[Amended 10-25-2022 by L.L. No. 12-2022]
Meters up to one inch shall be purchased from the district and
will be installed by the Water Department. Meters over one inch shall
be purchased from an authorized Neptune distributor and installed
by a licensed plumber. Installation must be inspected by the Water
Department.
The Superintendent or any of the district employees,
in the performance of their duties, shall be permitted to enter the
premises of any consumer between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
to examine the meter, pipes and fixtures and make a record of the
quantity of water used, including the manner of its use. If any violation
of these rules and regulations is found to exist, the Superintendent
shall order the correction thereof, and if it is not corrected within
24 hours thereafter, water may be shut off until such violation is
remedied.
No persons other than employees of the district
shall interfere with or remove any water meter, coupling or shutoff
from any service pipe after it has once been installed, and the owner
of the premises shall be held strictly responsible for any violation
of this regulation.
[Amended 1-25-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994; 9-10-2002 by L.L. No.
8-2002; 10-25-2022 by L.L. No. 12-2022]
Any meter damaged by frost or freezing or by hot water backing
into the meter or in any other way due to the negligence of the consumer
shall be repaired by the district at the expense of the property owner,
who shall pay for said repairs within 30 days after presentation of
the bill therefor. The same shall apply for the ARB box that is mounted
on the outside of the premises for meter reading. The charge for such
repairs shall include the cost of removing, repairing and replacing
said meter; the minimum charge therefor shall be in accordance with
the fees as set forth by resolution of the Town Board in the Master
Fee Schedule, which may be amended. Consumers shall protect meters
from hot water by installing a check valve between the boiler and
the meter, but in such a case a suitable blowoff valve should also
be installed to guard against explosion.
[Amended 6-25-1974]
Every meter shall be kept unobstructed and easily
accessible to the Water Department employees. No meter shall be placed
in a crawl space.
[Amended 6-25-1974; 1-25-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994; 9-10-2002 by L.L. No.
8-2002; 10-25-2022 by L.L. No. 12-2022]
A.Â
All meters are tested for accuracy before installation. If any meter
is found to be defective, it will be changed by the Superintendent
or a designee. In case of its ceasing to register accurately, the
account will be adjusted by taking the average shown by another meter
or any amount equivalent or proportional to that charged during a
previous corresponding period. Owners, upon written request, may have
their meters tested by the Superintendent upon the payment of a fee
as set forth by resolution of the Town Board in the Master Fee Schedule,
which may be amended, which fee shall be remitted if the meter so
tested is found to register inaccurately to the extent of 3% either
way.
B.Â
Property owners are required to have tested every three years any
and all three-inch or larger water meters in their buildings or vaults.
Property owners that use in excess of 50,000 cubic feet of water in
any one-month period shall be required to have their meter tested
annually. The tests must be performed by a certified meter testing
company approved by the Town of New Castle. The expense of the meter
testing shall be borne by the property owner. The test results shall
be submitted to the Water Department within 10 days of the meter testing.
If the meter fails the meter testing, the property owner is required
to have the meter repaired or replaced and retested within 30 days
of the failed meter testing. A copy of the test results shall be submitted
to the Water Department within 10 days of the retesting. Any property
owner that fails to timely comply with the testing or reporting requirements
shall be subject to a civil fine of $250 a day (per meter), not to
exceed $5,000 (per meter) in any three-year reporting period. The
continuation of an offense against the provisions of this subsection
shall constitute, for each day the offense is continued, a separate
and distinct offense hereunder.
