§ 34-131. Fire hydrant water usage regulation, rates, and meter fees.

(a)

General. SAWS may authorize a meter to be connected temporarily to a fire hydrant during construction operations in lieu of installing a temporary service line provided the customer:

(1)

Executes a contract for fire hydrant meter usage;

(2)

Pays the customer account deposit and all other applicable rates and fees as established in this section;

(3)

Assumes responsibility for the safekeeping of the meter, fitting and fire hydrant; and

(4)

Complies with backflow prevention requirements as established in the SAWS Utility Service Regulations.

(b)

Fire hydrant meter deposit, and daily availability charge.

(1)

Prior to obtaining a fire hydrant meter, the customer will be required to pay a fire hydrant meter deposit of one thousand six hundred eighty-four dollars ($1,684.00).

a.

The customer shall indicate on the fire hydrant meter usage contract the location of usage of the meter by street address or by street name with the nearest cross street, and the estimated duration of meter usage at the designated location.

b.

The customer shall indicate whether the fire hydrant meter will be used for irrigation or non-irrigation purposes for the purpose of being assessed the appropriate water usage rates; a single meter may not be used for both types of usages during a given six-month usage period.

(2)

The daily availability charge for use of a fire hydrant meter shall be six dollars and seventy-nine cents ($6.79).

(3)

The fee amounts for the fire hydrant meter deposit and the daily availability

charge are effective January 1, 2019. The fee amounts shall be adjusted on January 1 of each year thereafter by the percentage difference (greater than zero (0)) between the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) as it is calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics at the end of the month of July prior to the next year and as it was calculated at the end of the month of July one year earlier. SAWS will periodically perform a cost of service analysis to ensure that the fees charged do not exceed the cost of providing the services.

(c)

Requirements for fire hydrant meter periodic calibration and meter readings. A customer authorized by SAWS to use a fire hydrant meter must meet the following requirements:

(1)

Return the meter to SAWS for inspection and re-calibration every twelve (12) months from the original date of the customer's fire hydrant meter contract; if the customer fails to meet this requirement, the customer will:

a.

Forfeit the fire hydrant meter deposit;

b.

Be charged ninety-nine dollars and forty cents ($99.40) per month in addition to all other fees and charges until the meter in question is returned for inspection and re-calibration (this monthly fee will not be prorated if the meter is returned in the middle of a billing period); and

c.

Be unable to obtain any additional fire hydrant meters from SAWS until the meter in question is returned for inspection and re-calibration.

(2)

Provide meter readings to SAWS on a monthly basis and report the location of the usage by the meter by street address, or by street name with the nearest cross street; if the customer fails to provide a meter reading for a given month on the day designated by SAWS, the customer shall be billed a flat fee equal to the volumetric cost of water usage of seventy-four thousand eight hundred ten (74,810) gallons (one hundred (100) CCF) for the month.

(3)

The additional ninety-nine dollars and forty cents ($99.40) per month fee amount indicated in subsection (c)(1) above, is effective on January 1, 2019. The fee shall be adjusted on January 1 of each year thereafter by the percentage of any approved monthly change (greater than zero) for the next year in SAWS domestic water delivery rates.

(d)

Fire hydrant water usage rate classes. Two (2) separate classes of fire hydrant water usage rates are established one or the other to be assessed on monthly water consumption measured by the fire hydrant meter based on the type of usage declared by the customer at the time of entering into a contract with SAWS for use of a fire hydrant meter:

(1)

Non-irrigation usage. The customer shall be charged using the second tier general class water delivery outside the city limits (OCL) rates currently assessed by SAWS, the second tier general class water supply fee rates currently assessed by SAWS, and the current Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) permit fee rate.

(2)

Irrigation usage. The customer shall be charged using the highest tier irrigation class OCL rates currently assessed by SAWS, the highest irrigation water supply fee rates currently assessed by SAWS, and the current Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) permit fee rate.

(e)

Regulations for fire hydrant meter irrigation meter usage.

(1)

Fire hydrant meters may not be used for irrigation if regular metered SAWS irrigation service is available at the desired location of meter usage; if regular SAWS irrigation service becomes available after fire hydrant meter irrigation usage begins, the fire hydrant meter must be returned to SAWS immediately or else the meter is subject to unannounced retrieval by SAWS.

(2)

Customers using fire hydrant meters for irrigation purposes are subject to all drought management restrictions contained in article IV and must not irrigate between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

(3)

Fire hydrant meters may only be used for irrigation purposes at one location for six-months at a time; if customer desires to use the meter beyond the six-month period at one location, the customer must apply to the SAWS director of conservation for a variance using the procedure defined in section 34-276.

(4)

Fire hydrant meter irrigation usage found to be unauthorized by SAWS subjects the meter in question to unannounced retrieval by SAWS.

(f)

Regulations for unauthorized SAWS fire hydrant water usage.

(1)

Withdrawal of water directly from a SAWS fire hydrant without the use of a SAWS-issued fire hydrant meter as authorized under the terms of a duly executed fire hydrant meter contract is prohibited.

(2)

Should SAWS staff encounter and document an instance of such unauthorized usage, the person or entity making the withdrawal shall be assessed and billed a flat fee equal to the volumetric cost of water usage of seventy-four thousand eight hundred ten (74,810) gallons (one hundred (100) CCF) plus the equivalent of thirty (30) days of daily availability charges.

(3)

The fees and charges listed in subsection (f)(2) above shall be assessed in addition to any legal enforcement action undertaken by the city for criminal theft of water.

(Ord. No. 2007-12-13-1345, § 2(Att. B), 12-13-07; Ord. No. 2017-12-07-0928 , § 3(Att. II), 12-7-17; Res. No. 18-262, 11-13-18; Ord. No. 2019-02-14-0123 , § 1(Att. I), 2-14-19)