TITLE 4
PUBLIC WORKS
Chapter 1: Water Department
4-1-101: Creation of Water Department
4-1-102: Duties of Superintendent
4-1-103: Jurisdiction
4-1-104: Application for Service
4-1-105: Rates and Charges
4-1-106: Billing and Collection
4-1-107: Access to Premises
4-1-108: Connection to System
4-1-109: Meters
4-1-110: Cross Connection Control
4-1-111: Unlawful to Restore Service
4-1-112: Unlawful to Tamper with Meter
4-1-113: Wasting Water
4-1-114: Prohibited Uses
4-1-115: Interruption of Water Service
4-1-116: Maintenance Responsibility
4-1-117: Fire Hydrants
4-1-118: Scarcity of Water
4-1-119: Source Protection
4-1-101: Creation of Water Department.
(1) There is hereby created a Water Department which shall consist of a superintendent and such other employees as shall be provided for by the City Council from time to time. The superintendent and other employees shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council.
(2) The Mayor may appoint a member of the City Council as superintendent. A member of the City Council who serves as superintendent shall report to the Mayor for administrative purposes as provided by Sections 2-3-101 and 2-3-103(1).
4-1-102: Duties of Superintendent. The superintendent of the Water Department shall be responsible for the proper care and efficient operation of the City’s municipal water system. He shall have charge of the reservoirs, water tanks, water mains, fire hydrants and all equipment and appurtenances of the water system. He shall direct the laying of water mains, the installation of all service lines and the regulation of the supply of water.
4-1-103: Jurisdiction. The water system constructed or otherwise acquired by the City to supply residents of the city with culinary water is the property of the City and shall be under the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the City. The superintendent may, and at the direction of the Mayor or City Council shall, from time to time direct the making of needed additions, improvements, alterations and repairs to the water system. The City Council may by resolution from time to time make such rules and regulations as it deems necessary for operation and control of the water system.
4-1-104: Application for Service. (1) Any person who desires or is required to secure water service from the Water Department, when such service is available, shall apply therefor to the City Recorder and file an agreement with the City Recorder which shall be in the form adopted from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
(2) If the application for water service is made by a tenant of the owner of the premises to which water service is to be furnished, the application shall contain an agreement signed by the owner of the premises to the effect that in consideration of granting such application, the owner will pay for all service furnished to the premises in case the tenant or occupant shall fail to pay for the same.
4-1-105: Rates and Charges. (1) The City Council shall, from time to time by resolution, establish such rates and fees as it deems proper for the water service provided by the City.
(2) The City Council is hereby constituted a Board of Equalization of water rates and fees, to hear complaints and make corrections of any assessments deemed to be illegal, unequal or unjust. Provided, however, all such claims shall first be referred to the Claims Review Board established by Title 2, Chapter 15, for review and recommendation,
(3) The City Council may, if it sees fit, rebate all or any part of the water bill of any indigent person.
4-1-106: Billing and Collection. The Treasurer shall mail a written statement to each user of the water system once each month. The statement shall specify the amount of the bill due for water service used and the place of payment and due date. If any person fails to pay the amount billed within thirty (30) days of the due date, the Finance Director shall notify the superintendent of the Water Department and shall have authority to direct the superintendent to shut off all water services to the premises. Before water service to said premises shall again be provided, all delinquent water charges much have been paid to the City together with such reconnection fee as the City Council may be resolution from time to time authorize. The Finance Director may also request the City Attorney to enforce payment of all delinquent water service charges by an action in the name of the City.
4-1-107: Access to Premises. The owner and occupant of each premises to which water service is furnished shall allow the superintendent of the Water Department or his authorized representative free access to the premises at all reasonable times to examine the apparatus, the amount of water used, the manner of use, and to perform such duties as the superintendent may have under this chapter.
4-1-108: Connection to System.
(1) The superintendent of the Water Department shall make or supervise making each connection to the City water system on the following conditions:
(a) the fee for a water connection in such amount as may be established from time to time by resolution of the City Council has been paid and all applicable ordinances, rules and regulations are complied with;
(b) the City will furnish labor and materials to connect to the water main and run the service pipe to and including the water meter box, but the person for whom the connection is made shall pay all costs thereof; and
(c) the person for whom the connection is made shall furnish all labor and materials for the service pipe beyond the meter box.
(2) All service pipes connected to the City water system shall be of such material, quality and specifications as the superintendent may require.
(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to make any extension of any pipe or connect any fixture to the City water system for any purpose whatsoever without (a) obtaining a building permit under the building and plumbing codes adopted by the City, or (b) if no permit is required by the building or plumbing code, obtaining a plumbing permit from the superintendent. Violation of this subsection is an infraction.
4-1-109: Meters.
(1) Each lot or premises using water from the City water system shall have a water meter or meters connected to the system as necessary to adequately measure the water used by the lot or premise. .
(2) Meters shall be installed in easily accessible locations selected by the superintendent of the Water Department. Meters will be furnished by the City at the expense of the water user, at rates established from time to time by resolution of the City Council. Meter readings shall be made from time to time at such intervals as determined by the superintendent and shall be submitted to the Finance Director for the purpose of making necessary billings for water service.
(3) Modifications or connections to piping inside the meter box are prohibited. Sprinkler system connections inside the meter box or at any point upstream of the meter box are prohibited. All such connections or modifications shall be removed at the expense of the water user.
4-1-110: Cross Connection Control.
(1) The purpose of this section is to:
(a) protect the culinary water supply of the city from possible contamination or pollution by requiring compliance with state and local plumbing codes, health regulations, occupational safety and health acts, and other applicable industry standards for water system safety within the internal distribution system and private water system of each water user;
(b) promote elimination or control of cross connections in the plumbing fixtures and piping systems of water users, as required by state and local plumbing codes, health regulations, occupational safety and health acts, and other applicable industry standards to assure water system safety; and
(c) provide for administration of a continuing back flow prevention program to prevent the contamination or pollution of the City water system.
(2) The superintendent of the Water Department shall be responsible to take reasonable measures for protection of the water system from foreseeable conditions leading to possible contamination or pollution of the water system due to back flow of contaminants or pollutants into the water system. In carryout that responsibility, the superintendent shall cause culinary water system surveys and inspections of water users’ distribution system to be conducted. Records of such surveys and inspections shall indicate compliance with the health and safety standards listed in subsection (1). All such records shall be maintained by the Water Department. Based upon the result of such surveys and inspections, the superintendent shall select and approve a back flow prevention assembly for the service connection of any water user as deemed appropriate by the superintendent.
(3) It shall be the responsibility of a water user to purchase, install, test and maintain any back flow prevention assembly required to comply with this section.
(4) The building inspector charged with enforcement of the plumbing code adopted by the City will review all plans to insure that unprotected cross connections are not part of the water user’s system. If a cross connection cannot be eliminated, it shall be protected by installation of an air gap or an approved back flow prevention assembly. All repairs, tests or maintenance of back flow prevention assemblies, whether done by a water user or the Water Department, shall be performed by a certified technician. The technician shall:
(a) Ensure that acceptable testing equipment and procedures are used for testing, repairing, or overhauling back blow prevention assemblies.
(b) Make reports of such testing, repair or overhauling to the water user and Water Department. The report shall include a list of materials or replacement parts used.
(c) Use replacement parts equal in quality to parts originally supplied by the manufacturer of the back flow prevention assembly.
(d) Not change the design, material, or operational characteristics of a back flow prevention assembly.
(e) Use testing equipment in proper operating condition and acceptable to the superintendent.
(f) Be equipped with, and be competent to use, all necessary tools, gauges, and other equipment necessary to properly test and maintain back flow prevention assemblies.
(g) Attach to each back flow prevention assembly tested or repaired, a tag showing the serial number, date tested, name of technician, and technician’s license number.
(5) No water service connection to any premises from the City’s water system shall be made or maintained except in compliance with this section and all other applicable state laws, regulations and codes. If the superintendent finds that a back flow prevention assembly required by this section is not installed, tested, or maintained, or that a back flow prevention assembly has been removed or by-passed, or an unprotected cross connection exists on the premises, or the periodic system survey of an water user’s system has not been conducted, he shall give written notice of such violation to the water user. If the violation is not corrected within ten (10) days after the date of such written notice, water service of that user shall be disconnected and shall not be restored until the violation is corrected
(6) The water user at any premises where a back flow prevention assembly is installed shall have surveys and inspections and operational tests made by a certified technician at such intervals as the superintendent shall require. The superintendent shall see that all such tests are made according to state standards. Each back flow prevention assembly shall be tested within ten (10) working days after installation. No back flow prevention assembly shall be installed so as to create a safety hazard.
(7) The following definitions shall apply to this section:
(a) “Approved Back flow prevention assembly” means a device or means designed to prevent back flow. Specifications for back flow prevention assemblies shall be those included in the Utah Plumbing Code and Cross Connection Control Program which has been adopted by the state,
(b) “Back flow” means the reversal of the normal flow of water caused by either back pressure or back siphonage.
(c) "Back pressure" refers to the situation or potential situation where the source of contamination is or can be at a higher pressure than the city water system. Back pressure may cause the back flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances under pressure into the feeding distribution pipes of the water supply system from any source other than the intended source.
(d) “Back siphonage” is the situation where back flow may be caused by a lowering of the city water system pressure resulting in the flow of water, or other liquids, mixtures or substances into the distribution pipes of the water supply system for any source other than the intended source, caused by reduction of pressure in the water supply system.
(e) “Contamination” means a degradation of the quality of the water supply by sewage, industrial fluids, or waste liquids, compounds or other materials.
(f) “Cross connection” means a physical connection or arrangement of piping or fixtures which may allow non-potable water or industrial fluid or other material of non-potable quality to come in contact with potable water inside a distribution system. This shall include any temporary connection such as swing connections, removable connections, four-way plug valves, spools, dummy sections of pipe, swivel or change over devices or sliding multiport tubes or other plumbing arrangements.