POLICY ON WATER USAGE CREDITS
Revision of
(Replaces Revision of
SECTION 1: GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 Reference to the User Charge Ordinance
This
policy is made pursuant to Section 5.04 of the "Ordinance Establishing a User Charge System" which
states:
"a partial exemption will be granted
for water not returned to the sanitary sewer system. The user must install a credit meter or a
meter on the sanitary line or have a method of procedure to determine such
amounts which has been approved by the District."
1.2 Purpose of This Policy
Therefore,
the purpose of this policy is to list the procedures that have been approved by
the District for the purpose of giving credits to our customers. This is done in order to provide uniformity
in the handling of such requests.
1.3 Credits Not Otherwise Listed in This Policy
Credits
for water not returned to the sanitary sewer system but not specifically mentioned
herein, may be granted by the General Manager for amounts not exceeding
$500.00.
1.4 Falsification of Information
The
District shall have the right to inspect the user's property, pursuant to
Section 3.06 of the above‑mentioned Ordinance,
and to receive appropriate documentation, in order to determine the extent of
compliance with both the Ordinance
and this policy. Users providing false
information shall be subject to Section 5.09 of the above‑mentioned Ordinance which states:
"...shall, upon conviction be
punished by the imposition of a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 or by
imprisonment for not more than six (6) months."
SECTION 2: CREDITS FOR INSTALLATION OF A LAWN
2.1 Eligible Customers
All
customers shall be eligible for a sod or seed lawn installation credit.
2.2 Amount of the Credit
The
amount of the credit shall be
2.3 Required Documentation
In
order to receive the credit, a customer must submit the attached Lawn Installation Credit Application
(Exhibit A) and supply a copy of a purchase order, work order or other receipt
from a lawn company, landscaper, or other vendor which shows the following
information:
·
Address of the property
·
Date of sod installation or seeding
·
Number of square yards of sod installed or
seed applied
The
District reserves the right to inspect the property to verify the information
on the application.
SECTION 3: CREDITS FOR POOLS
3.1 Eligible Customers
All
non‑residential pools and indoor pools belonging to residential customers
shall be eligible for an annual pool credit.
Outdoor pools belonging to residential customers are not eligible since
such a pool credit would duplicate any credit given through the residential
summer credit program.
3.2 Amount of the Credit
The
amount of the credit shall be the volume of the pool multiplied by the
customer’s user charge rate per
3.3 Required Documentation
In order to receive the credit, a customer must
submit the attached Pool Credit
Application (Exhibit B). The
District shall send an inspector to the location to verify the information on
the application. Following this
inspection, the customer will begin to receive appropriate credit.
Every
year thereafter, the District shall send to the customer a Pool Credit Form (Exhibit C), which the
customer must sign verifying that the pool still exists. Upon receipt of this form by the District,
the customer will then receive the credit on the next invoice.
SECTION 4: CREDITS FOR WATER LEAKS
4.1 Eligible Customers
All
customers shall be eligible for a credit due to a leak that occurs downstream of
their water meter.
4.2 Amount of the Credit
The
amount of the credit shall be determined as follows:
·
The average quarterly flow is determined
using the four consecutive quarters prior to the quarter in which the leak
occurred.
·
For leaks in the internal plumbing of the
dwelling, the customer shall be billed for the quarter in question at the
combined flow rate (Ordinance
Establishing Fees & Charges, Section 3.2) for the average quarterly
flow as determined above and shall be billed at the individual flow rate (Ordinance Establishing Fees & Charges,
Section 3.1), for the metered water consumption in excess of the average
quarterly flow.
·
For leaks that occur external to the
dwelling, or that are discharged externally via a sump pump or other means, the
customer shall be billed at the combined flow rate for the average quarterly
flow as determined above.
4.3 Required Documentation
In
order to receive the credit, a customer must supply a copy of a purchase or
work order from a licensed plumber which shows the following information:
·
Address of the property
·
Date of repair
·
A statement that the leak occurred on the
customer’s side of the water meter and indicating whether the leak occurred in
the internal plumbing of the dwelling or external to the dwelling
If
the customer repaired the leak without the services of a licensed plumber, the
customer must provide a written statement describing the leak and explaining
how the repairs were made. The Customer
must also attach store receipts for the repair parts used.
SECTION 5: CREDITS RELATED TO THE CONSUMPTION OF WATER
DURING PRODUCTION
5.1 Eligible Customers
To
the extent that installation of a credit meter is not possible and/or practical,
industrial customers may be eligible for credits for water consumed during the
manufacturing process or otherwise not returned to the sanitary sewer.
5.2 Amount of the Credit
The
amount of the credit shall be determined by the District.
5.3 Required Documentation
Once
a basis for credits has been established by the District, the customer shall
comply with any documentation requirements to continue to be eligible for
production credits.
SECTION 6: CREDITS RELATED TO INSTALLATION OF CREDIT
METERS
6.1 Eligible Customers
All
customers shall be eligible to install one or more credit meters for the
purpose of determining the amount of their incoming water usage that does not
return to the sanitary sewer system.
6.2 Amount of the Credit
The
amount of the credit shall be the usage as recorded by the credit meters.
6.3 Required Documentation
Customers
desiring to install a credit meter shall complete the District’s Credit Meter Application (Exhibit
D). Upon receipt of the Application, the
District shall evaluate the proposed meter to ensure that it satisfies the
District’s minimum requirements
for credit meters (Exhibit E).
Should the proposed meter installation meet or exceed the District’s
minimum requirements, the District shall authorize the installation of that
meter.
The
customer is responsible to ensure that the proposed meter and its installation
satisfy the requirements of the customer's municipality and water
supplier. The cost of the meter, its
installation and its maintenance, including any recalibration that may be
required by the District, shall be borne by the customer.
Following
the installation of the meter, the customer shall contact the District to
schedule an appointment to have the installation inspected and the meter
sealed. Each quarter thereafter, the
customer shall read the meter and record the reading on a Credit Meter Form supplied by the District
(Exhibit F). Upon receipt of the form by
the District, the customer shall receive a credit. The District reserves the
right to periodically read the meter for the purpose of verifying the readings
supplied by the customers.
Where
the meter is conveniently located and readily accessible there shall be no
charge for the meter installation inspections or periodic meter readings. Charges may apply if the meter is not readily
accessible for inspection.
SECTION 7: RESIDENTIAL SUMMER CREDIT PROGRAM
7.1 References to Other Information
This
credit, its eligibility, and exact computations, are described in Sections 2.07
and 3.03 of the Ordinance Establishing a
User Charge System. All residential
customers are automatically enrolled in the program. The brochure, Information About Our Summer Credit Program
(Exhibit G), further explains the program.