Is Joel Grimmette White, Articles T

X1'H`7g3a*|f{h00eiF` BVb`+c0 z^ <83> <83> <0192> Q: Our 1.5-inch water line is at capacity and someone who is building a home in the area asked to add a meter to our line. A: Master metered accounts are typically used when a landowner wants a single meter to provide water service to multiple buildings, apartments, offices, trailer spaces or other types of business activities. Next, the utility should contact the systems engineer to obtain a study showing how the number and location of the different dwellings are situated on the tract of land. Next, the system may want to offer a compliance schedule so that service will not be interrupted during the construction and installation of a second meter on the property designated to receive service.. And what if one or all of those new meters were located on the same property, but a half mile away from the end of your current line? xref 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. By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. trailer <84> <84> <201E> Either way, the system has to maintain these higher capacities of well production, storage tanks, pumps, lines and so on, or be fined for non-compliance for violations of 30 TAC Section 290.45 of the TCEQs rules. %PDF-1.7 For Tract 2, the engineer assumed 24 equivalent single family connections, and a meter connection count will be four. <90> <90> <2022> Each systems board will make the final decision on base rates, as well as usage rates and fees. <9B> <9B> <203A> <20> <7E> <0020> 3 The Blue ater Contract defines a "LUE" as the capacity necessary to serve a single-family residential . fA=~0xO}wASICHzKnp[o <8B> <8B> <2039> Finally, it is also important to be clear with the applicant regarding how the drought contingency and water rationing requirements apply to the irrigation meter. Due to an expansion, the two split and are now serviced by the same meter. Over the past year Ive talked to at least a dozen systems with existing AMR meters who are upgrading or replacing them due to older meter batteries not holding up. 69 0 obj<> endobj However, most of the time there isnt an easement filed between the two neighbors for the meter and service line from the front property to the back property being served. The impact fee and other front-end capital improvement fees also remain with the existing tap and location and should never be transferred to another property for the same reasons above. a@0VZ F8A8!@!af^""""#o^?l2AD 4i5M=n^/#{B^m^m}5ok8M4M0P aj""# If your engineer has not approved the use of the booster pump or sized the lines and meters to accommodate the 60 rental homes, the customer is not in compliance with the terms of the agreement and your tariff. 71 0 obj<>stream <00A0> 9CT Connections may be described in terms of single family equivalent connections, living unit of equivalents, or any other generally accepted unit of consumption typically attributable to a single family household. <85> <85> <2026> 374 0 obj <9E> <9E> <017E> Fax: 512.472.5186 Irrigation with separate irrigation meter is a separate Type of Use. (7#~mz*B TwIewVq_kgcQyQ4Jd/ K3E\_%9=G$#. 1 year ago. This can be as little as one foot or several feet of water added to the tank. endstream endobj 382 0 obj <>stream <84> <84> <201E> Our service agreement states that we only allow one dwelling per connection. H_w"'i.wF%P)O TRWA recommends that systems stop floating memberships and meters from one property to another because of the confusion it creates. ]BA Y,bps`>x/@HnqXNZ1yek5Fq8:^bV_W =.*'&0Y5E4oUpcbT6P,SkV/ lliF7LEM]AgDtC,a]oaF![Oi0 qy}>XPN&:VYCp>F0 " <0D> <0D> <000D> Know how, know you | We are IQ-EQ, a leading investor services group employing 4300+ people across 24 jurisdictions worldwide. %PDF-1.5 % In the event that the placement ends up being wrong, the PUC would likely side with the owner in a dispute about relocation costs because they would see it as the utility shirking its responsibility to exercise due diligence when it set the meter in the wrong location in the first place. 0000002770 00000 n 8P_zz[__z-os%DtGDrJb"" )A A: This is a common problem for older systems as they try to come into compliance with newer rules. This can lead to lawsuits and fights between neighbors and family members, and often the utility ends up bearing the brunt of these clashes. The defined area is depicted in Appendix 1. One of these meters is on a 1"water main line and the other meter on a 1 1/2 water main line. 0000000903 00000 n 0 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. The sample tariff allows the system to estimate a bill and notify the member of the estimate if meter access is hindered or denied. 0000002966 00000 n /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin Can you help me out with this? Check to be sure these references are included in your tariff and if so, the member would be prohibited from extending service from one side of the road/alley or across a property line to provide service to a neighbors property not designated to receive service according to your tariff. Q: We have been made aware of a customer who has installed an inline booster pump on their side of the meter. <7F> <7F> <2022> What a system considers to be reasonable access may vary. B. Multi-Family Residential A twelve-inch (12") water main shall be required to loop through a multi-family district. A standard single-family home is considered a standard ERU with other uses measured against this baseline. This standard specifies that all chemicals used properly will not cause any health effects for the consumers. * 04dOvZ% y;a p^u N&?FqCe6MoA <83> <83> <0192> 0 {e9Q $b@;l0$" However, the only leverage we have is to disconnect service to the convenience store in order to compel the chain restaurant to get a separate meter. The one meter per residence just means that a customer can't have two or more residences or businesses on a single meter. 1 begincodespacerange 0000000586 00000 n endbfrange NSF 61 states that all components and materials used to cast or create the water works material/parts not contain any banned substances and that the meter, pipe, and/or parts have been properly constructed with the appropriate base materials. After you establish a system's ERU quantity, you can use it to determine the number of ERUs for other types of service connections. Save. 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. 0000003802 00000 n It is unclear whether the units are part of any government-assisted or subsidized housing programs for low-income residents. All new customers or applicants for water service use some of the systems existing facilities and capacity that was already in place things like pipe lines, tanks, wells, pumps and so on. Sometimes multiple lines from multiple meters can become a maintenance nightmare because all the lines, meters and valves look the same. We think this might turn into a public relations problem. 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. We had the owner submit a feasibility study and it shows that we can support them. All public water systems that hold CCNs (or are required to hold CCNs) must plan upgrades to the system when a facility, including distribution lines, reaches 85 percent of total capacity so that the improvement or upgrade is imminent or already in place once the facility item under consideration reaches 100 percent capacity. It is best to set the meters close to the structure to be served and to always obtain an easement for service lines and meters before new service is established. Your board should look at all the different access related issues at customer locations and define in your tariff what the system considers to be reasonable access to the meters. CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop This eliminates the need for a system to conduct manual drive-bys and allows all meters to be read from the whole system in a matter of minutes from the office. Think of it this way: what if that property owner was requesting not one meter, but four new ones? <95> <95> <2022> 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. The member wants to know if a neighbor can hook up to the meter and if so, under what circumstances. However, the applicant or landowner can request a single master meter if they dont want to re-plumb their entire property to accommodate individual meters. %%EOF What should we do with these boxes? Austin, TX 78701 TRWA suggests that systems tell their customers to add the cost of their meter and impact fee to the cost of their property before they sell in order to fund installing another meter at their new location. TCEQs Chapter 290 requires a meter to accurately determine the usage of each customer unless a master metering arrangement has been made. <8F> <8F> <2022> 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. <84> <84> <201E> Leakage 8. <99> <99> <2122> 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. C+vdt\?K(Pwu,Gu-=s-^|8o!$cntc}Egg=/ckY0 \ /Ordering (UCS) Different growth endstream endobj 77 0 obj<>/BaseFont/Courier/FirstChar 0/LastChar 255/Subtype/Type1/ToUnicode 78 0 R/Widths[0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600]>> endobj 78 0 obj<>stream If the customer still feels that the meter belongs to her then it may be helpful to give her the phone number to the PUC so she can discuss her concerns. <<9e8032b06c2c514a87349e8822134d26>]>> 6^u9Z{s DraDsio1,m?Ph/&KZlho_ryP We encourage you to consider options for providing service and, most immediately, to ensure compliance with the 85 percent requirement. ~0r; This letter should outline the PUC requirements for an accurate metering of water per connection. CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop There should be a calibration or certification of accuracy with the new meter. Yu%]OV^jhzUKI51*&;?m'{{~aTV%jkC PM 5#: 5$Gn ma0Mg]q}ZjBT8!t0#HD4"?@taAhDDDDDDDDDD~""""""?YY#ldd#3334k$WT M&=R Example: A 20-space trailer park with a 2-inch meter has been evaluated by some TCEQ inspectors to be the actual number of trailer spaces available. <88> <88> <02C6> If your system already has this language, then TRWA suggests that systems that have several multiple connection issues send out a letter informing all customers of pending changes or stepped up enforcement of existing policies. 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. <93> <94> <201C> The original members account should be closed out at the old address. Prior to initial connection of any Customer other than a single-family residential Customer, the District's Engineer shall calculate . %%EOF <9E> <9E> <017E> Big problems can occur when either of the properties changes hands. The correspondence should also include a date on which service will be disconnected if the customer fails to make arrangements for the CSI. All connections shall be calculated based upon its equivalency to a customary Equivalent Single Family Connection using the City of Houston's equivalency table. We bring together that rare . <09> <0A> <0009> As for the TCEQ 290 rules, master meters are to be calibrated for groundwater systems once every 3 years and surface water meters every year. Duplexes and triplexes are sufficiently similar to single family homes so that a duplex equals twice the ERU . Requiring employees to climb ladders to get over fences or traverse 500 feet of property may not be reasonable access for your system and could be considered denial of access. <88> <88> <02C6> Would this person also have access to the system office or have keys to the water plants? 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. endstream endobj 340 0 obj <. Q: I am aware of the rule that requires meters to be located on the property being served. Not sure they have a higher level." Yes, his is true but interestingly only since 4 September. A: This is commendable for a system member to agree to read all the meters for your system at no cost. The CSI inspector should make a note on the CSI form stating that the well has been completely disconnected from all the potable water lines serving the dwelling units. <81> <81> <2022> However, TCEQs 2019 guidance on determining the number of connections served by public water systems defines active connection to include any connection that has the capacity to receive water, even if there is no customer currently receiving water service there. 0000002796 00000 n Q: Our system is replacing all of our meters. 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. From this, they can develop a plan that best provides service to the entire development considering the wishes of the developer and the system. n``N}@:\_EF-_*p"X;9$W'}',vl#A7.9J uph%(+u n'8i b9XAH03047:|clf`. The quadplexes were built in 2006 and are not located within the boundaries of a city. "General Plan" means the General Plan prepared by Developer as submitted to I am not aware of any legal or state regulations that would prohibit this, but I caution your board to look at every conceivable contingency and try to address them before agreeing to this free meter reading offer. 0000001388 00000 n Well meters required by 290.41(c)(3)(N) of this title (relating to Water Sources) shall be calibrated at least once every three years.. We want to be fair, but we also want be responsible. A: The TRWA Sample Tariff states that a meter is to be set on the property designed to receive service and the owner of the property has to be the member of the corporation. Then when these other services are discontinued those meters are removed by the utility that owns the meters, not the customer. The systems and engineers said that if these old dormant tap locations wanted to be re-serviced and if upgrades were required, the present landowners where service had previously existed would have to pay for those upgrades. (16) Connection--A single family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system. Setting the meter on the property owned by the applicant is always the best policy. <>/OutputIntents[358 0 R]/Metadata 360 0 R>> 0000001107 00000 n u6hhOk\GhExG-GMYsjYQC\+8*w}ap|B"[C>B\`y[%s*H X[S.3Sj_S\Z'e5TsAd D>~/mOJ>hnm={^hcb(T-C2bm4M"#Zg7;qqFY(kG1jCA XZ0SRpnNN7aQR7.LX*VAT\pPx(aPs >> def <95> <95> <2022> The result is an estimate of total There are many points that need to be addressed before agreeing to this offer. /CIDSystemInfo 365 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<826B791C035DF141B5FC102546D7A1A5>]/Index[339 51]/Info 338 0 R/Length 113/Prev 168287/Root 340 0 R/Size 390/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Q: We are revising our tariff. But the continued headaches and future problems will not be worth the bad public relations this can cause if anything happens to the service line or meter that is on someone elses property. Q: One of our members sold their property and land but did not transfer the membership. Any damage to the Corporations equipment shall be subject to service charges. The nagging question I have is what is the motive for this charity act and how long will it take for the fun to wear off? <89> <89> <2030> Define Equivalent Single-Family Connection. For years, many rural and municipal systems have opted to install master meters for rental properties such as multiple apartment buildings on the same tract of land, multiple mobile homes or manufactured homes on the same tract of land, as well as multiple RVs or strip/multi-use business centers with a common owner. >> def Q: How important is the NSF 60 certification on meters or does it even matter? <8E> <8E> <017D> Some meter manufacturers also require strainers or other devices to be installed to protect the meter and straighten or condition the water so that their meters will be as accurate as possible. endcmap Institutional 4. Q: What is the purpose of the restriction on multiple connections to a single tap rule? <9C> <9C> <0153> The NSF 60 standard is for chemicals used in a water system. 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. Q: Some of our customers have built duplexes in our system. <89> <89> <2030> <91> <92> <2018> endstream endobj 5 0 obj<>/Width 2550/Height 3300/BitsPerComponent 1/ColorSpace/DeviceGray/Type/XObject/Name/background_2/Subtype/Image>>stream How do we determine base rates for 2- or 3-inch meters? We really need to understand the regulations and what action we need to take prior to approaching either business. 12 dict begin A 6 inch line, according to the TCEQ Chapter 290 Rules, can serve up to 250 connections. 10. A: This is definitely not a new question - many systems have faced this situation over the years. At the time of this Agreement, an ESFC of wastewater means 315 gallons per day of water and an ESFC of water means 400 gallons per day of water. A: Yes, I've heard of the practice of allowing multiple meters on single properties at multiple systems. xb```a``Jc`f`ed@ Ar,8-O00/2\B;wOg`Xl_SKl}w>5">%QPH2F50e00,c 5RJf5v zn ' +\AF> This certificate should meet the TCEQ master meter test requirements for initial installation of the meter. endcodespacerange Also do you have any recommendations for a particular meter read system? Again, this is an insurance issue to address with your insurance carrier. Not all the time, but it is usually pretty accurate unless another deed or court decree has been issued since the countys records were last updated. (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> This just means that when the new or existing master meter needs to be tested, the operator can either use an existing, on-site storage tank or any large tanker (fire truck if the capacity is large enough) with a known capacity to verify the meter accuracy. In order to correct the issue, the system must first have supporting language in its tariff. ESFCequivalent single-family connection. 0000053091 00000 n Industrial 3. The Uniform Plumbing Code does not allow for booster pumps under this condition and TCEQ rule Section 290.44(d)(3) states that service connections that require booster pumps taking suction from the public water system lines must be equipped with automatic pressure cut-off devices so that the pumping units become inoperative at a suction pressure of less than 20 psi (thereby preventing a back siphonage condition). <0D> <0D> <000D> A new membership fee should be required for each new meter. 1 begincodespacerange end 0000002157 00000 n Climb the tank and use a steel measuring tape to measure the height of water in the tank to the manway. 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. [tF]JJfSHYs8n?G?#ZS^n#E|WHxt2o1BBb.el+Dijwv-7ajcn7mY 6ii>a!0Y7"9ET3 Q: Our local WSC is planning to implement a policy in order to comply with the one meter per residence rule. Next write down the master meter reading on the meter to be tested. Most manufacturers suggest straight runs of pipe ahead of and following a master meter. He has offered to buy a ladder, but does not want it left all the time, only when the meter is read. <86> <87> <2020> /CMapType 2 def endobj 0000005203 00000 n g MLu]VxcN[4wosYpe$C4-`#`:euD=G)\IGiuu}o\2kr%Scw#LBSkEkG=] i"a8S7EB=w=N 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. % The short answer is yes, the WSC/district board can change their tariff/service policy to allow for meters to be set on someone elses property. 12 dict begin /CMapType 2 def If your 1.5 inch line is already overloaded, then the WSC is responsible for paying for the difference in costs from a two inch line to serve the single applicant to the 6 inch line your engineers say is required to install. /Ordering (UCS) 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. 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 While the board of directors is keeping the old monthly charges and rates, we only have a base rate for 1 -inch meters. <86> <87> <2020> Installing multiple meters on a single undivided property with a line running across the property could lead to easement issues in the future. <9B> <9B> <203A> Email: info@trwa.org, Water University/Utility Management Certification, TCEQ Requirement All Occupational Licensing, Wastewater Technical Assistance & Training Program, Click Here to Return to the Ask Larry Archives Homepage, Metering & One Meter per Residence Rules (Ask Larry). /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin A. <00AE> 5' s)Q0tWN These cost-of-service issues have subsequently been transferred to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which has been very pro-consumer when addressing complaints. Problems also come about if a leak occurs by some accident or digging operation by the front property owner and the back property owner wants them to pay for damages, or have the system discount their water bill because they didnt know they had a leak. The Members use of the Corporations curb stop or other similar valve for such purposes is prohibited. $`pi%X. What can we do if the owner of the membership denies that someone is living at the second residence? Q: A current member of our WSC has asked for a second meter on their property. In this case, applicants pay for what is necessary to provide them with their individual service, including his or her part of line upgrades, wells, tanks or treatment capacities before receiving service or entering into a service contract; the system pays for any facility capacity in excess of what the individual needs. eiger marketing group, california state bar corruption, pigeon recipes river cottage,