The general management, care, control and supervision of the city water system shall be in the superintendent of water and sewage.
(Code 1994)
The furnishing of water to customers by the city through its waterworks system shall be governed by the regulations set out in this article.
(Code 1994)
The city does not guarantee the delivery of water through any of its mains and connecting services at any time except only when its mains, pumping machinery, power service connection are in good working order, and the supply of water is sufficient for the usual demand of its consumers.
(Code 1994)
(a) The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the city abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located public water mains, is hereby required at his or her own expense to make connection to such public water main.
(b) Before any connection is made to the city’s water system an application must be made in writing to the city clerk by the owner of the premises, or his or her authorized representative, for a permit to make such connection.
(Code 1994)
(a) Any person, firm or corporation desiring a connection with the municipal water system shall apply in writing to the city clerk, on a form furnished by the city for that purpose, for a permit to make the connection.
(b) The application shall:
(1) Contain an exact description including street address of the property to be served;
(2) State the size of tap required;
(3) State the size and kind of service pipe to be used;
(4) State the full name of the owner of the premises to be served;
(5) State the purpose for which the water is to be used;
(6) State any other pertinent information required by the city clerk;
(7) Be signed by the owner or occupant of the premises to be served, or his or her authorized agent.
(c) Each application for a connection permit shall be accompanied by payment of fees and/or costs specified in section 15-207.
(Code 1994)
All taps shall be given, street excavations made, corporation cocks inserted, pipes installed from main to curb, and the curb cock installed in a meter box to which the service pipe is to be connected by city employees only.
(Code 1994)
The fees for connection to the city waterworks for new construction and/or existing structures not currently connected to the system shall be as follows:
(a) Actual cost of materials, including the meter, plus then (10%); and
(b) Actual cost of city maintenance department labor and the necessary equipment purchased by the city.
(c) The minimum cost of water tap fee to be $850.00.
(d) The City Superintendent shall estimate the connection fees for the purpose of payment. Any refunds due or additional payment to or from the homeowner will be due at completion of the connection.
(Ord. 61-2000; Sec. 1; Ord. 270-2022)
There shall be a curb cock in every service line attached to the city main, the same to be placed within the meter box.
(Code 1994)
Check valves are required on all connections to steam boilers or on any other connection deemed necessary by the water superintendent. Safety and relief valves shall be placed on all boilers or other steam apparatus connected with the water system where the steam pressure may be raised in excess of 40 pounds per square inch.
(Code 1994)
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation, other than duly authorized city officials or employees to turn water on or off at the water meter or curb cock shut off, with a key or in any other manner, without first obtaining written permission from the mayor or the governing body.
(Code 1994)
(a) All water furnished to customers shall be metered.
(b) Meters shall be located between the sidewalk or property line and curbing when the main is in the street, and on private property within three feet of the alley line when the main is in the alley. In the business district the meters may be installed in the basement at a location specified by the city.
(c) The city’s responsibility stops at the property line.
(Code 1994)
Meters shall be tested before being set and at any other time thereafter when they appear to be measuring incorrectly. If a test is requested by the customer and the meter is found to be accurate within two percent, the meter will be deemed correct and a charge of $10 will be made to the customer.
(Code 1994)
It shall be unlawful for any person to break the seal of any meter, to alter the register or mechanism of any meter, or to make any outlet or connection in any manner so that water supplied by the city may be used or wasted without being metered. It shall be unlawful for any person except an authorized employee of the water department to turn any curb cock on or off.
(Code 1994)
No allowances shall be made for water used or lost through leaks, carelessness, neglect or otherwise after the same has pass through the meter. However, every customer shall have the right to appeal to the city from water bill or meter reading which he or she may consider excessive.
(Code 1994)
The governing body shall establish, by ordinance, a water service disconnection and reconnection charge. Whenever the city receives a request from a customer for termination of water service the disconnection charge shall be added to the customer’s final bill. Any service disconnected for nonpayment of delinquent bill shall be reconnected only upon payment of the delinquent bill, interest penalty thereon, and the reconnection charge.
(Code 1994)
At the time of making application for water service, the property owner or customer shall make a cash deposit in the amount and manner specified in section 15-105 to secure payment of accrued bills or bills due on discontinuance of service.
(Code 1994)
The city reserves the right to interrupt water service for the purpose of making repairs or extensions to water lines or equipment.
(Code 1994)
It shall be a violation of this article for any unauthorized person to:
(a) Perform any work upon the pipes or appurtenances of the city’s waterworks system beyond a private property line unless such person is employed by the city;
(b) Make any connections with any extension of the supply pipes of any consumer without written permission to do so having been first obtained from the governing body;
(c) Remove, handle or otherwise molest or disturb any meter, meter lid, cutoff, or any other appurtenances to the water system of the city;
(Code 1994)
Water users shall prevent unnecessary waste of water and shall keep sprinklers, hydrants, faucets and all apparatus, including the service line leading from the property to the meter in good condition at their expense.
(Code 1994)
Authorized employees of the city may enter upon any premises at reasonable hours for the purpose of reading the meter or servicing or inspecting meters or water lines.
(Code 1994)
On and after February 12, 2015, the schedule of rates and charges set forth below shall apply to all water customers of the Mount Hope Water Utility.
(a) Customer Charge: A fee of Twenty Dollars ($20.00) per monthly billing period shall be assessed to all customers who have service availability at any time during a billing period. A customer is deemed to have service availability if the private water service system has been connected to the city water system at any time during the billing period. Water service connections deemed inactive by the City Clerk shall not be assessed the customer charge.
(b) Water Volume Rate: Charges for water passing from the city water system to a private water system shall be billed to the water service customer at the rate of One Dollar and Twenty-Five Cents ($1.25) per One Thousand (1,000) gallons and applied to the metered usage for the billing period.
(Ord. 6-1995; Ord. 84-2002; Ord. 204-2013; Ord. 213-2015)
All water bills for the previous month’s water service shall be paid on or before the 15th day of the month following the service. For any billing not paid when due a late charge of one percent per month will be added to the bill.
(Ord. 89-5-2, Sec. 2; Code 1994)
Water service shall be terminated for nonpayment of service fees or charges as provided in sections 15-102:104.
(Code 1994)
No person owning or occupying premises connected to the municipal water system shall use or allow to be used during a fire any water from the water system except for the purpose of extinguishing the fire. Upon the sounding of a fire alarm it shall be the duty of every such person to see that all water services are tightly closed and that no water is used except in extraordinary cases of emergency during the fire.
(Code 1994)
(a) No water service connection shall be installed or maintained to any premises where actual or potential cross connections to the public water supply system may exist unless such actual or potential cross connections are abated or controlled to the satisfaction of “the District or City” or its authorized representative.
(b) No connection shall be installed or maintained whereby an auxiliary water supply may enter a public water supply system.
(Code 1994; Ord. 265-2021)
Any backflow prevention device required by the regulations of Article 7 of this Chapter shall be of a model or construction approved by “the District or City” or its authorized representative and the KDHE. An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed on each service line to a consumer’s water system serving premises where, in the judgment of “the District or City” or its authorized representative or the KDHE, actual or potential cross connections exist. The type and degree of protection required shall be commensurate with the degree of hazard and/or type of contamination that may enter the public water supply system
(Code 1994; Ord. 265-2021)
The city utility superintendent or other designee of the governing body shall have the right of entry into any building or premises in the city as frequently as necessary in his or her judgment in order to ensure that plumbing has been installed in accordance with the laws of the city so as to prevent the possibility of pollution of the water supply of the city.
(Code 1994)
Pursuant to the city’s constitutional home rule authority and K.S.A. 65-163a, the city by its utility superintendent may refuse to deliver water through pipes and mains to any premises where a condition exists which might lead to the contamination of the public water supply system and it may continue to refuse the delivery of water to the premises until that condition is remedied. In addition, the city utility superintendent may terminate water service to any property where the cross connections or backsiphonage condition creates, in the judgment of the superintendent, an emergency danger of contamination to the public water supply.
(Code 1994)