[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Administration, maintenance, and operation of the City's water
utility system shall be under the responsibility of the Department
of Public Works.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The Director of Public Works shall be the administrative head
of the City's water utility system, and responsible for the efficient
management thereof.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The Director of Public Works or his/her designee shall have
care and custody of the municipal water supply system, and all equipment,
pipes and machinery pertaining thereto. He/she shall be responsible
for the care of all such property, and for the efficient management
of the water supply system.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The Director and all officers and employees in the Department
of Public Works shall be charged with and see to the enforcement of
this Part 2 and all laws pertaining to the water supply system.
Applications for the use and service of utilities that include
water, sewer and garbage pickup shall be made in writing to the City
Clerk and shall contain an agreement by the applicant to abide by
and accept all of the provisions of this chapter as conditions governing
the use of City utilities. All applications for utility service shall
be made by the property owner, and the property owner shall bear the
responsibility for the payment of the City's utility bills for the
City's utility service; except a property owner may request that the
City Collector send the utility bills in the name of a person or party
other than the property owner (for example, where the property owner
has a tenant in possession of the property served by the City's utility
service); provided that third party's written consent is filed with
the City's Collector, in which event, the property owner or said third
party shall be required to deposit with the City's Collector an amount
to be set by City ordinance from time to time, to be used and applied
to the payment of delinquent utility bills and the unused portion
thereof refunded to the depositor upon a change in the registration
of said utility account. Notwithstanding in whose name the utility
service is registered, ultimate responsibility for the payment of
City utility bills shall be deemed to be that of the property owner.
The utility service transfer, turn-on and turn-off fees for new, current
or old customers, regardless of reason, will be an amount to be set
by City ordinance from time to time, per trip made by the Public Works
Department. A final reading fee will not be charged to rental customers.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
A.
No connection with a water main shall be made without a permit being
issued and 24 hours' notice having been given to the Director of Public
Works or his/her designee.
B.
All such connections shall be made by or under the supervision of
the Director.
C.
Before connection is made with water distribution system, the premises
to be served must be equipped with a meter and meter box properly
installed on the service pipe. When the meter is located within a
building, a copper service pipe shall be installed from the meter
box to the meter and shall be at least three feet underground. No
installation shall be covered until it has been inspected by the Director
and found to be satisfactory.
No water shall be turned on for service on premises in which
the plumbing does not comply with the provisions of the plumbing regulations
of the City; provided that water may be turned on for construction
work in unfinished buildings, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
No water from the City water supply shall be turned on for service
into any premises by any person but the Director of Public Works,
or other City employee authorized by him to perform this service.
No water shall be resold or distributed by the recipient thereof
from the City water supply to any premises other than that for which
application has been made and the meter installed; except:
It is unlawful for any person not authorized by the City to
tamper with, alter or injure any part of the City waterworks or supply
system or any meter or any City fire hydrant.
The City reserves the right to shut off water in any of the
mains in its distribution system, without notice and at any time,
for the purpose of repairing, clearing or making extensions to the
same, or for the purpose of concentrating water in any part of the
City in case of fire, or for any other cause. No claim shall be made
against the City for damages arising out of the breaking of any service
pipe or its connections, or on account of the shutting off of the
water as above provided, or from the freezing or bursting of any pipes
or fixtures, or on account of the failure of the City to furnish an
adequate supply at all times.
The expense for material and installation of water main extensions
or other water line improvements must be borne and paid for in their
entirety by the property or properties benefitted by such extension
or improvement, except in instances of subdivisions. Any such extension
or improvement shall become the property of the City as part of the
general waterworks system and shall be constructed and maintained
in accordance with the provisions of the codes or regulations of the
City dealing with the construction and maintenance of the water system.
All plumbing constructed on premises to be supplied with water
from the waterworks system of the City shall be capable of withstanding
a working pressure of 100 pounds pressure per square inch without
leakage.
No consumer will permit pressure steam boilers, feed pumps,
injectors or like appliances to be connected directly with the water
service pipes.
A.
All hydrants shall be owned, maintained, and used only by the City.
Use of water from fire hydrants by contractors and others shall be
only upon permission by the City, after approved application to the
City.
B.
The City shall not be held liable and will not assume any responsibility
for the condition of any fire hydrant inside or outside the City limits,
or the pressure or amount of water obtainable therefrom, or any damages,
either direct or resultant because of the condition, pressure or amount
of water available at any fire hydrant.
C.
All public fire hydrants outside of any City limits owned by the
City will be maintained in as good order as reasonably possible, but
the City will not undertake or assume any responsibility or liability
for their condition, use or abuse. Such public fire hydrants shall
be used only for the purpose of extinguishing fire, except when the
City may issue a special permit for their use to contractors, who
shall then be responsible for the hydrants and the use of water from
them.
A.
On all service connections for residents, business or industrial
purposes, the City will furnish and install the curb cock, box and
meter and service pipe from the main to the property line of the premises
served, and at the cost of the owner of the property to be served
or the applicant for the service. Such installation shall be under
the supervision of the City's Director of Public Works or his/her
designee.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
All service pipes and connections from the water mains and lines
of the City to the property line of the premises served by the connection
to the City water system main shall be maintained at the expense of
the property owner(s) of the property served by the connection (after
it is installed by the City), and any leaks or defects in the same
shall be promptly repaired by the property owner(s), or if not promptly
repaired the water shall be or remain turned off until such repairs
have been made, and the expense thereof shall be charged against the
owner(s), and must be paid before the water service shall be turned
on again. The cost of the maintenance and repair of such service connections
shall be the responsibility of the property owner(s), even where said
water main connecting line runs under a public street or a public
right-of-way, or use a public easement.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
No service pipe shall be installed unless it conforms to the specifications of the State Plumbing Code, adopted as set forth in Chapter 275 of the City Code.
All water service connections made to the mains of the waterworks
system of the City shall be made substantially in the following manner:
An all-brass corporation cock with both ends threaded shall be tapped
into the body of the water main at a distance of not less than one
foot from any bell or spigot joint on the water main to be tapped
and shall be set at a point on the pipe at an approximate angle of
45° from the vertical. From the corporation cock, a one-eighth
bend tail piece connected thereto shall be run a copper pipe to a
point immediately in front of the sidewalk or property line, at which
point there shall be installed an all-brass service stopcock. On each
end of the brass or copper there shall be a suitable brass or copper
coupling for making connections with the corporation cock and curb
cock. (Curb cock to be part of the meter yoke, which shall be placed
in the meter box.) The copper pipe shall be laid with sufficient waves,
and where the same is connected with the corporation cock shall have
a goose neck or bend supported by brick or stone so as to prevent
damage from the settling of earth. All pipe used in trenches or other
concealed construction on the service side of the meter shall be of
Type K copper. The service charge provided in this Part 2 includes
all labor, material and equipment, up to and including the meter box,
meter yoke, stopcock placed in Y or T connection and meter box cover.
From the meter box, the owner will be required to continue the pipe
line to and upon the premises to be supplied with water at his own
expense.
The standard corporation cock to be used in making service connections
with water mains in the City shall be sufficiently heavy to withstand
the strain of screwing into the water main, and the weight of the
pipe. Connected with the end of the corporation cock, there shall
be a brass one-eighth bend tail piece with a suitable union for connection
with the copper pipe. The corporation cock shall be capable of withstanding
a minimum 200-pound hydraulic pressure test.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
All copper pipe used in making connections between the water
main and curb cock shall be capable of withstanding an hydraulic pressure
test of not less than 100 pounds and equivalent in strength and capacity
to Type K copper pipe.
A single or double stopcock or test cock meter with meter yoke
shall be placed within the meter box and shall be capable of withstanding
a 200-pound hydraulic pressure test.
Meter boxes shall be placed between the sidewalk and the curb
unless the City finds it impractical to do so.
[Amended 3-19-2007 by Ord. No. 2537]
A.
The meters to be used by the City in its service lines shall be of
the disc type and shall be of a standard pattern, equal in workmanship,
material and efficiency to the Badger, or approved equal. All meters
shall be of the ordinary straight or three-dial reading type and shall
show the number of gallons of water consumed. They shall be constructed
to withstand a normal working pressure of not less than 100 pounds
and a test pressure of 150 pounds.
B.
When required by the City, water meters shall be equipped with an
automatic-read, Sensus Make, Metering System Meter Transfer Unit,
Model 520R Pit Set, or of a different like kind equal in workmanship,
material, design and efficiency as the Sensus make metering device
which is approved by the City Engineer.
All water meters, fixtures and appurtenances owned by the City
which are placed on private property shall be subject to inspection
by City officials or employees appointed to perform such duties. The
City also reserves the right to make any necessary repairs to meters,
water fixtures and appurtenances which are placed on private property.
[Amended 1-19-2016 by Ord. No. 3236]
A.
No person, firm or corporation shall connect any water pipe or conduct
water supplied by the City water supply into two distinct premises
or tenements unless separate and distinct service stopcocks shall
be provided for each, nor shall City water be so connected to separate
premises unless each premises is provided with a separate meter; provided
that the City declares that nursing homes, shelter care facilities,
hospitals, hotels and motels are said to be commercial and billed
according to single metered rates.
B.
All premises using the City water supply must be equipped with an
adequate water meter furnished by the City, but paid for by the consumer.
C.
A contractor/land developer needing to use City water to clean streets,
sanitary and/or storm sewers, curbs, gutters, the exterior of newly
constructed buildings and/or other infrastructure or land improvements
and intending to connect to a fire hydrant for such uses and purposes,
shall be subject to the following regulations pertaining to use of
a City water meter therefor and shall be required to proceed as follows:
(1)
The contractor/land developer ("applicant") shall obtain from
the office of the City Clerk a hydrant meter rental agreement form,
which the applicant shall complete, sign and file with the City Clerk.
(2)
The applicant will be required to pay for repairs necessary
to be made to the water meter they are leasing from the City due to
damage caused to the water meter by the applicant's use thereof, and
the rental agreement form shall so provide.
(3)
The applicant shall pay to the City Clerk such rental fee as
is, from time to time, provided for in the fees and rates schedules
on file with the City Clerk's office, as amended.
(4)
The applicant will not be allowed to retain the possession and
use of the rental water meter in excess of 14 consecutive days without
returning the meter and reapplying for a new water meter lease.
(5)
The applicant will be billed for all water taken from the fire
hydrant in accordance with the water meter rate charges of the City
as from time to time set forth in the fees and rates schedules on
file with the City Clerk's office, as amended.
(6)
If the water is being used to flush and clean sanitary sewer
lines, the applicant shall be billed for the use of the sanitary sewer
in accordance with the sewer rate charges set forth in the fees and
rates schedules on file with the City Clerk's office, as amended.
Meters shall be installed in a location designated by the City.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The Director of Public Works or his/her designee shall read,
or cause to be read, every water meter used in the City at such time
as is necessary that the bills may be sent out at the proper time.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
A customer may request a water meter to be tested for accuracy,
which test will be made by the City Public Works Department. Each
request for the testing of a meter for a water line less than one
inch in diameter shall be accompanied by a deposit in an amount to
be set by City ordinance from time to time. Each request for the testing
of a meter for a water line in excess of one inch in diameter shall
be accompanied by a deposit in an amount to be set by City ordinance
from time to time. If the meter tested shall be found to be accurate,
the deposit shall be retained by the Department of Public Works of
the City as compensation for the test; and if the amount of the deposit
is insufficient to pay for the total cost of the test, then the customer
shall be liable for the deficiency and same shall be billed to the
customer with the customer's next City water bill. If the meter tested
is found to be inaccurate, then the cost of the test shall be borne
by the City's Department of Public Works, the deposit shall be refunded
to the customer, and the customer's water bill shall be adjusted in
accordance with the results of the test.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The quantity of water recorded by the meter shall be accepted
as correct by both the customer and the Department of Public Works,
except when the meter has been found to be registering inaccurately,
or has ceased to register. In either case, the meter will be promptly
repaired by the Department of Public Works, and the quantity of water
used will be determined by the registration of the meter in the same
period for the preceding year.
All property upon which any building has been or may be hereafter
erected having a connection with the City water system shall pay the
rates charges established as now in effect or as may be amended in
the future.
Bills for water used shall be sent out by the City Clerk. Bills
for water used and payment therefor shall be in accordance with the
City Code.
The City reserves the right to discontinue water service to
any premises on account of nonpayment of rentals or where the owner
or the tenant of such premises is guilty of a violation of the provisions
of this chapter; and where such service is discontinued and the water
shut off or stopped, whether by the City for the causes aforesaid
or at the request of the property owner, the water shall not again
be turned on or supplied to such premises until it shall appear that
all delinquent charges due the City for water previously furnished
have been paid and there is no existing default or violation of any
of the provisions of this chapter, or any other applicable City Code.
During construction of any building, and before any water meter
is installed, as is herein provided, the contractor so constructing
such building may be permitted to use the City water supply by making
application therefor, and paying the metered rates prescribed by the
City Codes.
A.
Charges for water shall be a lien upon the premises as provided by
statute. Whenever a bill for water services remains unpaid 60 days
after it has been rendered, the City Clerk shall file with the county
Recorder of Deeds in the county in which such real estate is located
a sworn statement of lien claim. This statement shall contain the
legal description of the premises served, the amount of the unpaid
bill, the date when such amount became delinquent, and a notice that
the City claims a lien for this amount, as well as for all charges
for water service subsequent to the period covered by the bill.
B.
If the consumer of water whose bill is unpaid is not the owner of
the premises, and the City Clerk has notice of this, notice shall
be mailed to the owner of the premises, if his address is known to
the Clerk, whenever such bill remains unpaid for a period of 60 days
after it has been rendered.
A.
Property subject to a lien for unpaid water charges shall be sold
for nonpayment of the same and the proceeds of the sale shall be applied
to pay the charges after deducting costs, as in the case of the foreclosure
of statutory liens. Such foreclosure shall be by bill in equity in
the name of the City.
B.
The City Attorney is authorized and directed to institute such proceedings,
in the name of the City, in any court having jurisdiction over such
matters, against any property for which the bill for water has remained
unpaid 60 days after it has been rendered.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this
Part 2 shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $750 for each
offense; and a separate offense shall be deemed committed on each
day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.
