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Bear Lake Village Ordinance No. 2001-03
Waterworks Ordinance
The Village of Bear Lake Ordains:
An ordinance relative to the waterworks system of the Village of Bear Lake and the furnishing of water by the village to the inhabitants; providing for the use and protection of the system; providing for the adoption by the council of the village, providing penalties for the violation of the provisions of this ordinance, and to repeal all ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with these provisions.
Rules and Regulations Governing the Waterworks System of the Village of Bear Lake
ARTICLE ONE
Section 1. All the applications for the use of water through a service pipe, and applications for taps of service pipes are made to the Village Clerk by the owner of the premises or his duly authorized agent.
Section 2. All applications for water taps and service pipes are to be accompanied by tapping fees that have been set by the Village Council.
Section 3. All service pipes must be laid at least five feet below the surface of the ground. Where they enter a building, a stop must be installed inside.
Section 4. All pipe used in connection with a water service shall be copper. Connections for copper piping shall be brass. No lead, galvanized iron, cast iron or steel pipe shall be used between the main and the curb stop. From curb stop to stop inside building walls either copper, cast iron or galvanized wrought iron pipe may be used.
Section 5. Workmanship in connection with service pipes from curb stop to stop must meet with the approval of the Village Council and no service pipes will be buried until inspected and approved by the water superintendent.
Section 6. All excavations made by authorized personnel in streets, alleys, or public places are to be adequately protected by barricades.
Section 7. Only duly authorized employees of the water department will be permitted to have in their possession shutoff keys, and they must not permit these keys to be used by any other person for turning Village water on or off at the curb.
Section 8. Where premises have a basement or cellar, service pipes must be extended into them before branches are taken out from them for any purpose whatever. This restriction includes connections for hose and all out buildings.
Section 9. Authorized personnel are forbidden to install inside of the premises a service pipe along an outside wall or in any position where there is danger of frost; also forbidden to make new connections or to install any new fixtures to old connections that shall require a running stream to prevent freezing. Every service pipe must be furnished with a stop below the frost line so situated that the water can be completely shut off and drained from the pipes to prevent freezing. When such a stop is placed under a sink, the rod for operating the stop shall extend above the floor, and be arranged so that when the valve is open, the handle of the rod is parallel to the back of the sink.
Section 10. Each single house must have a separate service connection with street main or, where there is more than one house on a lot then each branch from it has an individual shut-off.
Section 11. In no case will there be any connection between water pipes receiving their supply from the village main, and pipes, pumps, tanks or reservoirs receiving their supply from any other source. The use of such a connection is prohibited whether or not it is provided with check valves.
Section 12. No person will make any attachment or connection with the pipes of the waterworks system, nor make repairs, additions to or alterations of fixtures connected with service pipes.
ARTICLE TWO
Tapping of Village Water Mains
Section 1. Tapping the water mains, inserting corporation cocks, installing service pipes to property lines with stop cocks and stop boxes is done only by the employees of the water department duly authorized to do so.
Section 2. No person other than an employee of the Water Department will open or close valves in public mains, nor molest or interfere with valves or valve box covers.
ARTICLE THREE
Rules Governing Water Consumer
Section 1. The waste of water through neglect of servants or agents, faulty fixtures, or allowing water to be taken from the premises by persons having no right to its use will be considered sufficient cause for turning off water from such premises.
Section 2. Persons, companies, or corporations taking water from the village water works system must keep their pipes and fixtures in good repair and protected from freezing at their own expense.
Section 3. Duly authorized employees of the Village water department have free access at all reasonable hours to all premises where Village water is used, to examine pipes and fixtures.
Section 4. Builders or contractors wishing to use water from the village waterworks system will pay for it in advance according to an estimate prepared by the water superintendent or the village president.
Section 5. Failure on the part of any water consumer to comply with the Rules and Regulations or Ordinances of the village relating to the waterworks system will result in the water being turned off from their premises and not turned on again until past due water charges have been paid, plus the sum of one years water payments, plus damages.
Section 6. Application for extension of distribution mains are made to the Village Council by petition signed only by property owners or those buying the property on contract, whose property lies along the line of mains petitioned for. All such petitioners will pay the prescribed fees for service connection to the mains.
Section 7. The foregoing Section does not apply in cases where it may become necessary to connect short gaps or dead ends in the distribution system in order to complete circulation, or to increase the size of pipes in place, or to install main trunk lines, all of which is done at the discretion of the Village Council.
ARTICLE FOUR
Miscellaneous Rules
Section 1. Wrenches used for opening and closing public hydrants and gate valves are in the possession only of duly authorized employees of water departments and fire departments.
Section 2. Water shall be furnished without charge to public buildings in the Village of Bear Lake as are supported solely from the general taxes of the village or from revenue from the waterworks department, also public drinking fountains, ice-skating rinks, for flushing sewers, streets and for fire protection.
Section 3. No person, company or corporation shall obstruct access to fire hydrants connected to the village waterworks system whether such hydrants be on public or private property.
ARTICLE FIVE
Assessment and Collection of Water Charges
Section 1. Water charges are due and payable quarterly in advance, on the first day of January, April, July and October in each year.
Section 2. Water consumers failing to pay water charges within two (2) water payment periods after the due date will have their water supply turned off at the curb stop.
ORDINANCES CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW IN COMMITTEE:
1: NOISE
2: NUISANCES
Page updated March 21, 2003
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