the property line at the public right-of-way.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
J.
The Water Division will not perform repairs and new
installations on private property.
A.
All new pipe requests for main extensions shall be
submitted to and approved by the Commissioner of Public Works. All
costs associated with the new pipe extensions shall be paid for by
the applicant.
B.
Main pipe extensions may become the property of the
City of Fitchburg upon acceptance by the Commissioner of Public Works
or the City Council.
C.
Installation and construction of main pipe extensions
shall continue at the sole discretion of the Commissioner of Public
Works or his or her agents as frost and weather conditions permit.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
D.
In all subdivisions subject to MGL c. 41, § 81L
and following shall be approved by the local planning authority and
the Commissioner of Public Works, and the right-of-way in which the
main pipe is to be installed shall be laid out, and the lines and
grades established and approved by the Planning Board.
E.
The size of the main pipe to be installed shall be
determined by the Water Division.
F.
Main pipe extensions shall be installed along the
entire frontage of the applicant's premises or, in the case of corner
lots, along the entire frontage abutting the public right-of-way in
which the main pipe is to be installed or as approved by the Commissioner
of Public Works or his or her agents.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
G.
Main pipe extensions shall be paid for by the applicant
and the costs may include, but are not limited to, pipe, gate valves,
hydrants, corporation stops, service pipes, curb stops and appurtenances.
H.
Petitions.
(1)
An applicant may be required to file a petition which
shall be presented to the Fitchburg City Council for approval. If
the petition is approved, each petitioner shall enter a contract for
the main pipe extension that shall be binding on the petitioner's
heirs, assigns, successors, executors and administrators.
(2)
Each petitioner shall be charged its proportionate
share of the entire cost of installing and or replacing a main, and
each petitioner shall deposit with the Water Division the estimated
amount of its proportionate share of the extension costs prior to
installation. The diameter shall be determined by the Water Division.
(3)
During construction, the installation of main pipe
extensions by petitioners shall be inspected by the Water Division
at the petitioner's expense.
I.
If the water main extension is performed by the Water
Division, it assumes no liability whatsoever for damage to persons
or property resulting from main pipe installation.
J.
The petitioner shall be required to post a performance
bond at his or her expense for new installation and/or extensions,
including all appurtenances, for one year following the acceptance
by the City of Fitchburg.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
K.
No connection shall be made to any Water-Division-owned
main or to any private main without prior written authorization by
the Water Division after application by the customer. Connection to
privately owned mains, if authorized by the Water Division, shall
be installed in accordance with plans and specifications prepared
by the customer and inspected and approved by the Water Division.
After completion of such projects, the Water Division shall require
the customer to prepare a set of record drawing plans showing the
location, size and depth of all water facilities.
L.
Where the Water Division elects to maintain ownership
of a main pipe located on private property, the customer shall grant
the Water Division an easement sufficient to provide access by the
Water Division to the main pipe and Water-Division-owned appurtenances.
M.
The Water Division has the right to refuse or disallow
the installation of a main pipe extension where it determines that
service demand does not warrant the cost of installation, where the
extension will tend in any way to constitute discrimination against
other Water Division customers or where the Commissioner determines
that the extension is not justified.
A.
Public or private hydrants shall not be used for any
purpose other than to extinguish fires or for such other purposes
as may be authorized by the Water Division. In no case shall hydrants
be operated by any person other than the Water Division or its duly
authorized agent. The adapter shall not be removed or tampered with
in any way by persons other than the Water Division.
B.
Where use of water from a hydrant is requested for
purposes other than to extinguish fires and permission is granted
by the Water Division, a meter shall be installed on the hydrant by
the Water Division, and appropriate rates shall be paid by the requesting
party. All hydrants, whether public or private, connected to the water
distribution system shall be of a type approved by the Water Division.
A.
Except pursuant to written approval by the Water Division,
a lawn sprinkler system shall be served through the customer's domestic
service. If the existing pipe capacity is insufficient, a new service
pipe shall be installed upon reapplication by the customer.
B.
Sprinkler heads shall be limited to a maximum water
use of 40 gallons per minute per zone.
C.
Sprinkler zones shall be controlled by an automatic
time clock or similar device which shall limit the operation of the
sprinkler system hours.
D.
The sprinkler system shall be equipped with a backflow
prevention device which meets the requirements of applicable law.
If the Water Division discovers an existing sprinkler system which
is not equipped with a backflow prevention device, the Water Division
may require the customer to provide and install the device.
E.
Where separate service is required for a lawn sprinkler
system, a meter box or vault which is vandal-proof and frost-proof
shall be constructed by the customer on his or her premises to house
and protect the meter. The meter box or vault shall be constructed
according to Water Division specifications available at the Water
Division's office at City Hall.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
F.
An outside reader for separate sprinkler service shall
be installed by the Water Division at the customer's expense in accordance
with the requirements of this chapter.
A.
The customer shall submit to the Water Division a
written application for private fire service. The application shall
be accompanied by site and plumbing plans by a professional engineer
and/or Fitchburg Fire Department of the proposed fire system and a
written statement indicating the size and all specific design features.
B.
The fire service pipe located within the public right-of-way
or Water Division easement shall be installed, at the customer's expense,
and maintained by the customer. From the water main, the fire service
pipe shall be owned and maintained by the customer.
C.
The Water Division may, at its discretion, meter all
water supplied through a fire service pipe and, in such cases, shall
require the installation of a fire service metering device. Meters
and metering devices shall be approved by the Water Division.
D.
Where a standpipe, reservoir, pump house or tank is
proposed in connection with private fire service, the customer shall
submit complete fire system engineered plans to the Water Division
for prior approval. The connection shall be protected by a backflow
prevention device as required by this section.
E.
In the construction or installation of such appurtenances
as standpipes, reservoirs, pump houses or tanks, the customer shall
provide a means of easy access to the interior of the appurtenance
to permit inspection by the Water Division or cleaning by the customer
as required by the Water Division. During such construction or installation,
the customer shall connect to the appurtenance a separate pipe to
periodically draw off water for sampling and inspection. Such draw-off
pipe shall not be directly connected with a sewer, drain or outlet
in any way which is not permitted by this section or may permit contamination
of the water supply.
F.
Private fire service may be tested by the customer
or by an insurance inspector, provided that the Water Division is
given adequate prior notice of the test date and time and the testing
is conducted in the presence of a Water Division employee or his or
her authorized representative.
[Amended 6-3-2014 by Ord.
No. 100-2014]
A.
Customers shall maintain the plumbing and fixtures
within their premises in good repair, free from leaks and protected
from freezing at their own expense.
B.
The Water Division may require periodic inspections
of a customer's premises to ensure that the plumbing has been installed
and maintained in such a manner as to prevent the possibility of contamination
of the Water Division's potable water supply.
C.
All customers having direct pressure hot water tanks
or appliances shall install a thermal expansion device or automatic
vacuum, temperature and pressure relief valve in the pipe system to
prevent damage to such tanks or appliances from excess pressure. Such
device or valve shall be installed in accordance with applicable local
and state plumbing code.
