The following terms are defined for use in the chapters in this Code of Ordinances pertaining to the Water Service System:

   1.   “Combined service account” means a customer service account for the provision of two or more utility services.

   2.   “Customer” means, in addition to any person receiving water service from the City, the owner of the property served, and as between such parties the duties, responsibilities, liabilities, and obligations hereinafter imposed shall be joint and several.

   3.   “Superintendent” means the Utility Director of the City or any duly authorized assistant, agent, or representative.

   4.   “Water main” means a water supply pipe provided for public or community use.

   5.   “Water service pipe” means the pipe from the water main to the building served.

   6.   “Water system” or “water works” means all public facilities for securing, collecting, storing, pumping, treating, and distributing water.

   The Superintendent shall supervise the installation of water service pipes and their connection to the water main and enforce all regulations pertaining to water services in the City in accordance with this chapter. This chapter shall apply to all replacements of existing water service pipes as well as to new ones. The Superintendent shall make such rules, not in conflict with the provisions of this chapter, as may be needed for the detailed operation of the water system, subject to the approval of the Council. In the event of an emergency the Superintendent may make temporary rules for the protection of the system until due consideration by the Council may be had.

   All residences and business establishments within the City limits intended or used for human habitation, occupancy, or use shall be connected to the public water system, if it is reasonably available and if the building is not furnished with pure and wholesome water from some other source.

   When an existing water service is abandoned or a service is renewed with a new tap in the main, all abandoned connections with the mains shall be turned off at the corporation stop and made absolutely watertight.

   Before any person makes a connection with the public water system, a written permit must be obtained from the City. The application for the permit shall include a legal description of the property, the name of the property owner, the name and address of the person who will do the work, and the general uses of the water. If the proposed work meets all the requirements of this chapter and if all fees required under this chapter have been paid, the permit shall be issued. Work under any permit must be completed within 60 days after the permit is issued, except that when such time period is inequitable or unfair due to conditions beyond the control of the person making the application, an extension of time within which to complete the work may be granted. The permit may be revoked at any time for any violation of these chapters.

   1.   Application Fee. Before any permit is issued the person who makes the application shall pay $100.00 plus meter costs to the Clerk to cover the cost of issuing the permit and supervising, regulating, and inspecting the work.

 

   The fee shall not be required for replacement of existing connections of equal size. Payment shall be due and payable prior to issuance of a building or plumbing permit, whichever occurs first.

   The installation of any water service pipe and any connection with the water system shall comply with all pertinent and applicable provisions, whether regulatory, procedural, or enforcement provisions, of the Altoona Plumbing Code.

   All installations of water service pipes and connections to the water system shall be made by a State-licensed plumber.

   All trench work, excavation, and backfilling required in making a connection shall be performed in accordance with the provisions of the Altoona Plumbing Code and the provisions of Chapter 135.

   All taps into water mains shall be made by or under the direct supervision of the Superintendent in accordance with the latest published versions of the Urban Design Standards for Public Improvements and the Urban Standard Specifications for Public Improvements and the following:

   1.   Independent Services. No more than one house, building, or premises shall be supplied from one tap unless special written permission is obtained from the Superintendent and unless provision is made so that each house, building, or premises may be shut off independently of the other.

   2.   Location Record. An accurate and dimensional sketch showing the exact location of the tap shall be filed with the Superintendent in such form as the Superintendent shall require.

   Water service pipes from the main to the meter setting shall be minimum 1 inch in size. Type shall be in compliance with currently adopted City of Altoona or State of Iowa plumbing codes. Pipe must be laid sufficiently waving, and to a minimum depth of five feet below final grade, as to prevent rupture from settlement or freezing.

   All costs and expenses incident to the installation, connection, and maintenance of the water service pipe from the main to the building served shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation or maintenance of said water service pipe.

   When any portion of the water service pipe which is the responsibility of the property owner becomes defective or creates a nuisance and the owner fails to correct such nuisance, the City may do so and assess the costs thereof to the property.

   There shall be installed a main shut-off valve on the water service pipe at a point one foot outside the outer sidewalk line or six feet from the property line with a suitable lock of a pattern approved by the Superintendent. The shut-off valve shall be covered with a heavy metal cover having the letter “W” marked thereon, visible and even with the pavement or ground.

   There shall be installed a shut-off valve on every service pipe inside the building as close to the entrance of the pipe within the building as possible and so located that the water can be shut off conveniently. Where one service pipe supplies more than one customer within the building, there shall be separate valves for each such customer so that service may be shut off for one without interfering with service to the others.

   All water service pipes and their connections to the water system must be inspected and approved in writing by the Superintendent before they are covered, and the Superintendent shall keep a record of such approvals. If the Superintendent refuses to approve the work, the plumber or property owner must proceed immediately to correct the work. Every person who uses or intends to use the municipal water system shall permit the Superintendent to enter the premises to inspect or make necessary alterations or repairs at all reasonable hours and on proof of authority.

   Should any excavation be left open or only partly refilled for 24 hours after the water service pipe is installed and connected with the water system, or should the work be improperly done, the City shall have the right to finish or correct the work, and the Council shall assess the costs to the property owner or the plumber. If the plumber is assessed, the plumber must pay the costs before receiving another permit. If the property owner is assessed, such assessment may be collected with and in the same manner as general property taxes.

   The Superintendent may shut off the supply of water to any customer because of any violation of the regulations contained in these Water Service System chapters that is not being contested in good faith. The supply shall not be turned on again until all violations have been corrected and the Superintendent has ordered the water to be turned on.

   It is unlawful for any person except the Superintendent to turn water on at the curb stop, and no person, unless specifically authorized by the City, shall open or attempt to draw water from any fire hydrant for any purpose whatsoever.

   No person or corporation shall connect any equipment or mechanism to a water supply line or use any water treating chemical or substance which could cause pollution of the water supply unless an approved backflow prevention device is installed, as per plumbing code. Backflow devices shall be tested annually by a state certified individual with the results to be submitted to the Water Department no later than June 1 of each year. If a person or corporation does not submit the results to the Water Department, the Superintendent shall shut off the water supply pursuant to Section 90.18.