All property situated within the City of Framingham shall be eligible to receive water service from the City upon compliance with these water regulations. The timing and methods for extending or providing service shall be at the City's sole discretion.
The City shall control the use of all public water mains, hydrants, valves, and associated appurtenances located within public ways and City-owned easements within the City unless otherwise specified in writing by the City (with a copy provided to the owner) and except for transmission mains of the MWRA and certain water mains of adjacent cities and towns. The City owns the water meters, remote readers, and associated metering equipment as described herein. The City also controls all water service pipes from public water mains located within public ways and City easements, whether recorded or by prescription, within the City to an owner's property line, except where a building, foundation wall, retaining wall, stairs, areaways or other subterranean structures are located on the property line, the City owns the water service pipe to a distance of 18 inches outside the property line.
No person shall, without prior written authorization from the City, uncover, make any connections with or opening into, alter, or disturb a public water main. No person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance or equipment which is part of the City's water distribution system.
All private water mains in the City that are supplied with and convey water from public water mains owned by the City shall be subject to these water regulations, but shall be constructed, installed, repaired, operated, and maintained by their owners at the owner's expense. The City may direct the owner to repair or replace a private water main, if in the judgment of the City such action will reduce the quantity of water lost through leaks from that main or where such leaks may jeopardize the operation of the public water system. Repairs to private water mains shall be made by and at the expense of the owner. The City shall inspect and approve the connection of the private water main to the City's public water main. The City shall have the right to operate, maintain, and/or repair a private water main and its appurtenances in the event of an emergency or at the discretion of the DPW as necessary for the continued operation and maintenance of the public water system. The City shall have the right to recover its associated costs from the owner in the performance of the aforementioned activities.
A.
The DPW shall have the right to restrict the use of all water for secondary purposes in the City during periods of drought or emergency in order to maintain pressure in accordance with the provisions of MGL c. 21G.
B.
No user shall knowingly allow water to leak or run to unnecessary waste. Water customers shall not waste water. Customers are responsible for the maintenance and repairs of their plumbing and appurtenances necessary to prevent any waste of water. The City may adopt water use restrictions in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws c. 21G upon its determination that conditions exist which limit the water supply and may endanger the public health, safety and welfare. Water use restrictions shall remain in full force and effect until the City determines that the condition requiring their imposition no longer exist.
C.
The City may shut off water service to any premises during a drought, hurricane, conflagration or other disaster upon notification to the owner in accordance with MGL c. 40, § 41A. The DPW reserves the right to temporarily interrupt service without first giving notice of such action, if in the DPW's opinion, it is necessary to do so due to emergency or urgent conditions in order to facilitate making of repairs or alterations to the public water system. Therefore, no person shall be entitled to receive damages or refunds or payments as a result of any such interruption.
A.
The DPW shall not issue an approval for connection to Framingham's public water supply unless there is public water system capacity not legally committed to other existing and future users in the water supply and distribution system to adequately supply the quantity, quality and pressure of water and fire protection service that the requested connection will demand of the system.
B.
An applicant may propose an extension, replacement, or relocation of a public or private water main to serve a new or rehabilitated building(s). All proposed extensions, replacements or relocations, including any tests, studies, investigations and inspections required for design, shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the City's construction standards, and subject to the approval of the DPW (or designee). In the absence of specific code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of ASTM International, AWWA, and WEF shall apply. All connections shall be made gastight and watertight and verified by proper testing. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved in writing by the Director before installation. All expenses, including all engineering, legal, permitting, construction, and inspection expenses, involved in applying for and constructing an extension, replacement, or relocation shall be borne by the applicant.
C.
Water main extensions and relocations intended to provide water service to one or more lots shall extend to the full extent of the frontage(s) of the lot(s) to be served unless otherwise approved by the DPW.
D.
After approval of a proposed extension, replacement, or relocation of a water main and after the attendant construction has been approved by the City, the applicant shall transfer ownership of the extended, replaced, or relocated water main to the City through a form prescribed by the City. The form shall be accompanied with as-built plans for the extended, replaced, or relocated water main and any other information required by the City. Until such time as the form is signed by the City, the extended, replaced, or relocated water main shall be considered to be a private water main owned by the applicant and shall be subject to the requirements pertaining to private water mains contained in these water regulations.
E.
If an applicant requests new water service pipe or fire pipe which, in the judgment of the City, will impose a demand in excess of the capacity of the existing main, it may be necessary to replace the existing main with one of appropriate size. The applicant shall pay the full cost thereof including any tests, studies, investigations and inspections required for design and construction. When the City must perform professional engineering and legal reviews for development projects, the applicant shall pay for such reviews.
F.
Bonding. Contractors must post a bond in a form satisfactory to the City and in an amount and for a period of time that the City deems sufficient to guarantee construction quality and operating performance. The City may establish a minimum bonding amount. Bonding is required before work commences on any public water main extension, replacement or relocation by contractors working for the City or by an owner on City-owned property or easements.
G.
Licensed drain layer. All water installation, repair or maintenance work shall be performed by a drain layer who possesses a valid drain layers license issued by the DPW. A drain layer's bond, using the DPW's standard bond form, as then in effect, must be submitted and approved to the DPW in advance of installation, repair or maintenance.
A.
All hydrants located in public ways and City-owned easements shall be owned and maintained by the City. Hydrants shall be placed at locations designated by the City to facilitate public fire protection or for City maintenance. As a condition of an approved new or extended water service, the City may require an owner to pay for the cost of hydrant installation if the City determines that such new extended water service creates fire protection requirements or enhanced City maintenance.
B.
Any use of water from an unmetered hydrant for purposes other than extinguishing fires is strictly prohibited. Hydrant use for any other purpose shall only occur pursuant to an approval for use obtained from the City. After approval, a hydrant meter and a backflow preventer for the proper operation of the hydrant shall be provided upon payment of a deposit in an amount established by the City. A copy of the approval shall be available for inspection at the site of the work at all times during use. The failure to comply with the terms as set forth on the hydrant approval for use or the unauthorized use of water from a hydrant are violations of these water regulations which can result in the imposition of a fine in accordance with Article VIII of these water regulations. The owner of a private hydrant must obtain an approval for use of the hydrant and meter from the DPW unless the hydrant is master metered. All hydrant flow tests shall be approved and overseen by the DPW or its approved agent.
All hydrant flow tests shall be subject to approval of, and overseen by, the DPW or its designated agents. A hydrant flow test is the measurement of flow from a hydrant performed in accordance with generally accepted engineering practices. A copy of the hydrant flow test results shall be submitted by the applicant to the DPW within 14 days of completion of the test.
An air conditioning or refrigeration unit or units requiring water for cooling cannot be used without provision for water recycling. A device enabling the reuse of water supplied in the system shall be in operation whenever such system is in operation. Such systems shall be subject to the cross-connection provisions of these water regulations.