Whenever the amount of water impounded in the storage reservoirs supplying users of water in the city has fallen below fifty percent (50%) of full storage capacity or whenever the engineer in charge of water being supplied to the city shall certify that an emergency exists in such water supply or the water of the Passaic River is at a low ebb, the Mayor may, for the protection, health, safety and general welfare of the citizens and residents of the city, proclaim the existence of a water emergency and prescribe regulations to:
[Adopted 12-18-1979 by Ord. No. 79-111 as Ch. 25, Art. 1, of the 1979 Revised General Ordinances of Paterson]
The proclamation of the emergency shall be conclusive of the fact of the existence of such emergency and shall be binding upon all persons and users upon the filing of the same in the office of the City Clerk and the publication thereof at least once in each of the daily newspapers published and circulating in the city. The regulations set forth in the proclamation and any subsequent regulations made and published as aforesaid, upon filing thereof in the office of the City Clerk, shall be deemed to have the force and effect of regulations adopted under the authority of this Article, the same as if specifically incorporated and set forth herein. Every owner, lessee, tenant and occupant of any building or premises connected with the city water supply and every user thereof under any contract, ordinance or statute shall, upon the proclamation and promulgation of the regulations as aforesaid, become bound thereby and by the provisions of this Article and shall conform thereto and comply therewith in the use of water and the maintenance of the water service connections and equipment for the purposes thereof.
A.
Every owner of buildings and premises connected with city water supply shall:
B.
Every lessee, tenant and occupant of any building or premises connected with the city water supply shall:
(1)
Immediately notify the owner or his agent of any defective water service pipes, fixtures or connections whereby water is being wasted.
C.
Every owner and user of water shall, during the period of a water emergency, be chargeable with notice of any waste water due to defective water service pipes, fixtures or connections and of the regulations promulgated under the proclamation.
Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person in charge of any building or premises connected with the city water supply shall admit thereto the authorized agents and employees of the city for the purpose of inspecting the water service pipes, fixtures and connections.
Whenever an owner shall fail or refuse to make repairs so as to prevent the waste of water, then the city shall have the power to make such repairs and to charge the cost thereof to the owner in the same manner as other water charges are made, as provided by statute.
Any person who violates any provision of this Article or any of the regulations provided for therein shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000.), by imprisonment for a term not exceeding ninety (90) days or by a period of community service for not more than ninety (90) days, or any combination thereof. A separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.