You should always keep the safety of your employees in mind and act within the law. This standard specifies that all chemicals used properly will not cause any health effects for the consumers. endstream
endobj
75 0 obj<>/BaseFont/Times-Roman/FirstChar 0/LastChar 255/Subtype/Type1/ToUnicode 76 0 R/Widths[0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 340 410 500 500 840 785 185 340 340 500 560 250 340 250 290 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 290 290 565 565 565 440 925 720 670 670 725 610 555 720 720 335 390 725 615 880 720 720 560 720 665 555 605 715 715 945 725 725 610 335 275 335 475 500 330 450 500 450 500 450 340 500 500 275 275 500 275 775 500 500 500 500 340 390 285 500 500 720 500 500 450 490 200 490 550 350 500 350 340 500 450 1000 500 500 340 1000 565 340 890 350 610 350 350 340 340 445 445 350 500 1000 340 990 390 340 730 350 450 730 250 340 500 500 500 500 210 500 340 770 280 500 570 340 770 340 410 570 300 300 340 510 460 250 340 300 310 500 750 750 750 445 720 720 720 720 720 720 885 675 615 615 615 615 340 340 340 340 720 720 720 720 720 720 720 565 720 720 720 720 720 720 560 500 450 450 450 450 450 450 670 450 450 450 450 450 280 280 280 280 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 565 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500]>>
endobj
76 0 obj<>stream
Texas Water Code Sec. In addition to the cost of the meter installation as well as any upfront impact or buy in fees. <00> 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. <91> <92> <2018> 69 0 obj<>
endobj
The purpose of an equity buy-in fee is to establish parity between the new customer or applicant and those who have already been receiving service. \\~;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& /Ordering (UCS) This is a hard line for systems to take, but otherwise you are operating on an honor system in which the applicant has little incentive to uphold his or her end of the bargain. If a member purchases land other than where the original meter was installed, according to the TRWA Sample Tariff language, they have to transfer the membership to the new property owner and leave the meter in place. [tF]JJfSHYs8n?G?#ZS^n#E|WHxt2o1BBb.el+Dijwv-7ajcn7mY 6ii>a!0Y7"9ET3 <00> <00> <0000> The corporation will disconnect without notice if the member refuses to allow access for the purpose of confirming the existence of such condition and/or removing the dangerous or hazardous condition (30 TAC 290.46(i) and 290.46(j)). My question is, how do we verify the boundaries of properties for this purpose? <7F> <7F> <2022> <8A> <8A> <0160> I have also seen frustration when the front property owner requests a second meter from the system and the line is at capacity. 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. Q: We are revising our tariff. 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. The board can amend the current charge to whatever they determine to be fair to the ratepayers. Systems are not required to do expensive title searches, but they should require applicants for service to provide a legal deed or ownership proof showing that the person applying for water or sewer service owns that tract of land. /CMapType 2 def <09> <0A> <0009> There are many different types and uses of wells. With this person not being an employee or contractor, exactly what leverage does the system use to require the meter readings to be delivered on time and accurately? endcmap There may be limitations that prevent using the meter when there is an outside water ban or other drought measures are in place. <8D> <8D> <2022> 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. 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. A: New meters are supposed to be calibrated and ready to use when shipped to systems. A: Yes, I've heard of the practice of allowing multiple meters on single properties at multiple systems. What should we do? The sample tariff allows the system to estimate a bill and notify the member of the estimate if meter access is hindered or denied. H|T0WQNd(>3IQb= It appears they have done this to supply water to more than 60 small rental homes on two 5/8 x 3/4 meters. 0000006249 00000 n
All connections shall be calculated based upon its equivalency to a customary Equivalent Single Family Connection using the City of Houston's equivalency table. 0000000016 00000 n
<>/OutputIntents[358 0 R]/Metadata 360 0 R>> The TCEQ interprets an "active connection" as a connection that is completed or existing and able to supply drinking water from the PWS to a single-family endstream
endobj
5 0 obj<>/Width 2550/Height 3300/BitsPerComponent 1/ColorSpace/DeviceGray/Type/XObject/Name/background_2/Subtype/Image>>stream
The inspector would also check for chlorine residuals at any location which the customer says is being supplied water from a private well or other source. <9A> <9A> <0161> Is this legal or what problems could this create? As it relates to the propertys location within or outside of a city, or its participation in any government-assisted or subsidized housing programs, it will be the owners responsibility to notify any necessary authorities of the new source of water, if required, since the system is merely supplying potable water to the property from a master meter. Would a hose running across the potential users property, across the alleyway, and across about 10 feet of the members property be allowed? <81> <81> <2022> <8E> <8E> <017D> Until they can do that, they dont get a meter. What a system considers to be reasonable access may vary. <002D> Customers that do not report multiple connections, causing utility employees to have to investigate the matter, are usually denied these waivers. Ive also not heard of a system providing a water commercial permit. Use of the word commercial by a water system is typically a reference indicating that it is non-standard service and not a regular residential service location. Most of these systems have had positive comments about the dependability of these newer types of meters, and some reported only a 5 percent re-read when the meters were originally installed (this percentage typically went down as they got the bugs worked out). endcmap Also do you have any recommendations for a particular meter read system? Most manufacturers suggest straight runs of pipe ahead of and following a master meter. In that case, the system may need to check the hot water heater to see if it has water in it or, as stated above, have the customer demonstrate that water in the second dwelling is from another source and not a water hose from the first house. <86> <87> <2020> /CIDSystemInfo Should not effect transit. 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. The TCEQ rules dont necessarily state that the calibration must take place upon installation but the clock has to start somewhere and the safe option is to calibrate the meter yourself or secure a certificate of accuracy from the meter company. TCEQs Chapter 290 requires a meter to accurately determine the usage of each customer unless a master metering arrangement has been made. After you establish a system's ERU quantity, you can use it to determine the number of ERUs for other types of service connections. Based on my experience, a great number of systems opt to have a single meter properly sized to meet the service needs requested by the owner instead of having multiple smaller master meters or even individual meters for each apartment. The TRWA Sample Tariff addresses this issue and follows the Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chapter 24 rules about the systems ability to access a meter for repairs and normal service. While it may be difficult for them to claim the second dwelling is vacant if evidence of habitation is obvious, some people might try to claim that the habitation is only intermittent, that no water is being used at the second location, or that water there is being supplied from a separate source. <8C> <8C> <0152> 339 0 obj
<>
endobj
A: The property owner may have a single master meter as long as the property is not divided or does not consist of separate tracts of land. I am not aware of any cost of service appeals dealing with this issue specifically, but systems should be aware that the PUCT might side with the customer if someone complains about being charged new fees to obtain service at a location where service previously existed. By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. According to subchapter D, rule 290.46(s)(1), flow measuring devices and rate-of-flow controllers that are required by 290.42(d) of this title (relating to Water Treatment) shall be calibrated at least once every 12 months. My question is what is considered access? << First, the customer must supply the system a final plat showing the intended use and ultimate development of the property to be served. There is an automatic gate that only works by remote and we do not have access to it. Does the one meter per residence apply in this situation? "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. The normal benefit to the applicant and the system is that the applicant/landowner can design their own water system within their property and not have to worry about multiple meters and which service lines goes to which office or trailer space. 8P_zz[__z-os%DtGDrJb"" )A <8C> <8C> <0152> (16) Connection--A single family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system. <8F> <8F> <2022> This can be as little as one foot or several feet of water added to the tank. How do we determine base rates for 2- or 3-inch meters? When setting these new meters, it is important to remember that if the property is subdivided in the future, each meter should be on the property with the residence or structure 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.
4Ct?3,RPapG}=>V"vIzJ*m'_ (x[u!WMt[~}}PNwAzJg"hK#6yot|L `
hp _Gy;:D'#DU!EN4~\6]W=WM0A
>4#]a4aS'\!i
SM0_h~6$DQ!k5MidcY8*#SB7(3
w!Nb%#{;%mO0ooWdy_Mo{@G6p~_Cum}mPk#]zK
>0'|'{vWcH)uOO^
6$*5?_~Ujq[~V.V^-W{vj^oKV]OW -(i0r#*
+IB> end <0D> <0D> <000D> <90> <90> <2022> << A: In the TRWA Sample Tariff, as well as in the USDA-RD Service Application and Agreement Form, it states that a meter shall be installed on a property to serve that single property and water cannot be diverted to another property. Use some water out of the storage tank (ground or elevated). |pz~0u]MbHw{B|%r4ln'Ur]af2Ia0 fkF0S;@G bYH(?I
The ERUs would be equivalent to what would be used by typical single-family residences, if they were using the water. 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. Does the owner have the choice of either getting a meter for each unit or getting one master meter? xref
Most of the re-reads were because the brand of meters the system had installed used exterior-mounted antennas, which were susceptible to a variety of hazards, such as gophers, dogs or lawn mowers. This is the back property customers responsibility. A4INih9'uC0\!a;OKx[TJ2 7Kie Q: Can a WSC allow a homeowner to have an additional meter for the sole purpose of running the sprinkler system for their lawn and landscape? If your system refunds memberships then the original member should get their membership back and the new property owner should pay for a new membership. <8D> <8D> <2022> Now the member wants the water meter moved to a different property about 100 yards from its original location. What should we do with these boxes? The District currently encompasses 767 acres and is located wholly within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston, Texas (the "City") and is located within Katy Independent School District. 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. <9C> <9C> <0153> All usage rates per thousand gallons should be the same across all classes of ratepayers, although conservation rates, designed to encourage efficient and non-wasteful water use practices by customers, can assess higher usage rates per thousand gallons for customers using more than a specified amount each month. First, the one meter per residence language should be part of your tariff or service policy. <00AE> CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop <20> <7E> <0020> The side benefit of the AMI technology is that when someone reports a leak in the system, this type of meter allows the system to read meters in that section to determine if the leak is from their system lines or from overwatering or leaks on the customers side. <88> <88> <02C6> 0000053091 00000 n 0000002966 00000 n The meter and/or wastewater connection is for the sole use of the Member or customer and is to provide service to only one (1) dwelling or one (1) business. Published in May/June 2020 (Issue 3 of Quench). 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. Q: Some of our customers have built duplexes in our system. For customers who have their homes 500 feet or more off the road, meters may be relocated to the edge of the customers property instead of at the house. endobj Based on the level and manner of service being requested by the owner, a 2-inch water meter may or may not be sufficient to provide the water capacity being requested. Q: We have a customer who has his meter inside a fence. 0000001107 00000 n The capacity requirement is driven, in part, by the maximum potential amount of water that could be pushed through that meter on a peak day. Published in July/August 2020 (Issue 4 of Quench). <88> <88> <02C6> end As an example, the number of service connections in an apartment complex would be equal to the number of individual apartment units. We bring together that rare . trailer Setting the meter on the property owned by the applicant is always the best policy. <9F> <9F> <0178> Climb the tank and use a steel measuring tape to measure the height of water in the tank to the manway. CONTACT 1002 Washington Ave., 3rd floor Houston, TX 77002 832.394.8888 wcrtechs@houstontx.gov 8 am to 3 pm Wastewater Capacity Reservation Letter - Wastewater You, the property owner or authorized agent, must apply for a Wastewater Capacity Reservation letter if you are: Wastewater Capacity Reservation Letter - Water How do you protect the integrity of the system when you do not know the background or intent of the person performing the volunteer work? The member wants to know if a neighbor can hook up to the meter and if so, under what circumstances. Hopefully this will help address the customers concerns. Due to an expansion, the two split and are now serviced by the same meter. <83> <83> <0192> This certificate should meet the TCEQ master meter test requirements for initial installation of the meter. 1 begincodespacerange A: You have a couple different issues to address. The customer says there is a gate at the back of his property (more than 500 feet away). begincmap <80> <80> <20AC> <90> <90> <2022> <99> <99> <2122> 0000003802 00000 n
In either case, the utility must ensure that fees are assessed fairly. Published February/March 2021 (Issue 1 of Quench). %%EOF
stream While the board of directors is keeping the old monthly charges and rates, we only have a base rate for 1 -inch meters. One ESFC is defined as equaling a typical detached single-family house.
pc#P3C"!GB448]o_ AtCCk*AC)ADc90cLrU Additionally, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules require that all public water systems be designed with a minimum of 15 percent extra capacity. n``N}@:\_EF-_*p"X;9$W'}',vl#A7.9J uph%(+u n'8i b9XAH03047:|clf`. endcmap xc```a``A2@\(}drBf Some systems try to solve this issue by installing remote read meters (AMR) that allow the employee to drive by all the meter locations and the meters transmit the readings to a base unit in the vehicle. 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. <9C> <9C> <0153> endcodespacerange %PDF-1.3
%
0000000536 00000 n
<98> <98> <02DC> <0D> <0D> <000D> 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. endstream
endobj
77 0 obj<>/BaseFont/Courier/FirstChar 0/LastChar 255/Subtype/Type1/ToUnicode 78 0 R/Widths[0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600]>>
endobj
78 0 obj<>stream