Fire Kirin Sign Up Bonus No Deposit, Loomis Fargo Heist Kelly Campbell, Jim Murray Gospel Singer Wife, Kimberly Kravitz Wiki, I Speak Victory David Jennings Chords, Articles T

TRWA has provided numerous training sessions at conferences and at water system offices to demonstrate the impact of larger meters from a revenue impact as well as regulatory requirements. <8D> <8D> <2022> for the single-family residential customer group. The normal straight run of pipe prior to the meter is five times the diameter of the pipe. 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. 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). Published in May/June 2020 (Issue 3 of Quench). Different growth The one meter per residence just means that a customer can't have two or more residences or businesses on a single meter. /CMapName /CourierOPBaseFont1 def xc```a``A2@\(}drBf <9F> <9F> <0178> Instead, growth should pay for growth, even if a current member is responsible for the new growth through the addition of a second meter on their property. The rules provide some ways for the applicant to opt out of individual meters and having multiple water service lines crisscrossing their tract of land. described above, SWWC currently supplies water to at least 5,465 active LUEs (i.e., single-2 Living Unit Equivalents (LUEs). Q: Our local WSC is planning to implement a policy in order to comply with the one meter per residence rule. %OEG+HqH\9-:Y2=Ht),h1#d W% `9B-eR+0 It doesnt matter whether the extra capacity is used to supply brand new customers who have never had service or to existing customers seeking an additional meter. endbfrange The system is not responsible for securing or requiring an easement for any service line from the meter to the ultimate customers home. 0 <90> <90> <2022> The elimination of external parts should reduce the need for re-reads due to malfunctions. <99> <99> <2122> 6^u9Z{s DraDsio1,m?Ph/&KZlho_ryP <81> <81> <2022> <88> <88> <02C6> endstream endobj 382 0 obj <>stream CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop A: This is an issue weve been talking to TCEQ about as far back as 2004. 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. <9A> <9A> <0161> Section 24.89(a)(1) of the PUC's rules states that, all charges for water service shall be based on meter measurements, except where otherwise authorized by the utilitys approved tariff.. The corporation will disconnect without notice if the member refuses to allow access for the purpose of confirming the existence of such condition and/or removing the dangerous or hazardous condition (30 TAC 290.46(i) and 290.46(j)). <9F> <9F> <0178> w;A`@3YceL 0a0DD8T#_ _~qd"D|%U0 a`q]HEWls!G29h4 pSaU0t}% tAkmBxJ _`TzJjzm*cUxh$IRJ\&O N'>Mg2:I&L=w.- ?A~}TmCi6?IV PnzN' k~"KcJMi?kvEw-a]z}k#AUGH}+ImKefXv~i^v0~Lz_ANxO}toc3X] u:^on}{_ZT_[=u?Z-?ZI{_oVVt}U&/z^mZowam}Mc*)Xk}v>51KuR[M45qQQE{N?ToTvM;,t_KvN=< SM4'e`]'vx\R"""""#[l&`Me!0|Ez/hDDDDDDipPL,qD_{nb~@ 7dnUEh(}|Df1emQ|DGX%A7q3+;* 2r'dDg&J":' tQT[NO1;Z" 0a;AS#ii If the WSC has an easement properly filed at the courthouse for every line and meter, the new property owner cant make the system move the meter. 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. 1 begincodespacerange Usually, the original person that is allowing the other persons meter to be installed on their property (the front property owner) is agreeable and welcomes the chance to help their neighbor (the back property owner) save some money. 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 However, if your homeowner needs a 1" or larger meter, then the requirements for non-standard service as outlined in Section F. of the TRWA Sample Tariff would apply, including an engineering study for each oversized meter. TRWA has always recommended in our sample tariff that All meters be installed on the property designated to receive service. Using this policy keeps the system dealing directly with the property owner and member of the WSC or the customer of the district instead of having to deal with a property owner or future property owner that doesnt want someone elses meter and service line on their property. He has offered to buy a ladder, but does not want it left all the time, only when the meter is read. %PDF-1.5 % All the meters or at least the material data sheets should state that the materials used to manufacture the meters meet NSF 61. <95> <95> <2022> If your board would like for one of TRWAs staff to attend a meeting to do some rate training, please contact our office. <8B> <8B> <2039> <20> <7E> <0020> The actual cost of the meter and installation should be assessed as well. <91> <92> <2018> 0000000015 00000 n <20> <7E> <0020> The defined area is depicted in Appendix 1. Some systems do require individual meters to each different apartment, condo or other type business that is all owned by one individual or company. A: We get this question from time to time, and the answer as to whether you should have one master meter for each apartment building or one meter per individual apartment is it depends. In general, the Public Utility Commissions (PUC) rules first want separate meters for each unit so each individual users water usage can be measured accurately. The extra 15 percent capacity is supposed to be maintained by the system (not paid for by the new customer), but the system may require applicants requesting service to pay for some of the system upgrades that will be used by that applicant. Published February/March 2021 (Issue 1 of Quench). It is unclear whether the units are part of any government-assisted or subsidized housing programs for low-income residents. 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. What can we do if the owner of the membership denies that someone is living at the second residence? The rules go on to state that once a system begins to use some of that extra capacity, they need to begin designing specific improvements which will replace this used capacity. 0000001247 00000 n <8F> <8F> <2022> TRWA recommends that systems stop floating memberships and meters from one property to another because of the confusion it creates. Prior to initial connection of any Customer other than a single-family residential Customer, the District's Engineer shall calculate . 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: One of our members sold their property and land but did not transfer the membership. It is best to work with your customers so that a reasonable solution can be found. trailer 0000001146 00000 n If so, that is another major concern for liability should he interpret this agreement to read the meters as having free reign to the systems facilities. We have several customers who have gates at the back of their homes and their homes are built at least 500 feet off the road. hb```m ea>O)~N7vy)20:sLr "General Plan" means the General Plan prepared by Developer as submitted to <98> <98> <02DC> @0A2@p0@T!EQL& L Aa0w"[!-Si7qH>D Also, since the lead ban was in effect when the units were constructed in 2006, the CSI inspector should use swabs to test the plumbing for led. (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> Can you help me out with this? Austin, TX 78701 Present Ave. Daily Flow (B 6 + B 7 ) Single family - include all single family homes, mobile homes and seasonal dwellings in this category. The meter and/or wastewater connection is for the sole use of the Member or customer and is to provide service to only one (1) dwelling or one (1) business. Commercial 5. begincmap <9D> <9D> <2022> %PDF-1.7 My question is what is considered access? <89> <89> <2030> <96> <97> <2013> <0D> <0D> <000D> 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. /CIDSystemInfo 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. PUC rules also specify the requirements for language that must be included in the rental agreement regarding submetering, how the charges are to be calculated and how billing is to be conducted. <93> <94> <201C> 12 dict begin 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. A new membership fee should be required for each new meter. 339 0 obj <> endobj each new commercial connection and $1,000 for each new residential connection. Some folks opt for wells of around 300 gallons per minute or less to use a fire truck or tanker instead of climbing an elevated tank to do the measuring twice. Billable flow (B 1 + B 5) 7. 69 0 obj<> endobj $`pi%X. A: This is commendable for a system member to agree to read all the meters for your system at no cost. 9CT D/^&H The two businesses had been in a partnership in the past under one roof. Do you have a source for best practices when planning to deal with this issue? to TCEQ rules regarding elevated storage, the number of connections that are allocated to the tract will be four, because that allocation is determined on the number of meter connections. HWn8}7vR}\d.P`! <86> <87> <2020> However, due to some political maneuvering several years ago, some exceptions were included in the Texas Administrative Code that allow the commissions executive director to permit master metering when applicable. 1616 Rio Grande The Commercial facilities are calculated by an Equivalent . Texas Water Code Sec. Would the individual use the company vehicle or his own? Setting the meter on the property owned by the applicant is always the best policy. <93> <94> <201C> <8A> <8A> <0160> <8E> <8E> <017D> Problems also come about if a leak occurs by some accident or digging operation by the front property owner and the back property owner wants them to pay for damages, or have the system discount their water bill because they didnt know they had a leak. :RA%_Xo($N4jKA$iH~5]_]_W_4_'MAzcbhS Gj,+ NPt%TJMvM'B!41F"#4_M}:C?o_o_Z__^_,bD-CF`s;7Qfdcq12FnfhPM4w*`Rthj7v>N2nAqNtF?ON~kEWTB}WLO'?~_Kjjv?ijpU5l%.^=8I>5jtLd%-A^XABL4"?DDDD~~/a?i{`TG{`_+IW21 ffy./HZU"L3FRCa;5.Z qa?C$;VY!v +rxO%}^F'dvwtkV~JW_k#Nq|o|!mm+DcWS62q}9jQi|:{MT'^K{Ul%kr#x~jBXDvK{!ZoI";NaZa4?AWuAR#kM4Nh0Ai#'A"""!D~" }~},Tv;R*2@YDxw4& f0OeqXYDtc/DCXt(P 4(A|;Z Now climb the tank again after the well pump is stopped and measure the height of water again at the manway. <9E> <9E> <017E> 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. 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. If the main water line(s) are near the public roads, then the system may offer to move the meter down to the road. Q: One of our members has offered to read meters each month for free. <9F> <9F> <0178> /Registry (Helvetica-ObliqueOPBaseFont5) 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. 36 beginbfrange Published in January/February 2020 (Issue 1 of Quench). a@0VZ F8A8!@!af^""""#o^?l2AD 4i5M=n^/#{B^m^m}5ok8M4M0P aj""# Only the labor to reinstall the meter, a new customer service inspection fee, the BPAT test if there was a backflow assembly there before, and the refundable membership fees could be charged to the new applicant at that previously served location. 362 0 obj 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 not, then the system could be charged with trespassing. For customers who have their homes 500 feet or more off the road, meters may be relocated to the edge of the customers property instead of at the house. endcmap <95> <95> <2022> This can lead to lawsuits and fights between neighbors and family members, and often the utility ends up bearing the brunt of these clashes. Does the owner have the choice of either getting a meter for each unit or getting one master meter? Box 13087, 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. I told her that was incorrect and that I would mail her the documentation to prove it. <8E> <8E> <017D> /Supplement 0 Since the two businesses have separated and are no longer on the same property, then the convenience store is diverting water to another property, which constitutes an illegal connection or transfer of water from one property to another. /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin <9B> <9B> <203A> Do they have to register as a business with the state or get a water commercial permit? <9D> <9D> <2022> <88> <88> <02C6> However, there are some situations where a brand-new meter is installed, and it doesnt register correctly. You should always keep the safety of your employees in mind and act within the law. Written comments about an AO should be sent to the enforcement coordinator designated for each AO at the commission's central office at P.O. The side benefit of the AMI technology is that when someone reports a leak in the system, this type of meter allows the system to read meters in that section to determine if the leak is from their system lines or from overwatering or leaks on the customers side. <82> <82> <201A> <00> <85> <85> <2026> 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. Others were due to leaks grounding out meters. 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. Single family Non-Residential Flow (gpd) # Users 2. One of the main reasons for a turbine or propeller master meter to register incorrectly is improper piping configurations from the well to and past the meter location. Q: Our system has been asked to serve two quadplexes that were until recently supplied by wells that no longer produce water. A: This is certainly a tricky situation but its one that many TRWA systems have faced when trying to enforce their tariff or district service policies. 0000053091 00000 n <0D> <0D> <000D> <00> <00> <0000> The NSF 61 is the standard for all pipes, repair clamps, and any other fitting or material used in a public water system. /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin The sample tariff also allows service to be disconnected, after notice, if access is denied for three consecutive months. 0 xref <9A> <9A> <0161> If not then the meter accuracy is over or under by that difference since the tank is a definite volume (provided the above calculation and tank dimensions were accurate). (1) The requirements contained in this section are to be used in evaluating both the total capacities for public water systems and the capacities at individual pump stations and pressure planes which serve portions of the system that are hydraulically separated from, or incapable of being served by, other pump stations or pressure planes. Sometimes multiple lines from multiple meters can become a maintenance nightmare because all the lines, meters and valves look the same. I have visited several systems who have purchased AMR meters that are compatible with the AMI meters. One ESFC is defined as equaling a typical detached single-family house. One note here about equipment costs to replace the assets being removed TCEQ explained this to include the price of a meter, tapping saddle, curb stops, meter box, service tubing and any parts which were purchased by the original applicant when the service was first installed. 0000001445 00000 n <83> <83> <0192> <90> <90> <2022> 0000000016 00000 n <00> <00> <0000> >> def 0000001312 00000 n Do I need to calibrate the meter? <9B> <9B> <203A> The correspondence should also include a date on which service will be disconnected if the customer fails to make arrangements for the CSI. For example, the provisions of TRWAs Sample Tariff regarding non-standard service include the requirement that the corporation approve the design requirements of the applicants required facilities prior to initiation of a non-standard service contract. Therefore, removing the meter box completely could allow the utility to reduce its total number of connections for purposes of determining the systems necessary capacity. fA=~0xO}wASICHzKnp[o Until they can do that, they dont get a meter. Turn the well control on and fill the tank or until there has been sufficient production from the well into the tank to raise the level of water or for the pump to cut off automatically. endstream endobj 70 0 obj<> endobj 72 0 obj<> endobj 73 0 obj<>/XObject<>/ProcSet 79 0 R>> endobj 74 0 obj<>stream 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? "Equivalent residential units" or "ERU" is a unit of measurement based upon a standard single-family residential home used to establish rates, fees and charges and volume capacity limits. These references clearly state that the meter belongs to the corporation and is to be maintained by the corporation. With this person not being an employee or contractor, exactly what leverage does the system use to require the meter readings to be delivered on time and accurately? How do you protect the integrity of the system when you do not know the background or intent of the person performing the volunteer work? <<9e8032b06c2c514a87349e8822134d26>]>> endstream endobj 79 0 obj[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] endobj 80 0 obj<>/Width 2550/Height 3300/BitsPerComponent 1/ColorSpace/DeviceGray/Type/XObject/Name/background_1/Subtype/Image>>stream 4Ct?3,RPapG}=>V"vIzJ*m'_ 363 0 obj The Members use of the Corporations curb stop or other similar valve for such purposes is prohibited. <99> <99> <2122> Our service agreement states that we only allow one dwelling per connection. endstream endobj 340 0 obj <. The quadplexes were built in 2006 and are not located within the boundaries of a city. Statewide Photo Campaign Promoting Drought Awareness Launches August 5! The most immediate issue to address is the potential health hazard caused by the loss of pressure when the booster pump kicks on. 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. This can make it difficult for maintenance personnel to identify which line is leaking and increase maintenance expenses compared to a situation with a single meter and a single yard line. <85> <85> <2026> There is nothing that prevents a customer from having a separate meter just for their irrigation system. hbbd``b`+A| "[@@ebX H0X "$k $BG HI (,HW *##6F0 w 0 Well get someone to demonstrate the rate template weve designed and provided to systems across the state. A. A: Yes, under Chapter 13 of the Texas Water Code you must provide service to the applicant if the location of the request for service lies within your certificated service area and your utility is privately owned or a nonprofit water supply corporation. We have some meter boxes that do not have a meter as they were either pulled for non-payment or the owner requested them to be removed. (In fact, conservation rates can escalate, in proportion to the total gallons, for customers using the greatest amounts of water on a monthly basis.) A: TCEQ rule 290.44(a)(4) explains the purpose of the rule stating: Each community public water system shall provide accurate metering devices at each residential, commercial or industrial service connection for the accumulation of water usage data. This ensures that the water system can document that customers are being billed properly. Section 290.38 defines a connection as "a single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system." Including this language in a notification letter to all utility customers will help explain why the system is requiring a change for existing multiple connections. What should we do with these boxes? <9C> <9C> <0153> Using the formula 3.14 X Radius X Radius X Height X 7.48 (gallons per cubic feet) you can calculate the number of gallons of water added to the storage tank. This certificate should meet the TCEQ master meter test requirements for initial installation of the meter. Even a temporary hose hook-up is prohibited since that is a violation of the conditions found in your customer service application and agreement. 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. Master District that constitutes an Equivalent Single Family Connection, which amount may be changed from time to time. [tF]JJfSHYs8n?G?#ZS^n#E|WHxt2o1BBb.el+Dijwv-7ajcn7mY 6ii>a!0Y7"9ET3 Q: I am going to change out our master meter at the well and replace it with a new one. The result is an estimate of total <09> <0A> <0009> << <8D> <8D> <2022> Your WSC cannot demand that a person pay the entire cost to extend a 6 inch line unless the engineer determines that is the size line it takes to serve that particular applicant. Those base rates dont have to be the actual meter size equivalent listed in the TRWA Sample Tariff, but one of the reasons/ justifications for a higher base rate for these larger meters is the TCEQs capacity requirements that each system must maintain. 36 beginbfrange There may be limitations that prevent using the meter when there is an outside water ban or other drought measures are in place. Other TCEQ inspectors have assessed the capacity requirements on the 2-inch meter size which industry standards deem to be eight times the normal capacity of the 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter, regardless of the number of trailers on the other side of the meter. Use some water out of the storage tank (ground or elevated). Would a hose running across the potential users property, across the alleyway, and across about 10 feet of the members property be allowed? We encourage you to consider options for providing service and, most immediately, to ensure compliance with the 85 percent requirement. endbfrange Further, in the past we have seen many TCEQ investigators count dead taps into the systems overall capacity requirements using the assumption that at any time in the future the system would still be responsible for supplying not only the active connections but previously existing connections also. LIVING UNIT EQUIVALENT (LUE) GUIDANCE DOCUMENT Definition: A living unit equivalent (LUE) is defined as the typical flow that would be produced by a single family residence located in a typical subdivision. 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. <00AE> 3 The Blue ater Contract defines a "LUE" as the capacity necessary to serve a single-family residential . <80> <80> <20AC> A: If your board has adopted the basic TRWA Sample Tariff language, then the meter costs and impact fee should stay with the property on which the meter was initially installed. From this, they can develop a plan that best provides service to the entire development considering the wishes of the developer and the system. Wouldnt it make sense for the owner to have to pay the cost of extending the line(s) out to those structures? <002D> Some of this cost will be paid by these new customers once they start paying their monthly water bill, but the previous customers not only have been paying for what it costs for them to receive water delivered to their homes, they have also been paying a bit extra toward the complete debt-service for all existing capacity. Back in 2004, TRWA staff met with TCEQ to discuss several issues relating to their capacity regulations and interpretations. 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.. /CMapType 2 def for the single-family residential customer group. <86> <87> <2020> 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. Under 30 TAC 290.38(16), "connection" means "A single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied" from the PWS. A reason for rate training is so the board can justify the base and gallonage charges to all ratepayer classifications and also to TCEQ in case the rate is appealed. By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. By having only one meter to maintain near the road system, the owner would not be responsible for installing and thereafter maintaining individual lines and meters to each of the dwellings, or for disconnecting and reconnecting each individual units separate water meter. Total non -residential 6. <002D> First, the one meter per residence language should be part of your tariff or service policy. Furthermore, Section 290.44(d)(4) states that, each community public water system shall provide accurate metering devices at each residential, commercial, or industrial service connection for the accumulation of water usage data. Section 290.38 defines a connection as a single-family residential unit or each commercial or industrial establishment to which drinking water is supplied from the system. Including this language in a notification letter to all utility customers will help explain why the system is requiring a change for existing multiple connections.