Rules of Beaches Water Company, Inc.
The following rules shall govern the services supplied by the Beaches Water Company, Inc.
APPLICATION FOR SERVICE:
- Applications for water service must be made in writing, on a form provided by the company. The application must be made by the property owner.
- No contract for service will be entered into by the Company with any owner until all arrears and charges due by the owner at any premises now or heretofore occupied by him, and serviced by the Company, shall have been paid, or satisfactory arrangements made in regard thereto.
- The accepted application by the Company shall constitute a contract between the company and the applicant, obligating the applicant to pay to the Company its rates as established from time to time and to comply with its Rules.
- Applications for service installations will be accepted subject to there being an existing main in a street or right of way abutting on the premises to be served. The contract in no way obligates the Company to extend its mains to service the premises under consideration. Where no main exists within a reasonable distance of the property as determined by the Company, the lot owner will be billed for the actual costs of the necessary line extension from the nearest usable main. If additional lot owner(s) are tapped on this extension within 5 years, an equitable part of the cost, as determined by the Water Company will be charged to the newly involved lot owner(s) and the prorated amount will be refunded to the initial lot owner who paid for the new extension. Line extensions must be approved by both County and State authorities after plans have been submitted by a licensed engineering firm.
- When a prospective customer has made application for a new service or has applied for reinstatement of an existing service, it is assumed that the pipes and fixtures which the service will supply are in order to receive same and the Company will not be liable in any case for accident, breaks or leakage arising in any way in connection with the supply of water, or failure to supply same or the freezing of water pipes or fixtures of the customer, nor to any damage to the property which may result from the usage or non-usage of water supplies to the premises.
CUSTOMER DEPOSITS:
- The Company may require from any customer or prospective customer a cash deposit intended to guarantee payment of current bills in such amount as may be determined by the Board of Directors.
- When service is disconnected and final bills paid, or when the customer has established satisfactory credit with the Company, the deposit shall be refunded upon presentation at the office of the Company of the deposit receipt, or evidence satisfactory to the Company that such receipt has been lost or destroyed.
SERVICE CONNECTIONS:
- The service connection from the main to the meter pit will be installed by the Company. Title to all services from main to the meter, meter and meter installations are to be vested in, and the same shall at all times remain the sole property of the Company, and shall not be trespassed upon or interfered in any respect as punishable by applicable laws in the Maryland COMAR. This property shall be maintained by the Company and may be removed or changed by it at any time.
- The Company will furnish and install the following equipment: meter pit with meter, curb stop, and backflow prevention. The Company may charge to the property owner the cost of any street cutting, ditching, tunneling, and / or surface restoration. The Company reserves the right to require a deposit sufficient to cover the estimated cost of such work. This rule also applies to replacement and enlargement of old service lines.
- All service pipes to premises shall have a minimum depth sufficient to avoid freezing. All service pipes shall not be less in size than three-fourths inch (3/4") inside diameter.
- Curb stops shall not be used by the customer, or his agent, for turning on or shutting off the water supply. The control of the water supply by the customer shall be by means of a separate stop, located just inside the building wall. Curb stops are for the exclusive use of the Company.
- Every service pipe must be provided with a stop and waste cock on the inside of the cellar or foundation wall adjacent to the location where the pipe passes through it, easily accessible, fully protected from freezing and all pipes in the building must be laid in such a way that they can be fully drained by the waste cock.
- The service pipe from the meter pit to the building shall be installed at the expense of the owner of the building. For this installation the owner shall employ a competent registered plumber, satisfactory to the Company to do the work. The minimum size and cover shall be the same as that used from main to property line. Materials and methods of construction shall be approved by the Company and if the service has not been installed in accordance with the Company's requirements, water service will not be turned on until such defects have been remedied. The service pipes between the meter pit and the building and all pipes and fixtures on or in the premises or the owner shall be maintained by him and work performed by a competent registered plumber, in a manner satisfactory to the Company.
- No service pipes shall be laid in the same trench with gas pipe, sewer pipe or any other facility of a public service company, nor within three feet of any open excavation or fault.
- Hereafter, in all future installations or re-installations of service lines only one building will be supplied through one service pipe.
- The word "customer" as used herein shall mean one household or business. The word "premises" shall include the following:
- A building under one roof owned or leased by one customer and occupied as one residence or place of business.
- A combination of buildings owned or leased by one customer, within a common enclosure, or occupied by one family, or one corporation or a firm as a residence or place of business.
- Each unit of a multiple house or building, occupied by one or more persons or family, or one corporation or firm as a residence or place of business.
- A building, or buildings, owned or leased by one customer and located on the contiguous property having manufacturing establishments, hotels, apartments, multiple houses, offices or lofts, trailer parks, where serviced by the Company to the owner, or customer, and other places requiring a large quantity of water, which are rented to tenants.
- The Company shall in no event be responsible for the maintenance of, or for damage done by water escaping from the service pipe or any other pipe or fixtures on the outlet side of the curb cock, and the customer shall at all times comply with state and municipal regulations in reference thereto, and shall make any changes thereon required on account of change of grade, relocation of mains or otherwise.
METERED SERVICE:
- Charges will be made for all water outlets or other facilities for utilization of service on the premises of the customer except such outlets or facilities as have been disconnected or dismantled to the satisfaction of the Company and removed from service.
- The owner, or customer, in making application for service, grants to the Company the right to inspect, at any reasonable time, the premises of the customer to determine to the satisfaction of the Company the number and type of fixtures available for use by the customer.
- There is a certain recognized use of any fixture, as listed in the schedule of rates, and water shall not be taken from one fixture and used for the purposes for which other fixtures are provided, nor conduct from a fixture by a hose or other temporary conduit to another fixture.
- The customer must maintain his service pipe and all piping and fixtures on or in the building so that the loss of water through leakage is kept to a reasonably small amount. If the leakage becomes excessive, then it will be treated as willful waste of water.
- Deleted.
- Upon any change in use of service or additions or alterations to any pipes or outlets on the premises of customers supplied on a metered rate basis which are not described or covered in the application for service, the customer shall give notice in writing to the Company at the time of any such change, in order that a new application may be made and approved by the Company.
PAYMENT OF BILLS:
- BILLING PERIOD. Bills for service will be rendered monthly. Payments of bills are due and payable at the office of the Company within 10 days of bill presentation. The billing period for a new customer shall begin as soon as water service is provided.
- NON PAYMENT. If payment of a bill is not received within ten (10) days from the end of the billing period, the customer will be assessed a 10% penalty of the delinquent amount. The Company will issue a Statement to the customer giving the customer fifteen (15) days within which to make payment in full of the delinquent amount due and any penalties assessed thereto. If payment of the delinquent amount and any penalties is not received by the Company at the end of the fifteen (15) day period the company reserves the right to interrupt the customer's service and bill the customer for costs incidental thereto as referred to in Section 27(b).
- PRESENTATION. The presentation or non-presentation of a bill shall not be held to be a waiver of any of the above rules.
- INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE:
- VIOLATIONS: Service may be discontinued for any of the following reasons:
- Misrepresentation in the application.
- Use of water for purposes other than described in application.
- Willful waste of water.
- Failure to comply with restrictions imposed under Rule 35.
- Destruction of Company property or property under jurisdiction of the Company.
- For vacancy resulting in damage or potential damage to Company property.
- Non-payment of bills within 25 days after bill is due including any penalties assessed.
- For cross-connecting the Company's service pipe with any other supply source.
- Refusal of reasonable access to property.
VIOLATION FEES: When a customer's water service has been interrupted for any of the above reasons, or for any other violation of the Company's rules, a disconnect charge and a reconnect charge to be set annually by the Board will be assessed the customer. Both charges must be paid in addition to any outstanding bills for service and penalties before water service will be restored. Once a customer's service has been interrupted due to a violation of the Rules, future water service billing shall continue to accumulate until such time as the customer's account balance reaches a total equal to one year's water service, plus any penalties, disconnect, and reconnect fees assessed. At this point the customer's account will not be assessed for regular billing until his or her account has been brought current and service restored, at which time normal billing will resume.
For example: If customer A has an outstanding balance of $75.00 and his or her service is interrupted for non-payment, a $7.50 penalty will be assessed plus charges for disconnect and reconnect. Customer A's account balance at that point would be a total of the above charges. The customer would continue to be charged for regular monthly billings until the customer's account balance for water service and penalties reached an amount equal to 12 months billing. Regular billings for service would then cease until account is totally reconciled.
- NON VIOLATION FEES: When water service has been turned off by the Company at the request of the customer for maintenance purposes where no penalty is involved, charges for disconnect and reconnect shall be at the discretion of the Company, however, a charge of no more than that set on the annual rate schedule will be assessed.
- LONG TERM: When a customer anticipates his or her premises will be vacant for an extended period of time, the Customer may elect to have his or her service discontinued by written request and payment equal to One (1) year's water service. Upon receipt, the Company will shut off the customer's service and discontinue normal billing until such time as the Customer, in writing, requests restoration of service and pays the reconnect charge.
- VIOLATIONS: Service may be discontinued for any of the following reasons:
GENERAL:
- No water will be furnished to any premises where any possibility exists of the mingling of the water furnished by the Company with water from any other source. Nor will the Company permit its mains, or service pipes, to be connected in any way to any piping, tank, vat or other apparatus containing liquids, chemicals, or any other matter which may consequently endanger the water supply. An exception may be made to this rule at the option of the Company, providing proper safeguards are installed which shall be inspected and have the approval of the Water Company, the Insurance Underwriters and the State Board of Health.
- The customer shall not permit anyone, except an agent of the Company or someone otherwise lawfully authorized to do so, to remove, inspect or tamper with the meter or other property of the company. The customer shall notify the Company as soon as it comes to his knowledge of any injury to the Company's property.
- The authorized agents of the Water Company shall have the right of access to the premises supplied with water, at all reasonable hours, for the purpose of reading meters, examining fixtures and pipes, observing the manner of using water, and for other purposes which are proper and necessary in the conduct of the Company's business.
- The Company reserves the right to impose reasonable restrictions on the use of water during periods of shortage of supply, excessive demands or other difficulties which result in impairment of normal service of any group of customers. These restrictions apply particularly to the excessive use of water in the sprinkling of lawns, washing of cars, etc.
- As necessity may arise in case of main breaks, emergency or other unavoidable cause, the Company shall have the right to temporarily cut off the water supply in order to make the necessary repairs, connections, etc., but the Company will use all reasonable and practicable measures to notify the customer in advance of such discontinuance or service. In any case the Company will not be held liable for any damage or inconvenience suffered by the customer, nor for any claim against it at any time for interruption of service, lessening of supply, inadequate pressure, quality of water, or any cause beyond its control. All customers having boilers on the premises dependent upon the pressure of the water in the Company's pipes to keep them supplied, are cautioned against danger of collapse, and all such damages must be borne exclusively by the customer. The Company shall have the right to reserve a sufficient supply of water at all times to provide for fire or any other emergencies, and may restrict or regulate the quantity of water used by its customers in case of scarcity, or whenever the public welfare may require it.
- Water from hydrants or other fire protection system shall be used only in case of fire, except that water from public fire hydrants may be used in reasonable amount and at such times as the Company may permit, for the purpose of testing the hydrants and fire fighting apparatus, such tests to be conducted only by the properly authorized agents, or employees of the Company or of a regularly established Fire Department, and after the consent of the Company has been obtained. No pumps will be permitted to be connect with water pipes, so as to draw water directly from the main or service pipe, except for fire purposes, without specific permission of the Company.
The opening or closing of any fire hydrant, or plug, except in cases of fire, without the written permission of the Company, shall be deemed as tampering with the appliances of the Company, under the provisions of Chapter 546 of the Acts of 1904 of the Public General Laws of Maryland "(Article 47, Section 118, Annotated Code of Maryland)."
"Acts of 1904 - Chapter 546. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to wrongfully and maliciously connect, disconnect, tap, interfere, or tamper with any of the canals, springs, reservoirs, tunnels, mounds, dams, plugs, mains, pipes, conduits, connections, taps, valves, engines and machinery belonging to any company using or engaged in the supplying of water for domestic agricultural or manufacturing purposes, or either of them, or to make any connection with such canals, springs, reservoirs, tunnels, mounds, dams, plugs, mains, pipes, conduits, connections, taps, valves, engines and machinery for the purpose of wasting or using such water, or to in any way tamper with any meters used to register the water consumed, unless such person or persons shall be duly authorized by or be in the employ of the said company provided that nothing in this section shall in any way interfere with the lawful supervision and control of water companies, their canals, springs, reservoirs, tunnels, valves, engines and machinery by the municipalities, nor shall anything in this section interfere with any rights now existing in any municipality to pass ordinances relating to and regulating such water companies. Any persons, or persons, found guilty of a violation of any of the provisions of this section, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be imprisoned not exceeding six months and fined not exceeding five hundred ($500.00) dollars or both, or either at the discretion of the court."
- No agent or employee of the Company shall have the right or authority to bind it by any promise, agreement or representation contrary to the letter or intent of the Rules.
- The Company will not normally install water mains or service lines after November 15th or before March 15th or each year. This rule may be waived by the Company in case of emergency or necessity. The determination of an emergency or necessity shall rest with the Company.
- Service to contractors for building purposes, or other temporary customers, will be run in accordance with the Rates and Rules of the Company, but such customers shall pay the entire cost of installation and removal of all pipe connections, in addition to the regular charges for water service. A deposit will be required to cover both charges in all cases.
- No residential or commercial customer shall use water for the purpose of heating and/or cooling of residence or commercial enterprises in connection with the use of heat pumps, cooling towers and other types of associated heating and cooling equipment
