The water collection, treatment and distribution
system owned and operated by the Town of Henlopen Acres shall be known
collectively as "Town of Henlopen Acres Water Utility." The operation
and management of this utility shall be under the control of the Town
Manager who shall direct the construction of additions thereto and
the maintenance thereof and, in all cases not particularly provided
for by this chapter or other ordinances of the Town, shall determine
in what manner and upon what terms water may be taken from the water
utility, any property owner or water consumer and the character of
the connections and appliances which may be made or used therefor.
The Town Manager or other designated official
may from time to time examine and inspect and premises where water
from the water utility is used in or upon such premises in order to
ascertain the nature, character and extent of such water use and the
condition of the water pipes, fixtures and appliances and to determine
if water is being wasted upon the premises.
Rates shall be established by the Commissioners
of the Town of Henlopen Acres by resolution.
The Town shall send an annual billing for water.
Payment is due within 45 days from receipt of the bill. Interest shall
be assessed against all accounts which are more than 30 days past
due at the rate of 1 1/2% per month, which is an annual rate
of 18%. An account is due and payable upon mailing of the annual statement,
and interest will be assessed if the bill, or any portion of the bill,
remains unpaid 45 days from mailing.
[Added 7-9-1999 by Ord. No. 99-1; amended 10-8-2021]
A service charge shall be established by resolution for each connection or disconnection of water service. If a disconnection is made in accordance with §
124-9 because of nonpayment of water service charges, the disconnect fee shall be as established by resolution.
Any customer who has had water shutoff for nonpayment
of the bill, failure to repair leaks or failure to comply with the
request of curtailment during a water emergency, in addition to any
other fees, moneys owed, deposits or fines, shall pay a reconnection
fee as established by resolution before service is reinstated.
An user paying by check will pay an additional
fee as set by resolution if the check is returned by the bank for
any reason.
Connection and impact fees shall be as set by
resolution.
Prior to connection, the owner must first obtain
a permit from the Town. It shall be unlawful for unauthorized individuals
to tap or connect to the Town of Henlopen Acres water distribution
system without authorization. The owner of the property with an unauthorized
connection shall be liable to the Town for all water use resulting
from such connection and may be subject to criminal fines and penalties.
All connections shall be approved and inspected by the Town Engineer.
Upon connection, regular water service fees must be paid.
[Added 7-9-1999 by Ord. No. 99-1; amended 10-8-2021]
Except as changed, added to, deleted or modified
by the foregoing provisions of this chapter, the 2018 International
Plumbing Code, or future editions as published by the International
Code Council, be and the same is hereby adopted as the Plumbing Code
of the Town of Henlopen Acres insofar as that code relates to the
installation of water service pipes and insofar as the regulations,
provisions, conditions and terms of said code are hereby referred
to, adopted and made a part of this chapter with the additions, changes,
deletions and modifications as hereinbefore set forth as though fully
set out.
Except for those properties connected to the
public water system of the City of Rehoboth Beach or which have installed
private wells pursuant to the ordinances of the Town of Henlopen Acres,
in order to conserve water supplied by the water utility, a limited
resource in the Town of Henlopen Acres, outside watering of lawns
and landscaped areas using Town water shall not, at any time, use
water for sprinkling or irrigating through a hydrant or hose, without
a nozzle or lawn sprinkler, and no sprinkler opening used shall be
more than 3/8 inch in diameter.