City of Vineland, NJ Article XIV Inspection of Fixtures and Meters

§ 687-100 Right of entry.

The Superintendent or any authorized employee of the Water-Sewer Utility or any person or persons delegated by the City Council for that purpose may at all reasonable hours enter the premises of any water consumer and examine the pipes, fixtures and meter, read the meter and make tests or repairs or remove or replace the meter when deemed necessary by the Utility. Leakage and wastage of water discovered by such inspection must be immediately remedied. No consumer shall supply water to other premises.

§ 687-101 Opening of curb stops.

A. Under no circumstances shall curb stops be opened or closed by any person not an authorized employee of the Water-Sewer Utility, except that a licensed plumber may open or close a curb stop to test his work or to make necessary repairs.

B. In all cases where a licensed plumber tests his work or makes repairs in unoccupied premises, he shall, on completion of his work, leave the curb stop closed, and upon failure or neglect to do so, he shall be liable for all damages occasioned thereby and be liable to such fine or penalty as may be imposed under the provisions of ordinances enacted by the City Council. Any authorized person who shall turn on water at the curb, for building or any other purpose, will be dealt with according to law.

§ 687-102 Water main valves.

No person or persons, except a duly authorized employee of the Water-Sewer Utility, shall open or close any valve in the water mains of the City.

§ 687-103 Interference with meters.

No person, other than an employee of the Water-Sewer Utility, shall remove, replace or in any manner interfere with a meter attached to a water pipe used or intended to be used to supply water to any premises. This applies whether the meter is set within or without a building or whether or not owned by the City.

§ 687-104 Damages; rebates.

No person shall be entitled to damages or the rebate of any portion of payments due for any stoppage of supply occasioned by accident, addition or repair to any portion of the water system.

§ 687-105 Boilers, liability for collapse.

All consumers having boilers upon their premises, depending upon the pressure in the water mains and pipes of the Water-Sewer Utility to keep them supplied, are hereby cautioned against the danger of collapse, and all such damage must be borne exclusively by the consumer. Under no circumstances will the Utility be responsible for any accidents to pipes, fixtures or property caused by turning on or off water for any cause whatever. To provide against accident to hot-water boilers or heaters, a safety valve should be installed to relieve excessive steam pressure or a tank should be provided, so arranged as to keep the supply of water in such boiler or heater when the water supply is discontinued from the main.

§ 687-105.1 Inspection of service lines on private property.

[Added 12-26-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-71]

A. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

CONTRACTOR

A licensed vendor that contracts with the City of Vineland to inspect and/or replace lead service lines.

LEAD SERVICE LINE

A water supply connection that is made of or lined with a material consisting of lead and which connects a water main to a building inlet, including a lead pigtail, lead gooseneck or other lead fitting regardless of the composition of the service line; and, further, a galvanized service line is also considered to be a lead service line.

OCCUPANT

A person or persons in actual possession of and occupying the building or structure.

OWNER

Any person or entity with legal title to any property or who has equitable title and is either in possession or collects rents therefrom or an executor, trustee, guardian or receiver of the estate of the owner, or a mortgagee in possession or has charge, care or control of any property.

PROPERTY

A building or structure or part thereof which is serviced with City water by the City of Vineland Municipal Water-Sewer Utility.

B. Lead service lines prohibited. It is hereby established that the existence of lead service lines are strictly prohibited in the City of Vineland.

C. Access to private property to perform lead service line inspection/replacement. In accordance with N.J.S.A. 58:12A-39, the City is responsible to access private property to perform a lead service line inspection and/or replacement, provided:

(1) The owner and any residents of the property have received not less than 72 hours' notice unless an emergency exists. Notice may be in person or, if not able to be reached, by certified mail or posting of a written notice on the property including:

(a) The date and time of the inspection/replacement.

(b) Likely extent of water service disruption.

(c) Nearby locations where the City is distributing supplementary drinking water.

(d) Any remedies the City shall take if the City is unable to access the property, including commencing an action in Superior Court for access.

(2) The notice shall be in both English and Spanish.

(3) Upon completion of the replacement, the City shall send, by certified mail, the owner a letter stating the approximate time that the replacement occurred and providing a brief summary of the work performed.

D. Failure to provide access to private property.

(1) If the owner of the property is inaccessible or otherwise denies access to the property to enable the inspection and/or replacement of the lead service line, the City shall issue a refusal of access form as prescribed by the Director of the utility which shall state the owner acknowledges delay of lead service line replacement may contribute to increased lead levels in drinking water, which can cause serious health problems such as damage to the brain and kidneys. The notice shall also direct the owner to the Division of Water Supply and Geoscience website at https://www.state .nj.us/dep/watersupply/dws-sampreg.html.

(2) The City may commence an action in the Superior Court of New Jersey to gain access to the property naming the owner and occupants as defendants.

(3) The City shall file with the office of the County Clerk a notice that the owner has refused to allow the City access to the property and lead service lines are believed to service the property.

(4) No certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate of occupancy, continued certificate of occupancy or rental registration shall be issued by the City for property upon which the City has been denied access as set forth herein until access and remediation has taken place.

E. Penalties. Violations of this section by any owner or occupant shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $250 or more than $1,000. Each day the City is denied access shall constitute a separate offense and punishable as set forth herein.