The Town of Manchester Water Department has in place an Emergency Contingency
Plan which plan has been reviewed and approved by the State of Connecticut
Department of Public Health, Water Supply Section. The Board of Directors,
with the adoption of this article, hereby incorporates that Emergency Contingency
Plan by reference, as said plan may be amended from time to time. The Water
Department shall monitor, in accordance with the Department's Emergency Contingency
Plan, the Town's available water supplies to insure that sufficient water
supplies are available to adequately meet the health and sanitation requirements
of those residents of the Town who are supplied by water from the Town's water
system, provide sufficient fire-fighting capacity, and provide a reserve sufficient
to meet the foregoing requirements and meet such emergencies and contingencies
as may exist from time to time. The Water Department may implement any and
all voluntary conservation measures identified in the Department's Emergency
Contingency Plan or as imposed by the State of Connecticut Department of Health.
If the Water Department determines, in accordance with the standards set forth in the Department's Emergency Contingency Plan, that the amount of available water supplies is below an amount sufficient to meet the requirements of §
315-8 hereof, or that weather and hydrological conditions are such that continued demand threatens to reduce the amount of available water supplies below an amount sufficient to meet the requirements of §
315-8 hereof, it may request the General Manager to take action pursuant to §
315-10 herein.
Notice of the restrictions imposed pursuant to §
315-10 herein, shall be published in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town at least three days before the effective date of such restrictions or by such other means as the General Manager deems desirable. In extreme emergency situations, as determined by the General Manager in conjunction with consultations with the Water Department and in accordance with the Department's Emergency Contingency Plan, the General Manager may immediately impose such restrictions and waive the three-day prior notification requirement. In such cases, the imposed restrictions will be published in a newspaper having general circulation or by any other means the General Manager deems appropriate within three days of the effective date of the establishment of such restriction.
If at any time after the imposition of restrictions, the General Manager deems it necessary to impose additional restrictions within the service area, in whole or in part, to those previously imposed, the General Manager may do so and the revisions shall be published in accordance with the provisions of §
315-11 hereof. The General Manager may also impose a "water conservation rate" that is identified in the Water Department's Schedule or Rates, Charges and Fees as approved by the Board of Directors.
Any person, organization or business entity who is not connected to
the Town's public water supply system may apply to the Water and Sewer Department
for a certificate evidencing such fact and, upon inquiry from any person charged
with the enforcement of this article, shall make such certificate available.
Any person, organization or business entity found to be violating any
of the water use restrictions imposed by the General Manager herein shall
be fined $99. In the case of a continuing violation, each continuance thereof
shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense.
Upon a determination by the Water Department, in accordance with the
standards set forth in the Department's Emergency Contingency Plan, that the
water supplies available to the Town's water system are such that a water
supply emergency is no longer necessary or may be modified, it shall notify
the General Manager, who shall publish a notice of termination of the water
supply emergency or modifications of restrictions imposed, in a newspaper
having a substantial circulation within the Town or by other means that it
deems desirable.
This article shall not be construed as prohibiting the taking of any
action which may be necessary to ensure the safe and secure operation of the
Town's water system in the interval between the occurrence of an event giving
rise to a water supply emergency and the imposition of any water conservation
measures or use restrictions by the General Manager. The Water Department,
through its Water and Sewer Administrator, shall take such action as may be
necessary to ensure the safe and secure operation of the Town's water system
during such intervals, in accordance with the standards set forth in the Department's
Emergency Contingency Plan.