METERS

5.1    Metered Service  
The Authority shall furnish and either: (1) install, or cause to be installed, for the fee set forth in the Schedule of Water Rates and Charges which includes the cost of the meter assembly, or (2) the Consumer, at the Consumer’s cost (designated as the Customer Facilities Fee), shall install a water meter assembly for each service connection.  All meters shall be accessible to and under control of the Authority and shall be and remain the property of the Authority.  The cost of the meter assembly is borne by the owner as part of the Customer Facilities Fee. Prior to commencement  of water service, a water meter assembly installed by the Consumer shall be inspected and shall be subject to the approval of the Authority.

5.2    Size of Meter

  1. The Authority shall decide the size and type of the meter to be installed.
  2. A 5/8” meter shall be the smallest meter to be installed on House Connections for domestic use, but this size meter shall only be considered as being adequate for one (1) Consumer.  When more Consumers receive their supply through a single meter, the meter minimum size may be a larger meter.

 

5.3    Installation of Meters

  1. Location:  All water meters shall be installed as near as practical to the point of entry of the House connection within the house, in a clean, protected and accessible location, safe from freezing and mechanical damage.  No plumbing connection(s) to the House Connection are permissible between the main and the meter.  No meter shall be installed in a crawl space, coal bin or other inaccessible area.
  2. Height:  Meter shall be from 30 inches to 54 inches above the floor, set level with the dial up.
  3. Adaptation:  Meters shall be installed in a yoke or horn, so designed that the inlet and outlet piping are permanently connected physically and bonded electrically and that meter changes do not disrupt such piping.  When the House Connection lies in a vertical position, in a corner or other inaccessible location, the proper adaptor such as a yoke or horn shall be used to place the meter to a horizontal position for convenient reading.
  4. Shut-Off:  All meters shall have a stop and waste cock on the inlet side of the meter, sized to conform with the inlet line.
  5. Outside Remote Register:  Each meter shall be provided with an outside touch pad register, to be mounted as close to the meter as practical, in an accessible location on the outside wall of the house.  Any landscaping or plantings by the Consumer shall not hinder access to the outside touch pad register.  The signal cable between the meter and remote register shall be protected and accessible.
  6. Outside Meters:  If the Authority decides that the meter is to be placed outside the building, it must be placed in a meter box approved by the Authority, at the Consumer’s expense.  The meter shall be installed in accordance with the foregoing paragraphs.  Generally, outside meters are required where the Premises are of slab-on-grade construction or are located more than 60 feet from the Curb Stop. The owner shall cause the meter to have sufficient protection against freezing.

5.4    Inaccurate Meters
The quantity of water recorded by the meter shall be conclusive on both the Consumer and the Authority except when the meter has been found by the Authority to be registering inaccurately or has ceased to register.  In either case, the meter will be repaired or replaced promptly by the Authority and the quantity of water consumed for the billing period when the meter was out of service or registering inaccurately shall be estimated by the average registration of the meter on the three (3) previous billings periods, or by the percentage of inaccuracy as determined by the meter test.  If the owner does not promptly facilitate the meter repair or replacement by the Authority after a request has been made by the Authority, the owner will be billed the  flat rate water charge as set forth in the Schedule of Rates and Charges.
5.4.1 Meter Tests    In the event an Owner wishes to dispute a meter reading for accuracy, any such dispute must be made in writing to the Authority within forty-five (45) days after the date of the disputed reading. After receipt of notice of such disputed meter reading  the following shall occur:  (1) The Authority will verify the meter reading or  re-read the meter a maximum of one time in any twelve month period, (2) if the reading was inaccurate a prompt adjustment will be made by the Authority to correct the error. (3) if no reading error is discovered the original reading will remain in effect.
5.4.2 Reading Resolution    If the Owner wishes to continue to proceed beyond the second (verification) reading, after written notice from the Owner the following steps will be available:  (1) The Authority will remove the meter in question and perform an in house verification of the meter for which the Authority will charge the Owner as noted in the Schedule of Rates and Charges, (3) if the Owner wishes to continue to dispute the reading, a temporary water meter will be installed by the Authority and the  meter in question will be sent to an outside vendor for accuracy testing (3) the Owner will be responsible to pay fees associated with the second test as stated in the Schedule of Rates and Charges, (4) if during any of the previous steps a meter is found to be inaccurate the Authority will bear all of the costs associated with test procedures and the Owner’s bill will be adjusted. However in no case will any billing adjustment take place for more than two quarters preceding the finding of inaccuracy including the quarter in question, unless additional water charges were incurred by the Owner due to an unreasonable delay due to the scheduling of the Authority or any vendor of the Authority in which case the Authority shall adjust the water bill to account for such delay (5) the Owner shall be responsible to arrange for the Authority to have access to the meter during regular business hours  throughout the test process. (6) The Owner may at any time request  in writing, to be placed on the Agenda for a regular Authority Meeting  to request relief from the test procedure or billing amounts
5.4.3  A meters will only be determined to be faulty if the accuracy is registering is found to be greater than 4% of the tested volume amount.
5.4.4 Deposit Required    Any Owner that requests that a meter test be performed by the Authority shall  deposit  $275.00 with the Authority at the time of such request.  The deposit will be applied to the costs related to the meter test, labor charges and any other charges related to the meter test.  In the event a meter is found to be faulty the deposit will be returned to the Owner, provided there is no outstanding balance due on any account for which the  Owner is responsible.

5.5    Protection of the Meter Assembly

  1. The Owner must at all times, properly protect the meter assembly; including the signal line to and from the outside touch pad register from injury or frost or any other cause and will be held responsible for repairs to the meter made necessary due to his negligence.  Damage due to freezing, hot water, or external cause shall be paid for by the Consumer.  Meters will be maintained by the Authority so far as ordinary wear is concerned.  The Authority has established a charge for labor if its employees do any work and bill parts at its cost, as provided for in the Schedule of Water Rates and Charges.
  2. The charge for the reinstallation or changing of a meter when removed because of damage due in any way to the negligence of the Consumer shall be the cost of the new meter and the cost of installing the meter.  The charge shall also include testing of the repaired meters.

5.6    Liability of Authority
The Authority shall not be liable for any damage resulting from leaks, broken pipes, or from any other cause occurring to or within any house or building, between the curb stop and the meter, and it is expressly stipulated by and between the Authority and the Consumer that no claims shall be made against the Authority on account of the bursting or breaking of any water main or service pipe or any attachment to said water works.

5.8    Leaks or Waste
All water passing through a meter shall be charged for at the regular rate, and no allowance will be made for excessive consumption due to leaks or waste.

5.9    Access to Meter
The Authority shall have the right of free access at all reasonable times to the Property in or on which a meter is installed for the purposes of setting, reading, testing, replacing, inspecting, or repairing the meter assembly. In the event the Authority shall be denied access to the Property so that it is unable to read the meter or in the event the Owner or Tenant shall not respond to the Authority’s request for access to the meter on the Property within ten (10) days after written notice of such request to the Owner or Tenant, the Authority shall have the right to terminate the water service to the Property after notice of its intention to do so shall be sent to the Owner or Tenant of the Property. At a minimum the foregoing notice shall contain: (1) a statement that the discontinuance of water service is for the failure to permit the Authority access to the meter upon the Property ;  (2)  such service shall be terminated within five (5) days after the date of mailing the notice unless the Authority is permitted access to the meter, and (3) water service shall not be restored until all applicable turn-off and turn-on charges have been paid. In the event of an emergency the Authority shall have the right to shorten the time period for notice, or in an appropriate case, to dispense with the necessity for prior notice, provided that notice as aforesaid, to the extent applicable, is given as soon as practically possible after discontinuance of service.

5.10  Meter Reading
The Authority will read meters on a quarterly basis, or at any other frequency deemed necessary by the Authority.  Typically, readings will be made on the outside (remote) touch pad register, and such reading may, at the discretion of the Authority, be made at the meter itself.  Unless found to be defective, the reading of the meter itself will be deemed conclusive.

You should also consult the Schedule of Rates and Charges for the Honey Brook Borough Authority. 

 
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