Chapter XV · Utilities

ARTICLE 2. WATER

Sections 15-201 to 15-234 · 32 sections

15-201 Superintendent of water and sewage.

The general management, care, control and supervision of the city water system shall be in the superintendent of water and sewage, who shall be appointed by the mayor with the consent of the governing body.

(Code 2005)

15-202 Regulations.

The furnishing of water to customers by the city through its waterworks system shall be governed by the regulations set out in this article.

(Code 2005)

15-203 Service not guaranteed.

The city does not guarantee the delivery of water through any of its mains and connecting services at any time, and does not guarantee any specific water pressure. Failure to provide delivery of water or to provide water at a given pressure, shall not create liability on the part of the City.

(Code 2005)

15-204 Service connections required.

(a)The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the city abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located near public water mains, is hereby required at his or her own expense to make connection to such public water main.

(b)Before any connection is made to the city’s water system an application must be made in writing to the city clerk by the owner of the premises, or his or her authorized representative, for a permit to make such connection.

(Code 2005)

15-205 Application for service.

(a)Any person, firm or corporation desiring a connection with the municipal water system shall apply in writing to the city clerk, on a form furnished by the city for that purpose, for a permit to make the connection.

(b)The application shall:

(1)Contain an exact description including street address of the property to be served;

(2)State the size of tap required;

(3)State the size and kind of service pipe to be used;

(4)State the full name of the owner of the premises to be served;

(5)State the purpose for which the water is to be used;

(6)State any other pertinent information required by the city clerk;

(7)Be signed by the owner or occupant of the premises to be served, or his or her authorized agent.

(c)Each application for a connection permit shall be accompanied by payment of fees and/or costs specified in section 15-207.

(Code 2005)

15-206 City to make connections.

All taps shall be given, street excavations made, corporation cocks inserted, pipes installed from main to curb, and the curb cock installed in a meter box to which the service pipe is to be connected by city employees only.

(Code 2005)

15-207 Water connection fee.

Charges for water connection to the City of Nortonville shall be Two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) for a ¾ inch tap. Charges for water connection to the City of Nortonville for taps larger than ¾ shall be Two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) plus any additional charges for materials.

(Code 2005; Code 2016; Ord. 2019-003)

15-208 Curb cocks.

There shall be a curb cock in every service line attached to the city main, the same to be placed within the meter box.

(Code 2005)

15-209 Check valves.

Check valves are required on all connections to steam boilers or on any other connection deemed necessary by the water superintendent. Safety and relief valves shall be placed on all boilers or other steam apparatus connected with the water system where the steam pressure may be raised in excess of 40 pounds per square inch.

(Code 2005)

15-210 Unauthorized service.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation, other than duly authorized city officials or employees to turn water on or off at the water meter or curb cock shut off, with a key or in any other manner, without first obtaining written permission from the mayor or the governing body.

(Code 2005)

15-211 Meters.

(a)All water furnished to customers shall be metered.

(b)Meters shall be located between the sidewalk or property line and curbing when the main is in the street, and on private property within three feet of the alley line when the main is in the alley.

(c)The City of Nortonville’s responsibility for water meters shall end and stop at the meter.

(d)

(1)Whenever any city water meter component, which shall include, without limitation, the meter, lid, connection cords, radios, and any other part of the water meter, is destroyed and/or damaged through normal wear and exposure to the elements, the component shall be replaced by the City furnishing the labor and materials.

(2)Whenever any city water meter component, which shall include without limitation, the meter lid, connection cords, radios, and any other part of the water meter, is destroyed and/or damaged by carelessness or negligence of the owner or occupant of the premises, the City will repair the damage and charge the account of the owner of the premises being serviced by said water meter. This shall include damage caused by a person or persons working at the direction and/or for the owner or occupant of the premises serviced by the water meter.

(e)The City reserves the right to interrupt water service at any time for repairs or other necessary purpose without notice and the City will not be responsible for damages arising thereby. The City will make all reasonable efforts to notify water users of pending outages when possible.

(f)The City shall assess a fee or fees for the repair and/or replacement of any of the electronic water meter components damaged by the carelessness or neglect of the owner, occupant, contractor, or company to the owner of the property by placing said charge on the next water bill or by separate billing statement, or both.

(g)Failure to pay said charges for repair/replacement will result in the termination of water service.

(h)For those properties in which the City has installed a water meter, the minimum monthly charge for those properties shall be the minimum monthly fee with a cap of six times the monthly minimum, for water as assessed by the City, per month, regardless of usage, commencing January 1, 2023.

(Code 2005; Code 2016; Ord. 2022-005)

15-212 Same; testing.

Meters shall be tested before being set and at any other time thereafter when they appear to be measuring incorrectly. If a test is requested by the customer and the meter is found to be accurate within two percent, the meter will be put back into service and the cost for the test will be paid for by the customer requesting the test.

(Code 2005; Code 2016)

15-213 Tampering with meter.

It shall be unlawful for any person to break the seal of any meter, to alter the register or mechanism of any meter, or to make any outlet or connection in any manner so that water supplied by the city may be used or wasted without being metered. It shall be unlawful for any person except an authorized employee of the water department to turn any curb cock on or off.

(Code 2005)

15-214 Leaks prohibited; penalty.

No allowances shall be made for water used or lost through leaks, carelessness, neglect or otherwise after the same has pass through the meter. However, every customer shall have the right to appeal to the city from water bill or meter reading which he or she may consider excessive.

(Code 2005)

15-215 Reconnection charge.

The governing body shall establish, by ordinance, a water service disconnection and reconnection charge. Whenever the city receives a request from a customer for termination of water service the disconnection charge shall be added to the customer’s final bill. Any service disconnected for nonpayment of delinquent bill shall be reconnected only upon payment of the delinquent bill, interest penalty thereon, and the reconnection charge.

(Code 2005)

15-216 Utility deposit.

At the time of making application for water service, the property owner or customer shall make a cash deposit in the amount and manner specified in section 15-105 to secure payment of accrued bills or bills due on discontinuance of service.

(Code 2005)

15-217 Interrupt service.

The city reserves the right to interrupt water service for the purpose of making repairs or extensions to water lines or equipment.

(Code 2005)

15-218 Prohibited acts.

It shall be a violation of this article for any unauthorized person to:

(a)Perform any work upon the pipes or appurtenances of the city’s waterworks system beyond a private property line unless such person is employed by the city;

(b)Make any connections with any extension of the supply pipes of any consumer without written permission to do so having been first obtained from the governing body;

(c)Remove, handle or otherwise molest or disturb any meter, meter lid, cutoff, or any other appurtenances to the water system of the city.

(Code 2005)

15-219 Wasting water.

Water users shall prevent unnecessary waste of water and shall keep sprinklers, hydrants, faucets and all apparatus, including the service line leading from the property to the meter in good condition at their expense.

(Code 2005)

15-220 Right of access.

Authorized employees of the city may enter upon any premises at reasonable hours for the purpose of reading the meter or servicing or inspecting meters or water lines.

(Code 2005)

15-221 Payment of bills.

See Article 1 of this chapter.

(Code 1998, 12-202; Code 2005; Code 2016)

15-222 Delinquent accounts; notice; hearing; finding; liability.

Water service shall be terminated for nonpayment of service fees or charges as provided in sections 15-102:104.

(Code 2005)

15-223 Use during fire.

No person owning or occupying premises connected to the municipal water system shall use or allow to be used during a fire any water from the water system except for the purpose of extinguishing the fire. Upon the sounding of a fire alarm it shall be the duty of every such person to see that all water services are tightly closed and that no water is used except in extraordinary cases of emergency during the fire.

(Code 2005)

15-224 Cross-connections prohibited.

No person shall establish or permit to be established or maintain or permit to be maintained, any cross connection whereby a private, auxiliary, or emergency water supply other than the regular public water supply of the city may enter the supply and distributing system of the city unless specifically approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the governing body.

(Code 2005)

15-225 Same; protective backflow devices required.

Approved devices to protect against backflow or backsiphonage shall be installed at all fixtures and equipment where backflow and/or backsiphonage may occur and where there is a hazard to the potable water supply in that polluted water or other contaminating materials may enter into the public water supply. Any situation in which a heavy withdrawal of water, such as a sudden break in the main or water being used from a fire hydrant, may cause a negative pressure to develop which could lead to backsiphonage of polluted water into the system shall be improper and must be protected by approved backflow preventive valves and systems as determined by the superintendent.

(Code 2005)

15-226 Same; inspection.

The city utility superintendent or other designee of the governing body shall have the right of entry into any building or premises in the city as frequently as necessary in his or her judgment in order to ensure that plumbing has been installed in accordance with the laws of the city so as to prevent the possibility of pollution of the water supply of the city.

(Code 2005)

15-227 Same; protection from contaminants.

Pursuant to the city’s constitutional home rule authority and K.S.A. 65-163a, the city by its utility superintendent may refuse to deliver water through pipes and mains to any premises where a condition exists which might lead to the contamination of the public water supply system and it may continue to refuse the delivery of water to the premises until that condition is remedied. In addition, the city utility superintendent may terminate water service to any property where the cross connections or backsiphonage condition creates, in the judgment of the superintendent, an emergency danger of contamination to the public water supply.

(Code 2005)

15-228 Rates for water service; inside of city.

Charges for water use from the City of Nortonville to the consumer on a monthly rate shall be as follows for residents within the city limits of Nortonville:

(a)A minimum charge of $47.00 for the first one thousand gallons per month or any part thereof.

(b)An additional $3.06 per month for each additional one thousand gallons, or any part thereof, above one thousand gallons.

(Ord. 2010-15-228; Code 2016; Ord. 2017-002; Ord. 2018-004; Ord. 2019-003; Ord. 2020-004; Ord. 2021-006; Ord. 2022-005; Ord. 2023-004; Ord. 2024-06; Ord. 2026-01)

15-229 Rates for water service; outside of city.

Charges for water use from the City of Nortonville to the consumer on a monthly rate shall be as follows for residents outside the city limits of Nortonville:

(a)A minimum charge of $51.93 for the first one thousand gallons per month or any part thereof.

(b)An additional $3.44 per month for each additional one thousand gallons, or any part thereof, above one thousand gallons.

(Ord. 2010-15-228; Code 2016; Ord. 2017-002; Ord. 2018-004; Ord. 2019-003; Ord. 2020-004; Ord. 2021-006; Ord. 2022-005; Ord. 2023-004; Ord. 2024-06; Ord. 2026-01)

15-232 Rates for Sewer & Water Connection Fees.

Charges for water connection to the City of Nortonville shall be Two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) for a ¾ inch tap. Charges for water connection to the City of Nortonville for taps larger than ¾ shall be Two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) plus any additional charges for materials.

Sewer connections to the City of Nortonville shall be One thousand dollars ($1,000.00) plus the cost of equipment for digging and attaching to the sewer.

(Ord. 2019-003)

15-233 Reviewing of rates.

The City will review the user charge system at least every two years and revise rates as necessary to ensure that the system generates adequate revenues to pay the costs of operation and maintenance including replacement and that the system continues to provide for the proportional distribution of operation and maintenance including replacement costs among users and user classes.

(Ord. 2018-004)

15-234 Changing of rates.

The City will notify each user at least annually, in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate being charged for operation, maintenance including replacement of the treatment works.

(Ord. 2018-004)