{Y 9w,r, 6Q@4Og)nF9c"|A""?__ovt^o_dM`L2,s54#Pj0 Systems generally dont want to extend their liability onto or across private property to read meters or make repairs after dark within a private property on the off chance that frequent trips onto that property raises the chance of some type of accident or damage to the owners property or tenants. A: Your question is very common for all rural and some urban systems. 0000001146 00000 n Other possible solutions the system may suggest to the customer are: move the fence back so the meter is outside the fence; install a separate gate at the location of the meter; or provide a key or code so the meter reader or repair crew can access the water line and meter 24/7. D/^&H 0000000015 00000 n w;A`@3YceL 0a0DD8T#_ _~qd"D|%U0 a`q]HEWls!G29h4 % If they want service at a new location, they must purchase another membership and meter tap, and comply with all the new service application procedures. <00> (7#~mz*B TwIewVq_kgcQyQ4Jd/ K3E\_%9=G$#. 0 B. Multi-Family Residential A twelve-inch (12") water main shall be required to loop through a multi-family district. end <90> <90> <2022> PDF SECTION 2 - WATER SYSTEM DESIGN REQUIREMENTS - prospertx.gov <20> <7E> <0020> The original member will pay all costs associated with a new meter installation as if they were a new customer, since they are a new customer at this new location. If not then the meter accuracy is over or under by that difference since the tank is a definite volume (provided the above calculation and tank dimensions were accurate). In this case, applicants pay for what is necessary to provide them with their individual service, including his or her part of line upgrades, wells, tanks or treatment capacities before receiving service or entering into a service contract; the system pays for any facility capacity in excess of what the individual needs. The system is not responsible for securing or requiring an easement for any service line from the meter to the ultimate customers home. The extra 15 percent capacity is supposed to be maintained by the system (not paid for by the new customer), but the system may require applicants requesting service to pay for some of the system upgrades that will be used by that applicant. "Equivalent residential units" or "ERU" is a unit of measurement based upon a standard single-family residential home used to establish rates, fees and charges and volume capacity limits. <9F> <9F> <0178> A. This includes design, review and approval of all plans and all on-site and off-site service facilities by the corporations engineer and compliance with any applicable municipal or other governmental codes and specifications. A: This is commendable for a system member to agree to read all the meters for your system at no cost. <]/Info 87 0 R/Prev 844706 >> Development Agreement Between the City of Missouri City, Texas, and 0000005203 00000 n If there is reason to believe a dangerous or hazardous condition exists, the corporation may conduct a customer service inspection (CSI) to verify the hazardous condition and may notify the local county health office. 1616 Rio Grande PDF Control Number: 51166 - Texas Each systems board will make the final decision on base rates, as well as usage rates and fees. (16) Connection--A single family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system. Duplexes and triplexes are sufficiently similar to single family homes so that a duplex equals twice the ERU . CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop startxref TRWA suggests that systems tell their customers to add the cost of their meter and impact fee to the cost of their property before they sell in order to fund installing another meter at their new location. >> def We have generally required individual meters for each unit, but one owner wants to know if they can put in a 2-inch master meter for all 10 units in five nearby duplexes. This can be as little as one foot or several feet of water added to the tank. The main billing consideration is normally that meters for irrigation purposes only are typically not charged a sewer bill and if your system provides sewer service this could reduce the overall revenue if enough of these meters are installed. Leakage 8. Under 30 TAC 290.38(16), "connection" means "A single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied" from the PWS. In the case of choosing a meter read system, we suggest that the meter supplier provide you with a list of systems that uses their meters so your system can check out the pros and cons with other systems that are using the meters. 389 0 obj <>stream If it is a single tract of land and the plumbing to each of these eight units is all combined into one common line, then a master meter would probably be the better option for this applicant. <99> <99> <2122> <00> Even if the customer would only need standard service, TRWAs Sample Tariff includes the requirement that the property of the applicant/ member shall be inspected to ensure compliance with state required Minimum Acceptable Operating Practices for Public Drinking Water Systems as promulgated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or successor agency. PDF LIVING UNIT EQUIVALENT (LUE) GUIDANCE DOCUMENT - Austin, Texas By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. Would this person also have access to the system office or have keys to the water plants? As for the TCEQ 290 rules, master meters are to be calibrated for groundwater systems once every 3 years and surface water meters every year. A: It is required that water systems verify that all materials and chemicals used in a public water system meet the TCEQ rules. /CIDSystemInfo endstream endobj 4 0 obj<>stream A: New meters are supposed to be calibrated and ready to use when shipped to systems. The most immediate issue to address is the potential health hazard caused by the loss of pressure when the booster pump kicks on. Both of these sections clearly state that an owner of the property to be served is the only person qualified to be a WSC member and that the meter has to be installed on the property designated to be served. endcmap The rules provide some ways for the applicant to opt out of individual meters and having multiple water service lines crisscrossing their tract of land. But the continued headaches and future problems will not be worth the bad public relations this can cause if anything happens to the service line or meter that is on someone elses property. You should always keep the safety of your employees in mind and act within the law. \\~;XBM?!GIjM_% ]$N6+ A;#-^V_J_K_Z!m?oW16d pzpDu@N_D}v54}aM,7=?9?rIh:O7U`BVM[np`&6+mC-Ot6)Rz 6+VM?mHAMA5i }l& Our engineers say the only way we can meet TCEQ standards for water distribution if we add the meter is with a six-inch line extension. One of our customers is demanding that she keep her meter since she paid for it and she feels it should be hers to keep. Do I need to calibrate the meter? Q: How does a person with multiple mobile homes become a master-metered account? These cost-of-service issues have subsequently been transferred to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which has been very pro-consumer when addressing complaints. /Ordering (UCS) The NSF 61 is the standard for all pipes, repair clamps, and any other fitting or material used in a public water system. Q: Can we install a meter on land that is not owned by the system member if he gets an easement from the land owner? The Commercial facilities are calculated by an Equivalent . Some engineers and systems took this to mean that if we remove the meters at these dormant locations, the system would not have to charge future new customers the price for upgrading their old water mains until the freed-up capacity was allocated to new active connections. Furthermore, Section 290.44(d)(4) states that, each community public water system shall provide accurate metering devices at each residential, commercial, or industrial service connection for the accumulation of water usage data. Section 290.38 defines a connection as a single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system. Including this language in a notification letter to all utility customers will help explain why the system is requiring a change for existing multiple connections. Your board should look at all the different access related issues at customer locations and define in your tariff what the system considers to be reasonable access to the meters. <89> <89> <2030> <20> <7E> <0020> A: This is a common question. There is an automatic gate that only works by remote and we do not have access to it. stream Back in 2004, TRWA staff met with TCEQ to discuss several issues relating to their capacity regulations and interpretations. A: We get this question from time to time, and the answer as to whether you should have one master meter for each apartment building or one meter per individual apartment is it depends. In general, the Public Utility Commissions (PUC) rules first want separate meters for each unit so each individual users water usage can be measured accurately. /CMapType 2 def We have been mostly going by the word of individual landowners, which has recently resulted in us finding out that some of our meters were not correctly located. :RA%_Xo($N4jKA$iH~5]_]_W_4_'MAzcbhS Gj,+ NPt%TJMvM'B!41F"#4_M}:C?o_o_Z__^_,bD-CF`s;7Qfdcq12FnfhPM4w*`Rthj7v>N2nAqNtF?ON~kEWTB}WLO'?~_Kjjv?ijpU5l%.^=8I>5jtLd%-A^XABL4"?DDDD~~/a?i{`TG{`_+IW21 ffy./HZU"L3FRCa;5.Z qa?C$;VY!v +rxO%}^F'dvwtkV~JW_k#Nq|o|!mm+DcWS62q}9jQi|:{MT'^K{Ul%kr#x~jBXDvK{!ZoI";NaZa4?AWuAR#kM4Nh0Ai#'A"""!D~" }~},Tv;R*2@YDxw4& f0OeqXYDtc/DCXt(P 4(A|;Z 0000002770 00000 n <8B> <8B> <2039> <00AE> An eight-inch (8") water main will generally be required to distribute water and provide fire protection within the multi-family district provided that the water main does not exceed 600 feet in length or serve more than two endcodespacerange Q: Our system is replacing all of our meters. Texas Water Code Sec. A: Yes, under Chapter 13 of the Texas Water Code you must provide service to the applicant if the location of the request for service lies within your certificated service area and your utility is privately owned or a nonprofit water supply corporation. For example, in Section E, Members Responsibility: d. Therefore, all water usage registering upon and/or damages occurring to the metering equipment owned and maintained by the Corporation shall be subject to charges as determined by the Corporations Tariff as amended from time to time by the Board of Directors. 0000000825 00000 n Using the formula 3.14 X Radius X Radius X Height X 7.48 (gallons per cubic feet) you can calculate the number of gallons of water added to the storage tank. ~0r; Given more information about your utility we may have suggestions regarding ideas on sharing the cost of any upgrade. PUC rules also specify the requirements for language that must be included in the rental agreement regarding submetering, how the charges are to be calculated and how billing is to be conducted. <09> <0A> <0009> <8C> <8C> <0152> \8h;""-[a]_aM7#0dpq6;tDdX)A!BuU ]H#Fjf )aAC;D Q: A member of our WSC has two water meters on his property. Chapter 13.07 WATER AND WASTEWATER ASSESSMENTS, RATES, FEES AND CHARGES For Tract 2, the engineer assumed 24 equivalent single family connections, and a meter connection count will be four. How common are they compared to the traditional positive displacement manual read meters? There is nothing in TCEQs Chapter 290 regulations which addresses the above scenario dealing with pre-existing taps that have been removed. Texas Administrative Code - Secretary of State of Texas <8E> <8E> <017D> If your utility is a political subdivision and you do not have a certificate of convenience and necessity, your obligation and requirements are dictated by other state statutes. Many times, a customer has a shut off valve installed to the second residence that can be turned off for plumbing repairs or when inspections like these are to be conducted. Now climb the tank again after the well pump is stopped and measure the height of water again at the manway. The capacity is being used either way, and these new meters and customers are utilizing their share of the systems resources. Sometimes multiple lines from multiple meters can become a maintenance nightmare because all the lines, meters and valves look the same. Our service agreement states that we only allow one dwelling per connection. The impact fee and other front-end capital improvement fees also remain with the existing tap and location and should never be transferred to another property for the same reasons above. 0000003802 00000 n A: Master metered accounts are typically used when a landowner wants a single meter to provide water service to multiple buildings, apartments, offices, trailer spaces or other types of business activities. The nagging question I have is what is the motive for this charity act and how long will it take for the fun to wear off? First, the one meter per residence language should be part of your tariff or service policy. <8A> <8A> <0160> <00A0> Going back to my earlier example, if a current customer wanted a new meter placed at the end of a road a 1/2 mile past the end of the existing water line, that new customer should pay their costs for extending that line and not have that cost be paid for by the rest of the members. /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin Do they have to register as a business with the state or get a water commercial permit? A: If your board has adopted the basic TRWA Sample Tariff language, then the meter costs and impact fee should stay with the property on which the meter was initially installed. Public wells supply drinking water to municipalities. Master District that constitutes an Equivalent Single Family Connection, which amount may be changed from time to time. <83> <83> <0192> A standard single-family home is considered a standard ERU with other uses measured against this baseline. <09> <0A> <0009> <81> <81> <2022> However, most of the time there isnt an easement filed between the two neighbors for the meter and service line from the front property to the back property being served. * 04dOvZ% y;a p^u N&?FqCe6MoA With regard to your 1.5 inch line, please note that the TCEQ Chapter 290 Rules state that a 2 inch main line size is the minimum to be installed on any public water system. Then, once the system reaches 100 percent capacity, that system should begin constructing these new facilities to replace or build that extra 15 percent or more back into their system for future growth. 0000001247 00000 n We want to be fair, but we also want be responsible. 12 dict begin Present Ave. Daily Flow (B 6 + B 7 ) Single family - include all single family homes, mobile homes and seasonal dwellings in this category. In the event that the placement ends up being wrong, the PUC would likely side with the owner in a dispute about relocation costs because they would see it as the utility shirking its responsibility to exercise due diligence when it set the meter in the wrong location in the first place. 1.1 Land Use Assumptions and Projected Population The BPSUD water system operates as 4 independent pressure planes, which requires that each pressure plane be analyzed as a stand-alone system. The correspondence should also include a date on which service will be disconnected if the customer fails to make arrangements for the CSI. First, the customer must supply the system a final plat showing the intended use and ultimate development of the property to be served. For example, the Service Rules and Regulations of the TRWA Sample Tariff, Section E, states: An apartment building, condominium, manufactured housing (modular, mobile or RV) community, business center or other similar type enterprise may be considered by the Corporation to be a single commercial facility if the owner applies for a meter as a 'master metered account' and complies with the requirements set forth in PUC rules, this Tariff and applicable law. TRWAs Sample Tariff, Section B provides additional detail, requiring compliance with PUC, Chapter 24, Subchapter H rules pertaining to submetering. One requirement under PUC rules is that the owner who intends to bill tenants for sub-metered or allocated utility service or who changes the method used to bill tenants for utility service must register with the PUC in a form prescribed by the commission. Do we have to provide water to the new meter on this line? <9D> <9D> <2022> The result is an estimate of total The actual cost of the meter and installation should be assessed as well. Section 290.38 defines a connection as "a single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system." Including this language in a notification letter to all utility customers will help explain why the system is requiring a change for existing multiple connections. This eliminates the need for a system to conduct manual drive-bys and allows all meters to be read from the whole system in a matter of minutes from the office. IQ-EQ | 110,749 followers on LinkedIn. Hopefully this will help address the customers concerns. Only the labor to reinstall the meter, a new customer service inspection fee, the BPAT test if there was a backflow assembly there before, and the refundable membership fees could be charged to the new applicant at that previously served location. <8D> <8D> <2022> endcodespacerange endcmap Q: How important is the NSF 60 certification on meters or does it even matter? 0000001086 00000 n The ERUs would be equivalent to what would be used by typical single-family residences, if they were using the water. <7F> <7F> <2022> <00> Your tariff should include the requirements for evaluating an application for a master meter. Use some water out of the storage tank (ground or elevated). PDF Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District Some folks opt for wells of around 300 gallons per minute or less to use a fire truck or tanker instead of climbing an elevated tank to do the measuring twice. It appears they have done this to supply water to more than 60 small rental homes on two 5/8 x 3/4 meters. <80> <80> <20AC> The board can amend the current charge to whatever they determine to be fair to the ratepayers. 1. You should review this situation with your engineers. It doesnt matter whether the extra capacity is used to supply brand new customers who have never had service or to existing customers seeking an additional meter. Big problems can occur when either of the properties changes hands. 374 0 obj TRWA does not recommend any product, supplier or person and leaves that decision up to each system. Customers that do not report multiple connections, causing utility employees to have to investigate the matter, are usually denied these waivers. What should we do? First, youll want to look at what your tariff and non-standard service agreement state as far as requirements for service and what you have agreed to provide. Since the two businesses have separated and are no longer on the same property, then the convenience store is diverting water to another property, which constitutes an illegal connection or transfer of water from one property to another. The sample tariff allows the system to estimate a bill and notify the member of the estimate if meter access is hindered or denied. <20> <7E> <0020> There may be limitations that prevent using the meter when there is an outside water ban or other drought measures are in place. /CIDSystemInfo Would a hose running across the potential users property, across the alleyway, and across about 10 feet of the members property be allowed? For years, many rural and municipal systems have opted to install master meters for rental properties such as multiple apartment buildings on the same tract of land, multiple mobile homes or manufactured homes on the same tract of land, as well as multiple RVs or strip/multi-use business centers with a common owner. We really need to understand the regulations and what action we need to take prior to approaching either business. ]*U}%GikLf!=ZpcC[RqHL Re: US travelers connecting in AMS what are the rules now? described above, SWWC currently supplies water to at least 5,465 active LUEs (i.e., single-2 Living Unit Equivalents (LUEs). #9: "We're already listed as very high risk. 69 12 If your engineer has not approved the use of the booster pump or sized the lines and meters to accommodate the 60 rental homes, the customer is not in compliance with the terms of the agreement and your tariff. 0 {e9Q $b@;l0$" The NSF 60 standard is for chemicals used in a water system. endstream endobj 1 0 obj<> endobj 2 0 obj<>/XObject<>/ProcSet 79 0 R>> endobj 3 0 obj<>stream We have some meter boxes that do not have a meter as they were either pulled for non-payment or the owner requested them to be removed. Installing multiple meters on a single undivided property with a line running across the property could lead to easement issues in the future. Each system has to check references, call neighboring systems that use the same product or professional, and verify to the best of their ability the facts before purchasing materials or entering into a contract. (2) Active connection, as used in this section, means a lot or . =4$y]/%(%DL Not all the time, but it is usually pretty accurate unless another deed or court decree has been issued since the countys records were last updated. <98> <98> <02DC> We have several customers who have gates at the back of their homes and their homes are built at least 500 feet off the road.
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