A.
Applicability of rules.
(1)
Each and every owner of property supplied with water by the districts and each and every consumer, user or taker of water from the districts' water system shall be in all respects bound by and shall be considered to have agreed to the rules, regulations. requirements and schedule of water rates and other charges as hereinafter set forth or as they may be amended or modified by the Board of Water Commissioners as a condition precedent to the rights to service from said water system. All applications for service shall be signed by the owner of the premises or his agent.
(2)
The rules and regulations, as hereinafter set forth or as they may be amended or modified, are hereby made a part of any and all agreements or contracts with each owner of property supplied with water by the districts and each and every consumer, taker or user of water furnished directly from mains of said districts.
(3)
The Board of Water Commissioners shall be the Supervisor and the four Councilmen of the Town Board. The Supervisor shall be Chairman of the Board.
(4)
The Board of Water Commissioners reserves the right to make such changes in the rules, regulations and the schedule of water rates and other charges as it may from time to time deem advisable.
(5)
The Board of Water Commissioners of the Town of Mount Pleasant shall be the sole judge as to the meaning of these rules and regulations. Its interpretation shall be final and binding upon all applicants for water service and upon all takers and users of water.
B.
Control, maintenance, service requirements and uses.
(1)
The Board of Water Commissioners shall have control of the installation, maintenance, repair and adjustment of all mains, taps, curb boxes, service pipes, valves and meters.
(2)
All work necessary for the maintenance, repair or adjustment of all mains, taps, service lines, curb boxes and meters shall be performed by the employees of the districts. The water districts shall assume the cost of maintenance, repair and adjustment of district-owned mains and service lines inside of the districts' unincorporated limits from the main to and including the curb stop. The cost of the maintenance, repair and adjustment of all other mains, service lines, valves, fittings, etc., of the water system, shall be borne by the consumer or consumers concerned, except where adjustment of service lines within the districts is required by public construction.
(3)
The districts do not guarantee service from main to meter or through any piping, valves or connections or to any boilers or other special equipment and shall not be held liable for any damage of whatever nature by reason of its failure for any cause to supply water to any consumer at any time or for shutting off of water mains or service pipes for any purpose whatsoever or for any breaks, obstructions or intermission in service, regardless of the cause therefor, whether previous notice has been given or not. No deduction from the meter charge shall be made for periods when the service is shut off.
(4)
The consumer is required to notify the Board of any leak or damage to the service line, in which case the water may be turned off until the service line is repaired as provided in Subsection B(2). At the option of the Board, an entire service may be required to be replaced. Such replacement shall be at the consumer's expense.
(5)
Except in cases of fire, no person or persons other than employees of the districts shall take water from the fire hydrants of the system for any purpose whatsoever without having obtained a special permit from the Board of Water Commissioners or from the Water Superintendent, which permit shall be subject to such conditions as the Board of Water Commissioners shall impose. In case of fire, such fire hydrants shall be opened and water taken therefrom only by active members of fire companies.
(6)
Service shall be rendered and water supplied only to premises in which all plumbing is installed in such a manner as to constitute no possible source of pollution to the districts' water system. No other water supply shall be connected or interconnected to the public supply. Where a possible source of pollution exists, the water shall be immediately shut off at the expense of the consumer until such possible source of pollution is removed by the owner.
(7)
All waste of water is prohibited. The Board may impose specific limitations upon water use during times of water shortage or danger thereof. The Board of Water Commissioners reserves the right to discontinue supply of water to any premises except for domestic service when, in its opinion, a suitable alternate supply of water is available to the premises.
(8)
Service shall be controlled at the curb stop. Should it be desired by the consumer to discontinue the use of water, the Water Superintendent shall shut off the service at the curb box and remove the meter upon proper notification from the owner or his agent. Upon similar notification and upon payment of all indebtedness, the Water Superintendent shall reinstall the meter and turn on the water at the curb box. Charges shall be made for both of these services at the rate of $5 for each necessary trip to the premises.
(9)
In case it is desired to abandon a service, the Board shall be notified by the owner or his agent and the service will be discontinued from the main. This work shall be performed by the employees or agents of the districts at the expense of the owner. No new service shall be provided for any premises while a discontinued service is not disconnected in accordance with this provision.
(10)
In those cases where an emergency exists as may be declared by the Supervisor or the Acting Supervisor or a majority of the members of the Board of Water Commissioners, a duly licensed plumber may perform any of the functions prescribed to be performed by employees of the districts, provided that such licensed plumber shall secure a written permit from the Water Superintendent to perform such function, such permit to specify the nature of work to be performed, the time and place at which it shall be performed, and the conditions under which it shall be performed. Any work so performed shall be in full compliance with these regulations as the same may, from time to time, be amended.
(11)
No connection of any kind shall be made to the service between the main and meter.
(12)
Service of any notice authorized or directed by or on behalf of the Board of Water Commissioners may be made upon the owner personally or by leaving the same at the premises where the water is supplied or by sending the same by mail to such party at the last address furnished to the Board.
(13)
[1]During any period of emergency concerning the supply of water which may be declared to exist by the Supervisor by a written notice published once in the official newspaper, and until the supervisor shall declare that such emergency has ceased to exist, the following restrictions on the use of water shall apply, and the violation of any such restrictions shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 15 days, or both.
(a)
The use of district water for the watering of lawns and for washing or flushing sidewalks, driveways and other surfaces shall be prohibited.
(b)
The watering of trees, shrubs and vegetable or flower gardens with district water shall be prohibited, except with a pail or watering can.
(c)
The washing of motor vehicles by means of a hose using district water is prohibited.
(d)
The use of district water to fill or partially fill a swimming pool is prohibited, except that in the case of a pool which operates with filtered and recirculated water, it may be used to replenish water in a pool filled prior to the declaration of the emergency, which is lost by normal splashing and evaporation but not to replenish water drained out of the pool in order to clean or repair it or for any other purpose, provided that this shall not prohibit the normal operation of a swimming pool which filters and recirculates water and admission to which, with or without the payment of charges, is open to the public or to all residents of the districts or which is operated by a nonprofit charitable corporation for its charitable purposes.
(e)
The use of district water to operate ornamental or display fountains shall be prohibited, except that water in a fountain prior to the declaration of the emergency may be recirculated.
(f)
The operation of an air-conditioning system or systems for cooling air by the use of district water which is not recirculated and which have an aggregate capacity in excess of three tons for any building or premises shall be prohibited, provided that any system installed and in use prior to August 1, 1965, which is not designed to recirculate water may be operated only on such days and during such reasonable hours as may be designated in a permit to be granted therefor by the Supervisor, upon written application, setting forth the facts upon which the Supervisor may determine the periods of time during which the use of such air-conditioning system may reasonably be necessary depending upon weather conditions and the uses to which the premises are devoted.
(g)
The use of fire hydrants for any purpose other than fire protection is prohibited.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(h)
The serving of water to patrons in restaurants, clubs or eating places unless specifically requested by the customer is prohibited.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(i)
The use of public water in the cleaning of the exterior of buildings is prohibited.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(j)
The operation of car washes is prohibited unless recirculating equipment is used. Companies not presently using recirculating equipment must submit plans to install such equipment within 30 days of the effective date of this amendment and complete the work within 90 days of such effective date.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(k)
Water meters shall be installed on all air-conditioning cooling towers within 30 days of the effective date hereof. Air-conditioning units over two tons are required to have recirculatory equipment.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(l)
Leaks in house water connections shall be repaired within 48 hours.
[Added 2-24-1981]
(m)
All industrial and commercial businesses must formulate and enact a long-range water conservation plan which reduces consumption by 15%. For purposes of this subsection, the average water meter readings for the calendar year 1980 will be the basis for comparison.
[Added 2-24-1981]