Member Handbook
Introduction
The
Southeast Water Users District, is incorporated
under the laws of the State of North Dakota. It has its primary function
to bring domestic water service to the corporation’s service area in southeastern
North Dakota.
The
corporation’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws govern the actions of
the association’s management. The membership delegates this management to
a Board of Directors that is elected from among themselves. The Board of Directors, in turn, have delegated
the responsibility of the operations of the association to management personnel
where various adopted policies will serve as a guideline for management decisions
that are in compliance with the aforementioned Articles of Incorporation and
By-Laws. Those policies will provide for uniformity in actions and result
in the operations of the system to the best interest of the association and
its members and without discrimination.
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Rules and Regulations
OBJECTIVES
1.
To
establish rules and regulation setting forth the corporation’s intentions
for the conduct of the business affairs of the corporation in a manner that
will result in a successful operation.
2.
To treat all consumers alike with respect to
recurring situation requiring the establishment of a set of rules and regulations.
3.
To
provide high-quality service to the consumers of the corporation at the
lowest possible cost, consistent with sound business practices.
4.
To make known, to the consumers, the rules and
regulations of the corporation.
5.
To
created a favorable image among the consumers and general
public.
6.
To
promote maximum beneficial utilization of water among the consumers by providing
additional services desired by the consumers.
7.
To represent at all times, the interests of
the consumers in the most fair and equitable manner.
The
Board of Directors of the Southeast Water Users District, resolves that the following rules
and regulations shall be recognized, and maintained as representing their
intentions in governing the affairs of the corporation. It is intended that
these rules and regulations reflect long range intentions
and authority on actions to be taken by the management. The Board of Directors
shall review all rules and regulations at appropriate intervals and make whatever
changes necessary
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Conditions of Service
I.
Corporation’s Responsibility
A.
The corporation shall run a service line from its main distribution line
to the agreed upon point of connection of the consumer. In the absence
of an agreement, the corporation reserves the right to determine the point
of connection. The corporation shall furnish and install a curb-stop valve
at that location.
B.
In regard to range or standby classifications, the corporation may install
its meter at the property line, or at the option of the corporation on consumer’s
property, or in a location mutually agreed upon.
C.
When two or more meters are installed on the same
premises for different consumers, they shall be closely grouped and each
clearly designated to which consumer it applies.
D.
The corporation does not assume the responsibility of inspecting the consumer’s
piping or apparatus and will not be responsible therefore. However, all
meters will be inspected periodically or caused to be
inspected periodically by the corporation.
E.
The corporation reserves the right to refuse service unless the consumer’s
line or piping is installed in such manner as to
prevent cross-connection, or backflow.
F.
The corporation shall not be liable for damage of any kind whatsoever resulting
from water or the use of water on the consumer’s premises unless such damage
results directly from negligence on the part of the corporation. The corporation
shall not be responsible for any damage done by or resulting
the consumer’s premises. The corporation shall not be responsible for negligence
of third persons or forces beyond the control of the corporation resulting
in any interruption of service.
G.
The corporation shall be responsible for damage to property resulting from
maintenance or repair activities.
II.
Consumer’s
Responsibility
A.
Piping of the consumer’s premises must be so arranged that the connections are conveniently located
with respect to the corporation’s lines or mains. The consumer shall furnish,
install and maintain a service line from the curb stop to the
consumer’s metering point. The corporation will furnish for the water service
to each member the curb stop with box, meter, check valve (backflow)
and pressure regulator, also referred to as the water meter package. Installation
of each of these items shall be a responsibility of the consumer and installed
according to specifications furnished by the corporation.
B.
If the consumer’s piping on consumer’s premises is so arranged that the
corporation is called upon to provide additional
meters, each place of metering will be considered as a separate and individual
account.
C.
The consumer shall provide a suitable frost-proof place for a meter placed
on the consumer’s premises; it shall be unobstructed and accessible at all
times for reading.
D.
The consumer shall furnish and maintain a private cut-off valve on the consumer’s
side of the meter and on the corporation’s side of the pressure reducing
valve.
E.
The consumer’s piping and apparatus shall be installed and maintained, by
the consumer and at the consumer’s expense, in a sage and efficient manner
and in accordance with the corporation’s rules and regulations and in full
compliance with the sanitary regulations of the North Dakota Department
of Health of any other governmental agency having jurisdiction.
F.
The consumer shall guarantee proper protection for the corporation’s property
placed on the consumer’s premises and shall permit access to it only by
authorized representatives of the corporation.
G. In the event that any loss or damage to the
property of the corporation or any accident or injury to persons or property
is caused by or results from the negligence or wrongful act of the consumer,
his agents, or employees, the cost of the necessary repairs or replacements
shall be paid by the consumer to the corporation and any liability otherwise
resulting shall be assumed by the consumer.
H.
The amount of such loss or damage or the cost of repairs shall
be added to the consumer’s bill, and if not paid, service may be
discontinued by the corporation.
I.
Water furnished by the corporation shall be used according to the classification of the consumer.
The consumer shall not sell water to any other person. Water shall not
be used or irrigation, nor other purpose, except that when water is available
in sufficient quantity, without interfering with regular classified used,
in the area served, the water may be used for any other purpose. Disregard
for this rule shall be sufficient cause for refusal or discontinued service.
J.
In regard to watering livestock, the consumer may be required provide a
constant flow valve or other device, acceptable to the corporation, so that
water will be more uniformly delivered to the livestock water throughout
the twenty-four hour period. Such device shall be installed at all principal
livestock water places in accordance with sanitary regulations of the North
Dakota State Department of Health or any other governmental agency having
jurisdiction.
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III.
Extension of Service
A.
The corporation will supply service for temporary purposes, provided the
corporation has water available in excess of regular needs, and provided
the corporation has available material and equipment
necessary to supply and service. Each applicant for such servicemust
pay in advance to the corporation an estimate of the cost of labor and materials
less salvage value on removal, for installing and cost of removing such
service, at the rates established by the corporation for the classification
of use.
B.
Upon application for service to Southeast Water Users District, the
Board of Directors, along with management shall determine the feasibility
and economics of serving the applicant, and shall determine the cost to
be paid by the applicant for the extension of service.
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IV.
Connection and Initial Billing Date
A.
The Member shall connect his service lines to the Association’s distribution
system and shall commence to use water from the system on the date that
the water is made available to the Member by the
Association. Water charges to the Member shall commence on the date that
the service is made available regardless if Member makes use of the service.
B.
Water available to the property between the first and fifteenth, inclusive,
shall be charged no less than monthly minimum for
that period to the end of the month. Water available to the property between
the fifteenth and the end of the month shall be charged
no less than the monthly minimum rate starting on the first of the following
month.
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V.
Access to Premises
Duly
authorized agents of the corporation shall have access, at all reasonable
hours, to the premises of the consumer for the purpose of installing or removing
the corporation’s property, inspecting piping, reading or testing meters or
for any other purpose in connection with the corporation service and facilities.
Each
consumer shall grant or convey, or shall cause to be granted or conveyed,
to the corporation a permanent easement and right of way across any property
owned or controlled by the consumer wherever said permanent easement and right
of way is necessary for the corporation’s water facilities and lines, so as
to be able to furnish service to the consumer.
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VI.
Change of Occupancy
Not
less that seven (7) days notice shall be given by the consumer to the corporation
office in writing, to discontinue service or change of occupancy.
The
outgoing party shall be responsible for all water consumed up to the time
of departure, or the time specified for departures, whichever period is longest.
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VII.
Bulk Rates
The
rate to cities, requesting bulk water service, shall be determined on an individual
basis and such rate shall be based upon the costs involved.
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VIII.
Service to Platted Development Areas
Where water
service is requested by a developer of a platted area, the board shall
determine the conditions of providing such service and those conditions shall
be based upon the specific costs of the corporation.
The
developer shall be required to furnish the Board of Directors all pertinent
information on the development area.
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IX.
Meter Reading – Billing – Collection
Customer
billing will be done monthly based on the meter reading for the prior month.
On or before the 10th or each month, each customer shall enter
his or her current meter reading in the place provided on the billing stub
and return it to the corporation together with payment as billed.
The
actual reading on the main meter shall be used as the reading of record for Southeast Water
Users District. The main meter is the meter that has water flowing through
it. The remote meter is for your convenience and
is the meter attached to the main meter. Any difference of greater than 500
gallons between the main meter and the remote meter should be reported to your Southeast Water Users District
office. The member is responsible for what the main meter reads. Do not
submit false readings in an attempt to bank gallons of water.
The
charge for service commences when the curb stop is installed
and connection made, whether used or not. (See Condition of Service, Policy
No. 26, Section LV, for minimum billing date.)
Reading
from different meters will not be combined for billing,
irrespective of the fact that said meters may be for the same or different
premises, or for the same or different consumers, or for the same or different
services. Estimate bills will be rendered for consumers
who fail to submit a meter reading monthly.
Bills
shall be declared delinquent after the 10th
of the month. Thereafter, service may be discontinued by
the corporation without notice to the consumer. All bills not paid
on meter readings by the 10th of the month are subject to a late
charge of $5.00. In addition, a five dollar ($5.00) fee will be assessed for not sending in a meter reading.
The
corporation shall cause all meters to be read periodically. The corporation may obtain readings
as often as it feels necessary.
The
corporation may use whatever means available to them to effectuate
recovery of bad checks received for payment of water bills, materials and
supplies, or any other services performed by the corporation. Such accounts
will be treated as delinquent accounts and the charges
applicable to such accounts will be charged. Additional expenses incurred
by the corporation to make payment good will be borne
by the consumer.
The
corporation may refuse personal checks for payment of amounts due from consumers
who have established an unreliable payment record; or the corporation may
require a security deposit in an amount sufficiently equal to three months’ average bills.
X.
Disconnection of Service Without
Notice
The corporation reserves
the right to discontinue its service without notice for the following reasons:
1. To prevent fraud or abuse.
2.
Consumers willful disregard of the corporation rules.
3. Emergency repairs.
4. Insufficiency of supply due to circumstances
beyond the corporation’s control.
5.
Legal processes.
6. Direction of public authorities.
7. Strike, riot, fire, accident, or any unavoidable
causes.
8. Consumer tampering with meter or other devices
of the corporation.
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XI.
Application for Water Service – Membership
The
consumer will make application for services, in person, by signing the proper
form and making the payment of a $700.00 (Seven Hundred Dollar) membership
fee.
In
case an application is made for a site where a curb
stop still exists, a membership fee of $250.00 will be assessed.
The
corporation may reject any application for services not
available under the standard rate, or which involves excessive service cost,
or which may affect the supply of service to other consumers, or for other
good and sufficient reasons.
Re-Application
The
corporation may reject any application for service when the applicant is delinquent
in payment of bills incurred for service previously supplied at any location.
If
water service has been provided at a location and
that service not paid for by either the consumer or the owner of the premises,
the corporation shall not be required to render service to anyone at that
location until said delinquent water bill has been paid, or until satisfactory
arrangements have been made.
If
it is found that there are any violations of the requirements relating to
application of service, the corporation may be at the expiration of fifteen
(15) days after mailing a written notice to the last known address of the
consumer, remove the meter and discontinue service. Where the meter is thereafter
reconnected or reinstalled, the consumer shall first pay to the corporation:
Re-connect Charge - $20.00
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XII.
Classification of Services and Rates
Following
in the next section are the rates and classification for various types of
service. The corporation reserves the right to make the determination of
such classification.
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Schedule
of Fees
Rate
Schedule I
Farm
Availability
Includes the domestic
water uses of the residence and limited seasonal users of water for any laborer’s
or migratory worker’s quarters all of which are located on the same farmstead.
Monthly Rate for Phases I
& II
|
First
|
2,000 gallons
|
$26.00
|
|
Next
|
6,000 gallons
|
$ 4.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
7,000 gallons
|
$ 3.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
10,000 gallons
|
$ 2.50 per thousand gallons
|
|
Over
|
25,000 gallons
|
$ 2.00 per thousand gallons
|
Minimum Monthly Charge for Phases I & II
The minimum monthly charge shall be $26.00.
Monthly Rate for Phase III Arsenic Trioxide
Project
|
First
|
2,000 gallons
|
$22.00
|
|
Next
|
6,000 gallons
|
$ 4.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
7,000 gallons
|
$ 3.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
10,000 gallons
|
$ 2.50 per thousand gallons
|
|
Over
|
25,000 gallons
|
$ 2.00 per thousand gallons
|
Minimum
Monthly Charge for Phase III
The minimum monthly
charge shall be $22.00.
Terms of Payment
The
above rates are net; all bills are due within ten (10) days of receipt of
bill. In the event the current month’s bill is not paid
by the 10th of the month, it is subject to an additional $3.00
late charge. In addition, a $5.00 fee will be assessed for not sending in a meter reading, and service
is subject to be disconnected without further notice to the consumer.
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Rate
Schedule II
Seasonal Residential
Availability
Available
to seasonal dwellings of migratory and other part-time residents, rage operations,
etc., separated and/or independent of a farm or ranch location. (Seasonal
shall be construed to be less than eight (8) month
of any calendar year.)
Monthly
Rate for Phases I & II
|
First
|
2,000 gallons
|
$26.00
|
|
Next
|
6,000 gallons
|
$ 4.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
7,000 gallons
|
$ 3.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
10,000 gallons
|
$ 2.50 per thousand gallons
|
|
Over
|
25,000 gallons
|
$ 2.00 per thousand gallons
|
Minimum Yearly Charge for Phase I & II
The minimum yearly
charge shall be $312.00.
Each seasonal
account shall be required to pay in advance the estimated annual total of
monthly charges for water service. The amount would equal 12 monthly minimums,
plus the charges for any water use above 24,000 gallons.
Monthly Rate for Phase III Arsenic Trioxide
Project
|
First
|
2,000 gallons
|
$22.00
|
|
Next
|
6,000 gallons
|
$ 4.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
7,000 gallons
|
$ 3.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
10,000 gallons
|
$ 2.50 per thousand gallons
|
|
Over
|
25,000 gallons
|
$ 2.00 per thousand gallons
|
Minimum
Yearly Charge for Phase III
The minimum yearly charge shall be $264.00.
Terms of Payment
Each
year, on or about April 15th, all seasonal accounts shall make
an annual payment on the basis described above, and the corporation shall
read such meters on or about October 15th to determine any adjustments
due. It may be agreed that the meter be disconnected for the winter
months and that shall be done at the time of the fall meter reading.
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Rate
Schedule III
Large Commercial/Industrial
Availability
Available
to any service when the primary use is for business or industrial use or service
requirements demand more than a five/eighth inch meter.
Applies to any single metered service to multiple rental units where
owner furnishes distribution system beyound the
metering point. (Typical examples are apartment houses, duplexes, trailer
parks, etc.)
Monthly Rate for Phases I
& II
|
First
|
2,000 gallons
|
$29.00
|
|
Next
|
6,000 gallons
|
$ 5.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
7,000 gallons
|
$ 4.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Next
|
10,000 gallons
|
$ 3.00 per thousand gallons
|
|
Over
|
25,000 gallons
|
$ 2.00 per thousand gallons
|
Minimum Monthly Charge for Phases I, II, & III
The
minimum monthly charge shall be $29.00, except for apartment houses, duplexes,
or trailer parts where the monthly demand charge shall be $10.00 per unit.
The sum of the demand charges shall become the monthly minimum and entitles
the member to gallons of water available for such charge under rate schedule.
Terms of Payment
The
above rates are net; all bills are due within ten (10) days of receipt of
bill. In the event the current month’s bill is not paid
by the 10th of the month, it is subject to an additional $3.00
late charge. In addition, a $5.00 fee will be assessed for not sending in a meter reading, and service
is subject to be disconnected without further notice to the consumer.
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Specifications
for Installation of Private Service Leads
General
It is the intent of
these specifications to insure that the private service leads from the curb
stops shall be installed in an acceptable manner
and that quality materials are used.
It is
the responsibility of the individual user for all costs of material and labor
of install the service lead from the curb stop to the desired location of
the service. Responsibility for repairs and maintenance of all service leads
(except the water meter and pressure reducing valve)
and the home plumbing system shall remain with the user.
The user
shall install service leads to buildings or locations in accordance with the
policy established by the Board of Directors. In no case shall there be any
taps of any kind between the curb stop and water meter.
The water
meter package will be furnished by the Corporation at no charge. These
items shall be installed in a locations such that they will not be permitted to freeze.
Normally the location of the water meter and pressure reducing
valve will be located in a heated building, such as the home or pump house,
but they may be located in a frost-proof manhole. The manhole shall be approved by the Corporation. The water package
remains the property of Southeast Water Users District.
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Installation
of Service Leads
The user
may install the service lead, water meter, and pressure reducing valve himself
if he so desires. All work shall meet the application requirements of the
North Dakota Plumbing Code and these specifications stated herein. Prior
to obtaining water, the Corporation shall check and certify all work. Corrections
to the work must be made prior to obtaining water
from the rural water system.
All service
leads or other piping installed by the user shall be ¾ inch
nominal size unless approved by the Engineer. All service leads shall be
either copper (type K of L) or plastic (NSF approved minimum continuous working
pressure of at least 160 lbs. at 73.4 F.) with appropriate approved fittings.
All service leads shall be installed to a minimum
depth of 7.0 feet below ground level. This depth shall be maintained even when crossing ditches or other dips
in the ground.
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Thermal
Expansion Conditions
The backflow
preventer will not normally allow water to flow
backward; therefore, you will need to install an expansion chamber on your
side of the backflow preventer to eliminate the
build up of pressure resulting from the expansion of the water as it heats
in your water heater (thermal expansion). Please contact your plumber.
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State
Plumbing Code
All plumbing
shall meet the application requirements of the North Dakota State Plumbing
Code. In no case shall the rural water system be directly cross-connected
to the present source of water, such as a well or cistern without an approved
backflow preventer.
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The
North Dakota
Aresenic Trioxide Superfund Project, hereinafter
referred to as Phase III, of RRW Users Inc., has two major differences from
SEW Users Inc. Phase I and Phase II.
This
handbook addresses Phases I, II, and III.
For
Phase III, the service line, metering, and a connection to the user’s piping
will be installed under the contract that exists between the Corporation,
The North Dakota State Department of Health, and Consolidated Laboratories,
and The Farmers’ Home Administration.
Pages
14 and 15 hereof does not apply to those person, who signed up to rural water
service, under the Phase III contract, however, the section “Specifications
for Installation of Private Service Leads” does not apply to all persons in
any area since Phase III was completed.
The
Domestic Rate Schedule I – Farm on page, will remain
in effect for all domestic users and future users in the Phase III service
area.
The
commercial rates described in the Rate Schedule III – Large Commercial/Industrial,
hereof will remain in effect and be used throughout the entire system.
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Revised
- December 1994