Policy 001-90
Water and Sanitary
System Regulations
Adopted: March 1, 1990
Amended: June 1, 2006
Policy providing regulations governing the service and use of the Water and Sanitary System of Grand Rapids, Ohio.
WHEREAS, the Village Administrator now finds that it is necessary to establish regulations governing the service and use of said Water and Sanitary to better protect Ordinance 86-9 which established the rates and charges for said service and use to enable the Village to properly operate its water and sanitary systems and for the purpose of promoting public health, safety, comfort and general welfare, conserving the values of property, facilitating the provision of water and sanitary sewers, the regulations are provided as follows:
NOW, THEREFORE, every such person, company, or
corporation, by taking water shall be considered to express his or their
consent to be governed thereby. The
Village Administrator reserves the right to alter, amend, or add to the rules
at any time.
WORD DEFINITIONS:
For the purpose of these regulations, certain terms are defined as
follows:
BE IT
RESOLVED by the
Village Administrator of
That there
be, and is hereby established for the use of and the service rendered by the Water
and Sanitary System of the Village of Grand Rapids, Ohio, the following rates,
changes, rules and regulations for said Village System:
The minimum rate for all water users shall be as follows:
A. General
Service – Inside Corporation Rate
Minimum 3,000 gallons $22.44
3,000
to 6,000 gallons 3.89 per 1000 gal.
6,000 to 10,000 gallons 3.79
per 1000 gal.
10,000
gallons and higher 3.61 per 1000 gal.
B. Bulk Water Haulers
Minimum 1000 gallons $10.00
Additional Water Hauled 6.85 per 1000
gal.
C. Outside Corporation Rate
Minimum 3000 gallons $33.66
3,000 to 6,000 gallons 5.84 per 1000 gal.
6,000 to 10,000 gallons 5.69 per 1000 gal.
10,000 gallons and higher 5.42 per 1000 gal.
D. Mobile
E. Multi-unit residential structures that do
not have individual water meters per unit shall be charged a separate general
service minimum 3000 gal water monthly charge of $ 21.44 for each apartment,
condominium, etc., thereafter using the rate table in A. General Service .
A surcharge
for maintaining pressure in a line shall be 25 cents per square inch of service
line for sprinkler systems.
All users
shall be governed by the following rules:
1.
Service
Charges:
Water meters are read on or about the 20th of the month and billed
on the 1st day of the next month, payable on the 15th day
of the month. Monthly service charges
shall be paid within 15 days after date billed.
A 10% penalty on the unpaid balance will be added to bills not paid by
the 15th of the month. The
water service may be shut off if not paid within 25 days after billing.
When a customer requests water service to be shut off for a vacant building,
there shall be a $10.00 charge for the shut-off and a $10.00 charge for the
turn-on. The same fee schedule shall
pertain to a shut-off for a customer to repair plumbing lines or valves.
A service charge of $30.00 (corporation town customers, $40.00 out of
corporation customers) shall be collected for reinstating any service after the
same has been discontinued for non-payment of charges. The Administrator is hereby authorized and
directed to cause the Distribution Superintendent or other employees in charge
of the operations thereof, to shut off and reinstate water service in
accordance with the provisions of this policy.
2.
Tapping
Fees for ¾” and 1” Taps
Application must be made in writing for water taps and type K copper pipe
installed from the main water line to the property line curb valve.
The tap fee for the water system is $1911.92 for a 1” service from the water
main to the property line. Connection
fees for water taps installed on the 12 inch transmission main from
An applicant outside the corporation agrees to pay the Village at and as
prescribed in the effective rate schedule as they exist from time to time plus
a fifty per cent out of Corporation surcharge for rates and tap fees and to
comply with the Village’s rules and regulations pertaining to utility services.
Before approval to extend water service to an unincorporated area, the owner
shall enter into an agreement for annexation when the property for which the
improvements service becomes continuous to the Village. This agreement shall be approved as to form
by the Village Solicitor and recorded at the county recorders office at the
owner’s expense.
The Village is not required to serve all who demand service outside the
Corporation limits but may provide service in a manner that is in its own best
interests.
3.
Sewer
Connection Fee
The connection fee for the sanitary sewer system is $700.00 per parcel payable
before work starts. All costs and
expense incident to the installation of a sanitary sewer service tap shall be
paid by the developer. A construction
bond is required as per Section 23. For
multi-service of a parcel, the connection fee shall be determined at the time
of the connection application based on the use of the property.
4.
Curb
Box Changes
Any changes needed to be made in the location of the curb box after
installation will be made at the expense of the property owner.
5.
Check
Valves and Pressure Procedures
A check valve and expansion tank must be installed on all service lines and
pressure reducing valves installed on lines with pressures over 60 pounds. These are the owners responsibility.
6.
Service
Lines
No service lines will be allowed to run from one lot to another or across
lots. Each lot shall be serviced by a
service taken directly from the main service line.
7.
Metering
A gate or ball valve is required on both sides of the meter. All new meters will be remote-reading
meters. The Village reserves the right
to require that all future dwelling units be individually metered and plumbed
before water service is established. In
the case of existing multi-use services from a single water tap or meter, the
Village shall charge the monthly general service fee for each of the multi-use
services. The property owner may, at
their cost, install a separate meter for each of the multi use services. In the case of one water tap with multi-meters/accounts,
the service shall be discontinued for indebtedness of any one of the accounts.
8.
Cross-
or Inter- Connections
If upon inspection by an official of the Department a cross-connection between
a sewer, private water supply, or other instances of endangering the
public water supply is discovered, service will be discontinued until proper
connection is made to the satisfaction of the Department.
9.
After-hours
Service Calls
When service is requested after 4:00 p.m. and on week-ends (Friday 3:00 pm –
Monday 8:00 am) or holidays, a charge of $40.00 shall be added to the next
monthly utility bill for the service call.
Any service call requiring a Department employee to assist the caller in
locating and/or closing the owners inlet valve will be charged $40.00, added to
the next monthly bill.
10.
Tampering
with Water System
No person shall operate, open a fire hydrant or otherwise tamper with any
valve, curb stop, corporation stop, or any device. It is unlawful to secure a supply of water
through such corporation stop, curb stop, fire hydrant valve, or other device;
or in any way take water for private use unlawfully without first having
secured the necessary permit from the Village Administrator.
11.
Water
Mains and Service Lines
New water mains shall be installed per Village specifications and in no case be
less than six inch diameter. Water
service lines shall be type K copper or SDR 9, 200 PSI plastic. If a plastic service line is used, a #12
tracer wire is required for future location of the line. Four feet is the minimum ground cover for
service lines. All galvanized and
substandard service lines shall be replaced at the property owners expense.
12.
Fire
Hydrants
Fire hydrants shall conform to the specifications of the
13.
Inspection
and Right-of-Way
All water main extensions, service lines from curb to inside a building shall
be subject to inspection by the Water Department officials; and employees of
said Department shall have the right of entry at reasonable hours to any house
or building supplied with water to examine pipes, meters and connections, and
to place, replace, or remove any meter, pipe, instrument, or connection that is
a part of the water works system.
14.
Discontinuance
of Service
The Village reserves the right to discontinue the use of water to any consumer
indebted to it in any manner whatsoever until such indebtedness is removed.
15.
Deposits
All applicants will pay a water deposit for water service. Deposits shall be $40.00 for single
residences and $80.00 for commercial, industrial, and multi-service accounts.
16.
Water
Charges and Service Charges
All charges for water, service lines, meter repair or other services rendered
by the Department shall be held against the property at which such services are
rendered.
17.
Property
Owners – Liability
The Village of Grand Rapids imposes liability on the property owner for water
and sewer services provided to a tenant on the premise.
a. Village utility accounts shall be in
the name of the property owner. Special
circumstances may allow the utility bill to be mailed to the tenant, after a
request is signed by the owner. This
does not relieve the property owner of the liability of the utility
indebtedness.
b. For all accounts posted before March
1, 1990, the landlord is ultimately liable for unpaid water and sewer service
that is provided in a tenant’s name to the tenant’s account by transferring the
delinquency to the owner’s account when the tenant vacates the premise.
The Village Administrator, or an authorized agent, shall certify any delinquent
water and sewer accounts, with any penalties, to the Wood County Auditor to be
collected in the manner of real estate taxes.
18.
Water
Leaks
Failure of a water consumer to repair a leak upon his premises, after due
notification by the Department, may result in a shut-off until said leak is
repaired. The Water Department is liable
for service line repair to the curb valve box only.
19.
Authorized
Service
Only officers and employees of the Water Department have authority to turn
water on or off at the curb box or meter, and no other person shall be
permitted to turn such water on or off without a permit from the proper
official in each and every instance.
20.
Water
Meter Accessibility
The consumers will be required to keep the surroundings of the meter clean,
properly lighted, accessible and protect the same from freezing or injury. The owner is responsible for installing the
wire from the water meter to the outside remote reader. The Village will install the meter and the
outside remote.
21.
Meter
Malfunction
Any meter that fails to register properly the quantity of water, the consumer
shall be charged an average of the previous fourh months billings until the
meter is repaired or replaced.
In the case of a question arising to the accuracy of the meter, the Consumer
may request the utility to test the meter.
If the meter is found to be correct within 2%, the Utility shall reserve
the right to charge the consumer $25.00 for making such a test. Otherwise, the expense of the test shall be borne
by the Utility.
Any adjustments to be made where a meter inaccuracy in excess of 2% is found
shall not cover a period of water usage in excess of the time from which the
question of accuracy was presented to the Village plus one billing period.
22.
Review
and Approval
Application for utility extension and taps shall be made to the Village
Administrator.
Three copies of construction drawings of improvements shall be filed with the
Village who shall send them for review to appropriate agencies. The cost of all plan review shall be paid by
the developer.
Final approval of the construction plans for main line extensions will require
approval by the Village Administrator.
Any contractor performing work in the right-of-way shall provide to the Village
a construction bond for 100% of the costs of improvements, certificate of
liability insurance and certificate of worker’s compensation.
23.
Construction
of Improvements
Extension of all water
and sanitary lines must be to the outermost edge of the furthest lot line and
shall conform to the regulations and construction standards and specifications
of the Village.
An agreement for recovery of over-size cost for any improvements to serve nearby
land shall be determined by the area for which the over size will service.
All improvements shall be completed within one year from the date of approval
of the construction plans unless, by a majority vote, approval of the Village
Council is obtained for an extension of time.
Field inspection of improvements during the entire period of construction shall
be made by the Village Representative.
The cost of all field inspections required for the improvements shall be
borne by the developer.
When the improvements are satisfactorily constructed in accordance with the
approved plans and construction specifications, upon written request by the
developer, the Village shall endorse this approval of improvements on the final
or record plat.
Construction standards and specification for sewer installation are attached as
Exhibit “B”.
24.
Maintenance
of Improvements
The developer shall maintain and repair all improvements for a period of (1)
year after completion. A one year maintenance bond or other guarantee in the
amount of fifty percent (50%) of the value of the improvements must be
deposited with the Village Clerk and approved by the Village Solicitor.
The bond will not be released until after the expiration of the one year
maintenance period and the improvements have been inspected and approved for
final acceptance by the Village and a reproducible copy of the “as-built” plans
have been supplied to the Village for permanent record.
All
policies and parts of policies in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
This policy shall be in full force and effect from and after March 1, 1990.
All fire
hydrants to be 2’ off the property line.
Use K-81-A Kennedy Guardian Fire Hydrants with New Safety Stem Coupling. Minimum 5 ft. bury (color Forest Green).
Mechanical joint inlet with an auxiliary Kennedy Resilient seat gate valve.
All fire
hydrants and valves shall include all stainless bolts.
All mechanical joint bolts shall be stainless steel with zinc anode caps
installed on each bolt.
A #12 tracer wire shall be installed under all C-900 pipe and a 3”
detachable caution tape buried one foot deep above the water main.
All mechanical joint fittings, including fire hydrant assemblies and
valves, shall have installed a cathodic protection system per Village
specifications.
2 – 2 ¼ hose nozzle and one pumper nozzle.
National Standard Thread on the Hose Nozzles
Size of
valve opening 5 ¼” on a 3-way fire hydrant.
Water mains shall be AWWA standard C-900 class 150 or AWWA standard ductile
iron pipe.
Exhibit
A
|
Water Tap Basic Fees |
||
|
Corporation |
$1528.55 |
¾”
Meter |
|
Out
of Corporation |
$8478.83 |
|
|
12” water transmission line |
$6150.00 |
Deferred
Connection Fee |
|
|
$2292.83 |
Tap
Fee |
|
|
$36.00 |
Recording
Fee |
|
|
$4942.83 |
|
|
|
$2650.00 |
Deferred
Connection Fee |
|
|
$2292.83 |
Tap
Fee |
Options to be added to basic tap fees
Corporation Rate:
1” Meter pit with 1” service $548.77
¾” Meter pit with 1” service $340.65
Out of Corporation Rate:
1” Meter pit with 1” service $823.16
¾” Meter pit with
1” service $510.98
EXHIBIT “B”
CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE
INSTALLATION OF SEWERS, BUILDING CONNECTIONS AND PLUMBING SERVICED BY THE
VILLAGE OF
1.
The
Contractor shall notify the inspection department at least twenty-four (24)
hours before he commences work.
2.
Permits
for installation of service connections and street cuts, where necessary, shall
be obtained before work begins.
3.
Material
for Village sewer service connections between main and building:
a.
Premium
seal or “O” ring connections shall be used.
(No Solvent cement allowed for plastics).
b.
Plastic
pipe, Schedule #40 as manufactured by Yardley, Genova, Carlon, Charlotte or
P.V.C. pipe conforming to ASTM 3034, SDR 35.
c.
Connections
between different pipe materials may be made by using adaptors equal to those
offered by Fernco Joint Sealer Co.
Solvents or lubricants for the connection shall be of the kind specified
by the pipe manufacturer. No “slip seal”
or similar type of connection shall be used.
If adapters are not available adequate concrete encasement shall be
required.
4.
Excavation for the service shall start at the
foundation wall of the building so that any footer drains or downspouts may be
disconnected from the sanitary flow.
5.
Sewer
connections shall be a minimum of ten (10) feet from any well or cistern water
supply sources.
6.
Separate
connections for sanitary and storm sewers are to be made. No combination of storm drains or of ground
water shall be allowed in the sanitary sewer connection.
7.
Service
connections shall be bedded in stone placed four (4) inches below the pipe and
covering the pipe to a depth of six (6) inches.
Where a trench abuts a round shoulder or through driveways, stone
backfill shall be placed to the road surface.
Material shall be placed in six (6) inch tampered layers. Bedding stone shall not exceed State of Ohio
Department of Transportation
specification #67 in size. Minimum grade
for service connections shall be:
4” diameter pipe 14” fall per 100 ft.
6” diameter pipe 6” fall per 100 ft.
8.
The
service connection shall be tested by air or water to four (4) pounds
pressure. The trench shall not be
backfilled until all tests are made unless special or safety conditions, as
noted by the inspector, require immediate backfill. The contractor shall furnish the test plugs
and equipment necessary to perform the test.
Any “Y” shall be inserted at the beginning and end of the service
connection for the test. The beginning
“Y” shall have a “cookie” or plug as recommended by the pipe manufacturer to
seal it after the test. The end “Y” may
be used as a future “clean out” opening if desired. NOTE:
No test will be required if a whole new service is installed from
building to right-of-way where pipe and fittings are P.V.C. – SDR 35 material.
9.
House
trailers shall have a vent placed before the trap at the trailer connection and
where this is mounted outside of the trailer, it shall be insulated and boxed.
10.
Downspouts
shall be disconnected and the pipe be plugged with concrete below ground
level. If a smoke test shows that these
lines are not connected to the sanitary sewer, this step may be disregarded.
11.
Septic
tanks are to be pumped dry and materials disposed of in the manner approved by
the County Health Board. The existing
tank shall be completely backfilled or removed after it is emptied. Backfilling consists of cracking the tank
bottom, crush top in, and filling with inert material sand or stone.
12.
The
contractor shall show, upon request, his registration license that has been
obtained from the Village which will be proof that he is properly bonded and
insured.
13.
Street
cuts outside the corporation limits of the Village are to be cleared through
the
14.
The
inspector shall obtain the location of the tap from the as-built plans and make
necessary notations on the inspection sheet of these measurements and any
corrections. Also, notes shall be made
of materials used, tests for the service connection, and inspection or test to
determine that no downspouts or other storm drains are interconnected.
15.
All
costs and expenses incident to the installation of the sewer service connection
shall be paid by the owner.
16.
A
separate and independent sewer connection shall be made for each building or
structure.
17.
The
connection of the service into the public sewer shall be made by a “Y” branch
if available. If no “Y” branch is
available the owner shall, at his own expense, install a saddle by cutting a
neat hole and make watertight by encasement in concrete.
18.
The
building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the
basement floor whenever possible. Any
buildings in which the drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public
sewer, the sanitary sewage shall be lifted by approved artificial means and
discharged to the building sewer. The
depth of all building sewers shall be sufficient to afford protection from
frost. In no case shall the sewer be
less than two and one-half (2 ½) feet deep from the ground surface to the top
of the pipe.
19.
The
Village Inspector has the authority to allow or disallow the use of any
material or construction methods for house connections at any time.
20.
No
act shall be committed that would tend to hamper or restrict in any way the
normal function of the sanitary sewage system.
21.
No
physical connection is permitted between a potable water supply and the
sanitary sewer system.
22.
Any
person violating any provisions of these “Rules & Regulations” shall become
liable to the Village for any expense, loss, or damage occasioned the Village
by reason of such violation.
23.
All
sewer connections, extensions, or construction that involves utilizing the
Village sewer system requires the securing of permits from the Village.
24.
Permits
for the use of sewer lines in newly developed areas will not be issued until
final inspection and approval of construction of the sewer lines and temporary
sewage treatment facilities by the Village representative.
25.
Permits
shall be displayed at the construction site at all times while work is still in
progress.
26.
The
issuance of a permit to tap into the sewer system by the Village does not relieve the permit holder of the
responsibility of securing permits from the proper governing agencies for the
permission to work in public or private rights-of-way.
27.
Information
on permit fees are available at the Village.
28.
If
a property is found to be discharging sewage into the Village sanitary sewer
system without payment of a sanitary sewer service charge, the Village shall
measure or estimate the quantity of such wastes and shall charge the property
owner for prior usage based upon the quantity determined.
29.
The
connection of a service pipe larger than six (6) inches shall require
constructing a manhole unless otherwise approved by the Village.
30.
The
property owner is responsible for the performance and maintenance of the
building sewer. Should the Village
determine that any building sewer is not functioning properly, permitting
excessive ground water infiltration to enter the building sewer, or is in any
way affecting the proper operation of the Village sewerage facilities, the
property owner shall, at his one expense, correct the cause satisfactory to the
Village Sewer Superintendent. If the
property owner fails to act upon orders of the Village to correct the building
sewer, the village shall disconnect the building sewer in the street at the
expense of the property owner.
31.
Where
any part of an existing sanitary sewer service (from five (5) feet outside of
the building) is intended to be used for part of the connection to the new
sanitary sewer system, the following procedure shall be applicable. The connection at the house shall be
excavated or otherwise shown to be free from storm water connections. The service shall be modified as required to
connect to the new house service provided at the right-of-way. Such modification shall be with acceptable
materials using proper installation procedures.
Testing will be required, as stated in item 8 of these regulations, on
any section of service which contains existing pipe. These tests will be at the owner’s or
contractor’s expense and monitored and approved by a Village
representative. No existing service pipe
will be allowed for part of the new sanitary service connection which does not
meet these test requirements.
32.
The
Contractor installing the sewer tap shall install a “Y” at the point of
connection to the Village Sewer. The “Y”
shall be brought to two (2) inches above grade with a premium joint riser and a
premium joint plug shall be installed.
This riser shall be installed basically at the right-of-way line and
shall be for future clean out purposes and also for visually observing whether
flow is being discharged from the private sewer.
33.
The
property owner shall be responsible for the cleaning of the building sewer line
from the building to the Village main sewer line.
34.
These
specifications and regulations can be amended by the Village per ORC 729.51.
Adopted by Council May 8, 1978.