[Adopted 3-20-1973 by Ord. No. 31-1973]
All water furnished to users in the City of
Cohoes shall be measured by meters procured from the Commissioner
of Public Works. Said meters, with the exception of those over one
inch in size, shall become the property of the City of Cohoes. The
cost of repairing any water meter damaged while at the serviced property
shall be a charge against the owner of the serviced property, and
if the cost of repair is not paid within 60 days of the date of the
billing for said repairs, the cost of the repairs shall become a lien
upon the serviced property and shall be collected by the City like
other taxes and assessments.
[Amended 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987; 12-10-1996 by L.L. No. 4-1996]
All meters for household installation shall
be procured from the Commissioner of Public Works and shall be meters
with straight reading in gallons and remote readers accessible from
outside. No household meter shall be installed, removed, unsealed
or altered by other than an authorized City agent or representative
when so directed by the Commissioner of Public Works. Failure by the
user to report a broken seal to the Commissioner of Public Works shall
be a violation and punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 or 100%
of the historically highest reading available for the property. Authorized
City agents or representatives shall have the right to enter the premises,
upon reasonable notice to the user, for the purpose of installing,
inspecting, repairing or removing the meter.
[Amended 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987; 12-10-1996 by L.L. No. 4-1996]
All commercial and industrial users requiring
meters over one inch in size shall procure said meters from the Commissioner
of Public Works. Said users shall be responsible for the installation
of the meters and shall be the owners of said meters, however, the
City of Cohoes retains the right to make all necessary repairs and
charge the user accordingly. The installation of each such meter shall
be approved by the Commissioner of Public Works or his authorized
representative. No meter shall be installed, removed, unsealed or
altered by other than authorized City agents or representatives when
so directed by the Commissioner of Public Works. Failure by the user
to report a broken seal to the Commissioner of Public works shall
be a violation and punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 or 100%
of the historically highest reading available for the property. Authorized
City agents or representatives shall have the right to enter the premises,
upon reasonable notice to the user, for the purpose of installing,
inspecting, repairing or removing the meter.
A.
One meter shall be installed for each water service.
B.
Seals shall be applied to each installation by water
department personnel.
[Added 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987]
C.
Seals shall be examined by Water Department personnel
at least twice a year.
[Added 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987]
D.
The property owner or tenant in charge of and operating
the property shall be charged with a duty to notify the Water Department
within 12 hours if such seals are broken, no matter what the reason.
[Added 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987]
E.
The Water Department shall maintain records of all
such sealed installations.
[Added 3-10-1987 by Ord. No. 14-1987]
[Amended 8-22-2006 by L.L. No. 11-2006]
Upon application accompanied by a uniform fee
of $125, the owner or occupant of any property to which water is being
furnished shall be entitled to have his meter tested. In the event
that such test shows that the meter measures accurately within the
limits established by the American Water Works Association, the application
fee shall be retained by the City, otherwise the fee shall be returned
to the applicant. The standard specifications of the American Water
Works Association shall be used for all testing all positive displacement
cold water meters.
All meters shall be set as nearly as possible
at the point of entrance of the service pipe to the building, and
the customer shall provide and maintain a clean, dry, warm and accessible
place for the meter installation. A water shutoff shall be provided
on the main side of the meter installation. The meter shall be installed
with a meter setter or couplings to facilitate its removal and the
coupling nuts shall be equipped with meter sealing wire holes. In
the event that a suitable location for the meter is not provided on
the inside of the building, an underground vault acceptable to the
City shall be provided and maintained by the user. If additional or
auxiliary meters are desired by the user for showing subdivision of
the supply, such meters shall be furnished, installed, read and maintained
at the expense of the user.
No cross-connection between the City water supply
system and any other water supply will be allowed unless protected
by a backflow prevention device conforming in full to the latest American
Water Works Association Standard C 506. A written permit for the use
of such a device shall be issued by the Commissioner of Public Works
only under special circumstances, principally for the maintenance
of fire protection in large buildings. Household wells may be used
for lawn sprinkling and other purposes if they are physically and
permanently disconnected from the public water supply. The Commissioner
of Public Works will not issue a permit for water service in any building
until a cross connection is eliminated or protected by the device
specified above.
If, by reason of shortage of supply or for the
purpose of making repairs, extensions, connections or placing or replacing
meters or for any reason beyond the control of the city, it becomes
necessary to shut off water in a main or service, the City will not
be responsible for any damages occasioned by such shutoff, and no
adjustment of rates will be allowed. Notice of shutoff will be given
when practicable, but nothing in this section shall be construed as
requiring the giving of such notice. The City will not be responsible
for damage caused by discolored water or unsatisfactory water service
which may be occasioned by cleaning of pipes, reservoirs or standpipes
or the opening or closing of any valves or hydrants or any abnormal
condition, unless caused by the lack of reasonable care on the part
of the city. The City will not be responsible for meeting unusually
high water quality standards for specialized or industrial customers.
[Amended 12-10-1996 by L.L. No. 4-1996]
Failure to comply with any of the provisions of this article shall be deemed a violation, and the violator shall be liable to a fine of not more than $250, and each day such violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, excepting herefrom the penalties set forth in §§ 280-18 and 280-19.
[Amended 8-22-2006 by L.L. No. 11-2006]
The Commissioner of Public Works may adopt rules
and establish requirements and standards, as approved by the Board
of Mangers, in order to carry out the purposes of this article.
[Added 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 12-2008[1]]
The cost of the meters, installation, replacement,
termination of service and/or maintenance shall be borne solely by
the owners of the property served. The fees for said costs will be
set regularly by the Board of Managers.
[Added 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 12-2008]
Upon application accompanied by a uniform fee
of $275, the owner or occupant of any property to which water is being
furnished shall be entitled to have a fire flow test.
[Added 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 12-2008]
Upon the approval of the Commissioner of Public
Works or his/her designee, an individual may apply for a permit to
utilize a fire hydrant within the City for a lawful purpose and to
benefit the City. Said application shall be accompanied by a fee as
set regularly by the Board of Managers.
[Added 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 12-2008]
When a building or property, or part thereof,
serviced by a City water meter undergoes a change of ownership, a
request may be made by the seller or by a representative of a seller
for a current reading of the meter. The person making such request
to the Department of Public Works shall be responsible for providing
the meter reader with access to the water meter. Persons requesting
meter reading under this subsection shall pay a fee of $50 for each
meter reading request. Persons requesting meter readings on multiple
metered accounts under this subsection shall pay a fee of $50 for
the initial meter reading requested; additional meter readings at
each building location will be charged at $20 each.
[Added 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 12-2008]
Whenever a water/sewer connection permittee
or any other person, by reason of necessity, request of the property
owner or his/her designee, and/or violation of this chapter, causes
obstruction, damage or destruction of a public sewer, he/she shall
reimburse the City for the cost of flushing, cleaning, repairing,
reconnection and/or any other generalized maintenance of such water/sewer
made necessary within 30 days after the City of Cohoes shall render
an invoice for same.
