§ 90-6. Application; connection.

(a)

Generally. Each new water and sewerage customer shall submit an application for service to be provided by the city in order to receive such service. No connection shall be made to a public sewer or water main, nor water furnished to any premises, without a written application having first been made to the director for such connection or service and approved by the director.

(b)

Application form; fee. Such application shall be made on a form prescribed by the director, and shall include such information as he may reasonably require. At the time of filing an application, the applicant for connection to the public sewer or water main or for water service shall pay to the city a fee as set by the council from time to time.

(c)

Persons making connections; locations. No person other than an authorized employee of the city shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, alter, use or disturb any public sewer or water main or appurtenances thereof except by written permission of the director. No connection to a public sewer shall be made except at a wye, manhole or connection point accepted by the director.

(d)

Duties of owner. The owner of the property to be served shall be responsible for the cost, installation and maintenance of the building sewer or water service line from the facility to be served to a point where the building sewer or service line ties into the city's system, including any portions of the building sewer or service line which extend onto the public right-of-way or city easement. The owner shall comply with all pertinent federal and state laws, including the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, as amended, and regulations promulgated pursuant to such laws, and shall indemnify the city for any and all loss or damage, of every kind or nature that be occasioned, directly or indirectly, to any and all persons or entities whomsoever, by the installation and maintenance of the building sewer or water service line.

(e)

Actions by and property of city. The water and sewerage department shall install and maintain all necessary fittings, pipes and appurtenances, including all meters and meter boxes, to deliver water to the water service line, at a point immediately outside the property line in an alley or easement. Notwithstanding that the applicant for service will have paid the cost of labor and materials, all such fittings, pipes, appurtenances, meters and meter boxes will be and remain the property of the city and shall be accessible to the city at all times and under its control.

(f)

Materials. The water service line and building sewer shall be of appropriate material and of ample size, weight and quality for the premises and for the purpose intended and shall be subject to the approval of the director, who shall have authority to refuse connection and service to the premises, if in his discretion, he deems the installation inadequate.

(g)

Number of connections. New connections for water service shall be available to individual customers on the basis of connection for each residential or business unit on the premises. Multiple residential or business units by a single connection will be available subject to the approval of the director.

(h)

Maintenance. The city shall in no event be responsible for maintaining any water service line or building sewer, or for damages occasioned by water and sewage escaping therefrom, or from defects in lines or fixtures on the property of the customer. As a part of his responsibility to maintain such lines, the property owner shall make any changes in the water service line or building sewer necessitated by change in grade or by other action of the city, at the property owner's expense.

(i)

Cross connection or valve. It shall be unlawful for any person to make, cause to be made, or allow to exist a cross-connection between a private water or sewerage facility and any system belonging to the city. All private water or sewerage facilities shall be kept entirely separate and apart from the city systems at all times, and the separation of a private facility by the placement of a valve between such facility and the city system shall not be permitted.

(j)

Separate buildings. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building. Where a building stands to the rear of another on a single lot and no separate building sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, courtyard, or driveway, the city may grant permission for the building sewer from the front building to be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer, upon a showing of necessity.

(k)

Old building sewers. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found on examination and test by the city to meet all of the requirements of this article.

(l)

Building regulations, etc. The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of applicable building and plumbing regulations.

(m)

Elevation, etc. Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement or first floor. No building sewer shall be made parallel to and within three feet of any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from live loads (automobile, etc.) which may be superimposed. This building sewer shall be made at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. The building sewer shall be constructed to that point as directed by the director. When sufficient elevation is not available for the building sewer to be installed at sufficient grade and remain below the basement, the property owner shall install, at his expense, a pump station outside the building that will lift the wastewater.

(n)

Unpolluted water. No person shall maintain or make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, area-way drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.

(o)

Underground lines. Before any underground portions of a water service line or building sewer are covered, the applicant shall notify the city when the lines are ready for inspection and connection to the city systems. The connection thereof shall be made to the water main by an authorized representative of the city. Connection to the sewer system shall be made by the applicant subject to the approval and inspection of the director.

(p)

Hazards; restoration of property. All excavations for installation of water service lines and building sewers shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public and workers from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the director.

(q)

Records. The director shall keep a permanent and accurate record of the location, depth, and direction of all new sewer connections including any landmarks that may be necessary to provide an adequate description.

(r)

Application by owner. When any building having water service is to be occupied by two or more tenants using water through one meter, the application for service shall be made only by the owner of the building or his authorized agent. The owner shall agree in such application to be responsible for the payment of all bills for water and sewerage services to the premises.

(s)

Discontinuing water. When a water customer wishes to discontinue water service, he shall give written or telephone notice to the city.

(t)

New occupants. A new application must be made, and approved by the director, for reconnection in the event of a change in the occupancy or possession of premises furnished water service. The city shall have the right to discontinue the water supply until such new application is made and approved. Should a new occupant of such premises fail to apply to the water and sewerage department for service within 48 hours after taking possession, he shall be liable for all charges that have accrued since the last reading of the meter prior to the date he occupied such premises.

(Ord. of 9-14-1999, § 18-7)