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. The District currently encompasses 767 acres and is located wholly within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston, Texas (the "City") and is located within Katy Independent School District. You could also require the applicant to provide this information as part of the application process. (2) Active connection, as used in this section, means a lot or . If your utility is a political subdivision and you do not have a certificate of convenience and necessity, your obligation and requirements are dictated by other state statutes. Q: What can you tell me about the new "electronic read" meters on the market today? If not, then the system could be charged with trespassing. ]*U}%GikLf!=ZpcC[RqHL 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. The systems and engineers said that if these old dormant tap locations wanted to be re-serviced and if upgrades were required, the present landowners where service had previously existed would have to pay for those upgrades. If the main water line(s) are near the public roads, then the system may offer to move the meter down to the road. /Registry (Times-RomanOPBaseFont0) During these discussions, we talked about vacant and dormant taps to see how the agency would rule on a cost of service appeal if the system were to remove these dead taps to free up system capacity for other applicants along that water main. <89> <89> <2030> One of these meters is on a 1"water main line and the other meter on a 1 1/2 water main line. <00AE> ESFCequivalent single-family connection. The NSF 61 is the standard for all pipes, repair clamps, and any other fitting or material used in a public water system. A: Your question is very common for all rural and some urban systems. Where to live in Delft Wedged between The Hague and Rotterdam, Delft is a beautiful historical town that attracts those seeking a quieter lifestyle with good city connections. The most immediate issue to address is the potential health hazard caused by the loss of pressure when the booster pump kicks on. The member wants to know if a neighbor can hook up to the meter and if so, under what circumstances. 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. Then, once the system reaches 100 percent capacity, that system should begin constructing these new facilities to replace or build that extra 15 percent or more back into their system for future growth. "!#w~[^Mt__^7ea?VU> {9Vh*A!_Q~" [w|V}.f%z[o~di_Yzbb{[Xu]\*lq& <95> <95> <2022> Systems generally dont want to extend their liability onto or across private property to read meters or make repairs after dark within a private property on the off chance that frequent trips onto that property raises the chance of some type of accident or damage to the owners property or tenants. TCEQ assesses the adequacy of a systems capacity on the number of connections on that system and takes into account the number and sizes of larger meters on that system. <88> <88> <02C6> <8C> <8C> <0152> 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. After you establish a system's ERU quantity, you can use it to determine the number of ERUs for other types of service connections. endcodespacerange To your knowledge, are there any parts of the tariff that would prohibit the member from entering into such an agreement or any part of the regulations that would prohibit such an agreement or jeopardize the systems compliance? All connections shall be calculated based upon its equivalency to a customary Equivalent Single Family Connection using the City of Houston's equivalency table. To Top. Now climb the tank again after the well pump is stopped and measure the height of water again at the manway. 0000003802 00000 n All the meters or at least the material data sheets should state that the materials used to manufacture the meters meet NSF 61. The TCEQ interprets an "active connection" as a connection that is completed or existing and able to supply drinking water from the PWS to a single-family << 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. Does the owner have the choice of either getting a meter for each unit or getting one master meter? I have also seen frustration when the front property owner requests a second meter from the system and the line is at capacity. <90> <90> <2022> What should we do? <86> <87> <2020> Finally, it is also important to be clear with the applicant regarding how the drought contingency and water rationing requirements apply to the irrigation meter. Even if the customer would only need standard service, TRWAs Sample Tariff includes the requirement that the property of the applicant/ member shall be inspected to ensure compliance with state required Minimum Acceptable Operating Practices for Public Drinking Water Systems as promulgated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or successor agency. A4INih9'uC0\!a;OKx[TJ2 7Kie 3 The Blue ater Contract defines a "LUE" as the capacity necessary to serve a single-family residential . First, the customer must supply the system a final plat showing the intended use and ultimate development of the property to be served. 0000001312 00000 n Is it ethical for us to charge a second equity buy-in fee for this meter if we already charged such a fee for their first meter? 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. Service will be restored when a CSI confirms no health hazard exists, the health hazard has been removed or repaired, or the health hazard has been isolated from the corporations water system. 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.. 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. A particular manufacturer is selling a pretty good meter, but it is not certified and before I invest a lot of money into their radio read system I need someone to answer this question. <002D> <95> <95> <2022> <81> <81> <2022> 1616 Rio Grande There is nothing in TCEQs Chapter 290 regulations which addresses the above scenario dealing with pre-existing taps that have been removed. <>/OutputIntents[358 0 R]/Metadata 360 0 R>> 12 dict begin <00> <00> <0000> /CMapType 2 def <9D> <9D> <2022> hbbd``b`+A| "[@@ebX H0X "$k $BG HI (,HW *##6F0 w A: The answer is yes, its not only ethical, its also both fair and necessary. By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. <09> <0A> <0009> Each system has to check references, call neighboring systems that use the same product or professional, and verify to the best of their ability the facts before purchasing materials or entering into a contract. Extension of pipe(s) to transfer utility service from one property to another, to share, resell, or submeter water to any other persons, dwellings, businesses, or property, etc., is prohibited. 1 begincodespacerange 0000000766 00000 n 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. Q: How does a person with multiple mobile homes become a master-metered account? I have visited several systems who have purchased AMR meters that are compatible with the AMI meters. Check to see if this reference is included anywhere and if not, call the supplier or the manufacturer for a copy to keep in your files in case the question comes up in the future. 0000053091 00000 n ~0r; >> def endstream endobj startxref What a system considers to be reasonable access may vary. <8C> <8C> <0152> If the customer still feels that the meter belongs to her then it may be helpful to give her the phone number to the PUC so she can discuss her concerns. The NSF 60 standard is for chemicals used in a water system. Many times, a customer has a shut off valve installed to the second residence that can be turned off for plumbing repairs or when inspections like these are to be conducted. The Commercial facilities are calculated by an Equivalent . (7#~mz*B TwIewVq_kgcQyQ4Jd/ K3E\_%9=G$#. Getting customers to understand is sometimes challenging. <9E> <9E> <017E> Any damage to the Corporations equipment shall be subject to service charges. However, TCEQs 2019 guidance on determining the number of connections served by public water systems defines active connection to include any connection that has the capacity to receive water, even if there is no customer currently receiving water service there. <9F> <9F> <0178> There may be limitations that prevent using the meter when there is an outside water ban or other drought measures are in place. When a system sees that there is inequity in their current rate structure causing some customers to subsidize the water usage and capacity requirements for other customers, the board ought to rectify the situation by amending rates. <20> <7E> <0020> fA=~0xO}wASICHzKnp[o Present Ave. Daily Flow (B 6 + B 7 ) Single family - include all single family homes, mobile homes and seasonal dwellings in this category. 0000006201 00000 n The customer does not own the meter just like the customer doesnt own the electric meter or gas meter, even though they have to pay all costs for these other metering devices to be installed. The quadplexes were built in 2006 and are not located within the boundaries of a city. It appears they have done this to supply water to more than 60 small rental homes on two 5/8 x 3/4 meters. Q: One of our members has offered to read meters each month for free. Texas Water Code Sec. HWn8}7vR}\d.P`! H|T0WQNd(>3IQb= %PDF-1.7 Example: A 20-space trailer park with a 2-inch meter has been evaluated by some TCEQ inspectors to be the actual number of trailer spaces available. 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)). If there is reason to believe a dangerous or hazardous condition exists, the corporation may conduct a customer service inspection (CSI) to verify the hazardous condition and may notify the local county health office. endobj The District is subject to the continuing supervision of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (the "TCEQ"). 0000002966 00000 n <8F> <8F> <2022> xref <9F> <9F> <0178> %%EOF He has offered to buy a ladder, but does not want it left all the time, only when the meter is read. Statewide Photo Campaign Promoting Drought Awareness Launches August 5! Leakage 8. 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. <90> <90> <2022> 0000001445 00000 n 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. Billable flow (B 1 + B 5) 7. The normal benefit to the applicant and the system is that the applicant/landowner can design their own water system within their property and not have to worry about multiple meters and which service lines goes to which office or trailer space. Different growth <00> <00> <0000> CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop <84> <84> <201E> <84> <84> <201E> Q. Is this a fool-proof verification? C+vdt\?K(Pwu,Gu-=s-^|8o!$cntc}Egg=/ckY0 \ 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. A: Yes, I've heard of the practice of allowing multiple meters on single properties at multiple systems. Id like to offer an observation though, based on the information from the TRWA Sample Tariff. connection (living unit equivalent) that for the purposes of this Amended Agreement shall be Six Hundred Fifty 12 dict begin e. The Corporation shall require each Member to have a cutoff valve within 2 feet of the meter on the Members side of the meter for purposes of isolating the Members service pipeline and plumbing facilities from the Corporations water pressure. That availability to use that capacity should be paid for, but not by tacking the costs onto existing customers. Hopefully the two figures are the same or within a reasonable margin of error. <00> <00> <0000> 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. developed and used to calculate the Impact Fee per Equivalent Single Family Connection (ESFC). TRWA recommends that systems stop floating memberships and meters from one property to another because of the confusion it creates. <0D> <0D> <000D> 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 end Our engineer says we need to remove these, as we would be responsible for servicing them, including paying for upgrades, if a customer wants a meter for that box in the future. <85> <85> <2026> 6^u9Z{s DraDsio1,m?Ph/&KZlho_ryP /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin <8D> <8D> <2022> endstream endobj 4 0 obj<>stream Published in May/June 2020 (Issue 3 of Quench). Then a straight run of pipe at least three times the diameter of the pipe after the meter. There is nothing that prevents a customer from having a separate meter just for their irrigation system. A. 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. Both of these sections clearly state that an owner of the property to be served is the only person qualified to be a WSC member and that the meter has to be installed on the property designated to be served. As an example, the number of service connections in an apartment complex would be equal to the number of individual apartment units. Until they can do that, they dont get a meter. A: This is a common question. <7F> <7F> <2022> 1 begincodespacerange In order to correct the issue, the system must first have supporting language in its tariff. An eight-inch (8") water main will generally be required to distribute water and provide fire protection within the multi-family district provided that the water main does not exceed 600 feet in length or serve more than two Know how, know you | We are IQ-EQ, a leading investor services group employing 4300+ people across 24 jurisdictions worldwide. 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?
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