>> def In addition to the cost of the meter installation as well as any upfront impact or buy in fees. We really need to understand the regulations and what action we need to take prior to approaching either business. 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. endcmap 0000003802 00000 n
<7F> <7F> <2022> A: The answer is yes, its not only ethical, its also both fair and necessary. Examples of Equivalent Residential Connection in a sentence. This has an added benefit that the customers will be required to maintain their own service lines from the meter to their houses. <9E> <9E> <017E> <8F> <8F> <2022> *
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N&?FqCe6MoA How do we determine base rates for 2- or 3-inch meters? A: New meters are supposed to be calibrated and ready to use when shipped to systems. What can we do if the owner of the membership denies that someone is living at the second residence? 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. By doing this, when they get a few more meters, they can begin replacing the meter tops with these newer AMI tops. 0000001312 00000 n Also do you have any recommendations for a particular meter read system? <99> <99> <2122> 0000001146 00000 n
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. 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. The capacity requirement is driven, in part, by the maximum potential amount of water that could be pushed through that meter on a peak day. Now subtract the first master meter reading from the current meter reading and compare that to the gallons added to the tank. Your board should look at all the different access related issues at customer locations and define in your tariff what the system considers to be reasonable access to the meters. end 0000001445 00000 n ESFCequivalent single-family connection. Q: Can a WSC allow a homeowner to have an additional meter for the sole purpose of running the sprinkler system for their lawn and landscape? begincmap If your new meter is a 2-inch or smaller positive displacement meter, the straight pipe runs are not required for the meter to be accurate. ~0r; A: Master metered accounts are typically used when a landowner wants a single meter to provide water service to multiple buildings, apartments, offices, trailer spaces or other types of business activities. Q: Some of our customers have built duplexes in our system. 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. a@0VZ
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<8E> <8E> <017D> Now the member wants the water meter moved to a different property about 100 yards from its original location. Given more information about your utility we may have suggestions regarding ideas on sharing the cost of any upgrade. The TCEQ rules dont necessarily state that the calibration must take place upon installation but the clock has to start somewhere and the safe option is to calibrate the meter yourself or secure a certificate of accuracy from the meter company. 389 0 obj
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Q: A member of our WSC has two water meters on his property. <9B> <9B> <203A> -tjOXWIR-9L#|qAH)=ya[AXO>_u 9U]](M:?`^V a/X`jsV60;aC}18Y_{/c%nmVlf.0FVL connection (living unit equivalent) that for the purposes of this Amended Agreement shall be Six Hundred Fifty 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. <88> <88> <02C6> Next, the system may want to offer a compliance schedule so that service will not be interrupted during the construction and installation of a second meter on the property designated to receive service.. <00A0> /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin 0000006249 00000 n
TRWA recommends that systems stop floating memberships and meters from one property to another because of the confusion it creates. The date of construction is not relevant to the issue of whether a single master meter or individual meters would be preferable; however, it is important when considering the required customer service inspection (CSI) which must be completed for all eight units and the tract of property to be served. The inspector may also require the customer to demonstrate or show how water pipes at the secondary home are independent of the piping serving the customers primary residence. The actual cost of the meter and installation should be assessed as well. The wait times at the transit Schengen passport control might be a bit longer but probably not since the border police seems to be managing staff levels. <00> <00> <0000> A: In the TRWA Sample Tariff, as well as in the USDA-RD Service Application and Agreement Form, it states that a meter shall be installed on a property to serve that single property and water cannot be diverted to another property. /Registry (CourierOPBaseFont1) 0000002157 00000 n <8C> <8C> <0152> <89> <89> <2030> The original members account should be closed out at the old address. These references clearly state that the meter belongs to the corporation and is to be maintained by the corporation. A: Yes, I've heard of the practice of allowing multiple meters on single properties at multiple systems. 6^u9Z{s DraDsio1,m?Ph/&KZlho_ryP PDF CALCULATION OF EQUIVALENT DWELLING UNITS (EDU - USDA Rural Development The most immediate issue to address is the potential health hazard caused by the loss of pressure when the booster pump kicks on. 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. << If your systems tariff contains the same language as TRWAs sample tariff, failure to remedy this hazardous condition is subject to disconnection without notice, and ultimately cancellation of membership due to policy non-compliance in accordance with Section E if the issue is not remedied. This allows the water to straighten out and have less turbulence, thereby allowing the meter to register as accurately as possible. 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. Language establishing the utilitys ownership of customer service meters runs throughout TRWAs model tariffs and service policies. Q: Our local WSC is planning to implement a policy in order to comply with the one meter per residence rule. Not all the time, but it is usually pretty accurate unless another deed or court decree has been issued since the countys records were last updated. 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. Sometimes multiple lines from multiple meters can become a maintenance nightmare because all the lines, meters and valves look the same. Again, this is an insurance issue to address with your insurance carrier. 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. The ERUs would be equivalent to what would be used by typical single-family residences, if they were using the water. Private or domestic wells can be used for a variety purposes, such as irrigation, drinking water and industrial uses. endcmap 12 dict begin In the last couple of months, Ive heard from some systems that they were moving to totally enclosed and sealed registers. Others were due to leaks grounding out meters. xref
/CMapName /Times-RomanOPBaseFont0 def The sample tariff allows the system to estimate a bill and notify the member of the estimate if meter access is hindered or denied. 9CT There are many different types and uses of wells. /Supplement 0 /CIDInit /ProcSet findresource begin <88> <88> <02C6> end 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. <8F> <8F> <2022> Next write down the master meter reading on the meter to be tested. 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. What options do we have to address this issue? begincmap This can be as little as one foot or several feet of water added to the tank. A: This is a common problem for older systems as they try to come into compliance with newer rules. I have also seen frustration when the front property owner requests a second meter from the system and the line is at capacity. Water Wells | Texas Groundwater Protection Committee The closest thing we have to a bottom line here is that a system can remove the meter, but they still need to maintain capacity at that same location in case a future applicant wants to re-install another water meter there. "!#w~[^Mt__^7ea?VU>
{9Vh*A!_Q~" [w|V}.f%z[o~di_Yzbb{[Xu]\*lq& 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. Texas Administrative Code R02 - Single Family House (larger than 5/8 " meter). The ERUs would be equivalent to what would be used by typical single-family residences, if they were using the water. startxref
Ask Larry Archives: Metering and One Meter per Residence Rules - TRWA <89> <89> <2030> You should review this situation with your engineers. A: This is an issue weve been talking to TCEQ about as far back as 2004. endstream
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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. 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.
Assuming the meter is the standard size, residential 3/4 x 5/8 meter, you will use the same rate structure for the irrigation meters since the water is the same treated water that is being distributed by your system. %%EOF These waivers usually apply only when the customer voluntarily contacts the system to either install the appropriate number of meters or allow for inspection by system staff to verify that the other connections are not being used. >> def 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. While the board of directors is keeping the old monthly charges and rates, we only have a base rate for 1 -inch meters. 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. <86> <87> <2020> Wouldnt it make sense for the owner to have to pay the cost of extending the line(s) out to those structures? <9C> <9C> <0153> o0?LgGt{Cifk_Kat2'~ez{*R,r08e0@Bf1+oxG t%&L!XD(gTn6"LXa9t> {Y 9w,r,
6Q@4Og)nF9c"|A""?__ovt^o_dM`L2,s54#Pj0 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 problem comes when that good person moves out and someone else purchases the front property and doesnt care for or even know the folks behind their property, and wants the customers service line and meter removed from their property. This eliminates the need for a system to conduct manual drive-bys and allows all meters to be read from the whole system in a matter of minutes from the office. 36 beginbfrange The board can amend the current charge to whatever they determine to be fair to the ratepayers. There are many points that need to be addressed before agreeing to this offer. 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? The member wants to know if a neighbor can hook up to the meter and if so, under what circumstances. Back in 2004, TRWA staff met with TCEQ to discuss several issues relating to their capacity regulations and interpretations. As a general rule, the only difference should be in base rates based on size of meter as indicated in the TRWA Sample Tariff. One of these meters is on a 1"water main line and the other meter on a 1 1/2 water main line. 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. -C
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It is best to work with your customers so that a reasonable solution can be found. <85> <85> <2026> A: TRWA does not make recommendations for rates, but we do provide rate calculation training so that a system can set proper rates that are equitable to all customers. 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. endstream
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Is this legal or what problems could this create? We have generally required individual meters for each unit, but one owner wants to know if they can put in a 2-inch master meter for all 10 units in five nearby duplexes. <95> <95> <2022> How common are they compared to the traditional positive displacement manual read meters? 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. 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. %PDF-1.5
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Industrial 3. The member knows that resale of the water for a profit is not allowed. <8F> <8F> <2022> First, the one meter per residence language should be part of your tariff or service policy. <00AE> <80> <80> <20AC> A: The property owner may have a single master meter as long as the property is not divided or does not consist of separate tracts of land. D/^&H TCEQ staff at the time said it would be ok for a system to remove dormant or vacant taps even down to the water main, but the system could not assess any future applicant a new front-end contribution or equity buy-in fee, equipment costs to replace the assets being removed and possibly another membership fee if the system used non-refundable membership fees at those locations where these taps had been removed. Development Agreement Between the City of Missouri City, Texas, and These cost-of-service issues have subsequently been transferred to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which has been very pro-consumer when addressing complaints. <9E> <9E> <017E> In the event that the placement ends up being wrong, the PUC would likely side with the owner in a dispute about relocation costs because they would see it as the utility shirking its responsibility to exercise due diligence when it set the meter in the wrong location in the first place. Some systems do require individual meters to each different apartment, condo or other type business that is all owned by one individual or company. endobj /CMapType 2 def 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. The elimination of external parts should reduce the need for re-reads due to malfunctions. 1616 Rio Grande
Q: We have a convenience store and a chain restaurant using the same meter. CMapName currentdict /CMap defineresource pop How should this be handled? Getting customers to understand is sometimes challenging. We want to be fair, but we also want be responsible. However, the only leverage we have is to disconnect service to the convenience store in order to compel the chain restaurant to get a separate meter. 0 The main billing consideration is normally that meters for irrigation purposes only are typically not charged a sewer bill and if your system provides sewer service this could reduce the overall revenue if enough of these meters are installed. 0000000015 00000 n Chapter 13.07 WATER AND WASTEWATER ASSESSMENTS, RATES, FEES AND CHARGES <8E> <8E> <017D> The valve shall meet AWWA standards (a ball valve is preferred).
endcodespacerange The system needs to be aware of the potential liability issues with such an arrangement and should contact the systems insurance provider to find out what, if anything, would be covered if the person is injured while reading meters or causes an accident or damages some customers property. 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. described above, SWWC currently supplies water to at least 5,465 active LUEs (i.e., single-2 Living Unit Equivalents (LUEs). Master District that constitutes an Equivalent Single Family Connection, which amount may be changed from time to time. Published in May/June 2020 (Issue 3 of Quench). We think this might turn into a public relations problem. Q. IN ADDITION - sos.texas.gov "General Plan" means the General Plan prepared by Developer as submitted to 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. The Commercial facilities are calculated by an Equivalent . All new customers or applicants for water service use some of the systems existing facilities and capacity that was already in place things like pipe lines, tanks, wells, pumps and so on. 12 dict begin This is referred to in Section C under the definition of member and proof of ownership, and again in Section E under Rules and Regulations. /CMapType 2 def 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. <84> <84> <201E> Q: Can we install a meter on land that is not owned by the system member if he gets an easement from the land owner? Do you have a source for best practices when planning to deal with this issue? The inspector would also check for chlorine residuals at any location which the customer says is being supplied water from a private well or other source. <8A> <8A> <0160> 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. 0 {e9Q $b@;l0$" 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. IQ-EQ | 110,749 followers on LinkedIn. <9D> <9D> <2022> While this may have been more of an undertaking many years ago, most counties have modernized and this research can now generally be done from the systems office. I was told the meter was installed when a relative lived in a trailer on the far end of the property, but the meter has not been used for many years. 0000002966 00000 n Next, the system needs to send a copy of that policy to the entities that appear to be in violation of that policy along with a copy of the TCEQ rule requiring accurate measuring of each customers usage. <20> <7E> <0020> Most importantly, you should enforce these policies and refuse to set a meter until you are satisfied that the applicant does, in fact, own the property on which the meter will be placed. It is up to each customer to determine whether they must register as a business with the state or not. <83> <83> <0192> 69 0 obj<>
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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. <81> <81> <2022> 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. If they want service at a new location, they must purchase another membership and meter tap, and comply with all the new service application procedures. Going back to my earlier example, if a current customer wanted a new meter placed at the end of a road a 1/2 mile past the end of the existing water line, that new customer should pay their costs for extending that line and not have that cost be paid for by the rest of the members. A: This is commendable for a system member to agree to read all the meters for your system at no cost. <96> <97> <2013> After getting this proof of ownership, the system should at least check the countys tax rolls and property tax maps to see whose name is listed for that property. Section E allows for disconnection without notice when a known dangerous or hazardous condition exists for which service may remain disconnected for as long as the condition exists, including but not limited to a public health nuisance as defined in Texas Health and Safety Code Sections 341.011 or 343.011. IQ-EQ | LinkedIn 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. <09> <0A> <0009>