Before any house connection may be connected to the service line, the main and such service line shall have been approved by the Township. In addition, the owner or his authorized representative shall make application to the Department in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Water Department, and such application shall be accompanied by fees required in §
318-43.
Application must be made by the owner of the subdivision to the Department for each water service to be installed in said subdivision. A service fee, as set forth in §
318-43, must be paid to the Department for each service, and all service connections and meter installations must be approved by the Water and Sewer Supervisor. No service, other than as provided for with a temporary permit, shall be permitted to be turned on prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy by the Township Building Department.
Not more than one building shall be supplied from the same service line, except by special permission and under such restrictions as may be imposed by the Department. If more than one meter is to be installed on any service line, such meter or meters will be installed and maintained by the Department in the location or locations provided by the owner. Meters shall be installed in any new building before a certificate of occupancy can be obtained. Meter fees shall be as set forth in §
318-43.
A temporary permit for the use of water taken from Township mains for construction purposes will be provided only upon written application by the contractor or owner to the Department, accompanied by a temporary service charge as set forth in §
318-43. The temporary permit for use of water hereinabove provided may be revoked at any time if it is determined by the Water and Sewer Supervisor that water is being wasted or used unnecessarily. Fire hydrants may not be used by anyone, other than authorized Township personnel, as a temporary source of water for construction or other purposes without the written approval of the Water and Sewer Supervisor. Whenever a temporary permit is granted, the Local Fire Department shall be notified. No temporary permit shall allow water to be drawn from the Township's mains except during normal working hours.
[Amended 11-29-1988 by Ord. No. 43-88]
The owner or occupant of any premises shall be responsible for all repairs to any service connection and service within the building, including repair of any frozen or damaged meter, and shall be liable for all loss of water and damage resulting from any defect in a service connection from the time any defect is discovered until the repair or replacement work is completed. The Department may shut off the water with or without notice, if necessary, for as long as it may be deemed necessary. Leaks or damage in or to the house connection shall be promptly reported to the Department and repaired within a reasonable time. The Water and Sewer Supervisor shall determine the amount of water lost as a result of a leak in or damage to the service connections, using as a guide the size of the pipe and the pressure per square inch at the point of such leak and such other factors as may be applicable. The owner or consumer shall be charged for this loss at the prevailing rate for water consumed. A fee for emergency response by the Water Department shall be paid at the rate outlined in §
318-43F. The fee for repair of a frozen or damaged meter shall be the cost of the meter plus the cost of labor to repair the meter; the cost for labor shall be for a minimum of two hours of labor.
Curb boxes shall be kept in accessible condition by the owner of the premises. If it becomes necessary to reset, repair or replace any curb box, such work shall be done by and at the expense of the Department, unless such work is necessitated by construction or by other than natural damage, in which case the fee as set forth in §
318-43 shall be paid to the Department
Temporary or permanent obstructions which would prevent free
access to any meter, curb stop, curb box, valve or hydrant or other
fixture required for the control or public use of water in any of
the streets, easements or other rights-of-way of the Township or within
any apartment complex or industrial complex are not permitted, and
the Township may remove the same and charge the person creating the
obstruction the cost of removal.
No person shall at any time obstruct or prevent free access
to any meter, main service line or house connection by any authorized
employee or employees of the Department for the purpose of reading,
testing, repairing or inspecting such meter, main, service line or
house connection.
The curb stop shall not be shut off or turned on except as authorized
by the Water and Sewer Supervisor.
No person, other than members of the Water Department or Fire
Department, shall be permitted to open any fire hydrant. Only standard
hydrant wrenches shall be used in the opening or closing of fire hydrants.
Charges for the use or consumption of water by the owner or
occupier of any house, building, lot or premises and water rents or
charges for work done or services provided shall be billed to the
owner of the real estate quarterly each calendar year.
If, after reasonable effort, an authorized employee or official
of the Water Department is unable to gain access to a meter in order
to obtain a reading for billing purposes, he shall leave a form at
the premises in which the meter is located. The owner or occupant
then shall be responsible for entering the meter reading and providing
all other appropriate information on the form provided by the Water
Department, as well as returning the form to the Water Department
within five days of the date on which the form was left at the premises.
If the form is not returned within this period, the owner shall be
billed an estimated amount based on the amount of water used or consumed
during the same quarter of the previous year or by averaging the amounts
used or consumed during the four quarters immediately preceding the
one for which the bill is being rendered.
Except in the case of the initial installation of water service and meter, no new consumer shall be served with water unless an application, on a form to be furnished by the Water Department, shall have been completed by the consumer and filed with the Department. Such application shall be accompanied by payment of a turn-on fee as set forth in §
318-43. An application signed by a tenant shall also be signed by the owner. Consumers changing their place of residence within the Township shall also be required to execute the application and file the same with the Department, but without payment of the fee. Water may be shut off by the Department on receipt of a written request by a consumer to the Water Department. A shutoff and turn on charge as set forth in §
318-43, however, shall be made for each turning off and each restoration of the service. If a house is vacant, no deduction from the minimum charge as set forth in §
318-43 shall be made as long as the curb stop shall remain open.
The consumer shall report promptly any meter thought to be defective or out of order. The Department will promptly comply with a request to test such meters. Should such test disclose that the meter is not defective or out of order, a charge, as set forth in §
318-43, will be made for the test. Meters found to be defective or out of order during the course of such tests will be replaced or repaired, and the test fee will be waived. Water charges for the quarter in which the meter is found to be defective or out of order shall be based on the water consumed during the same quarter of the previous year or on an average of the meter readings for the four quarters preceding that in which the meter was found to be defective or out of order.