Care and Maintenance of Meters and Services

Continuation of Replies to Questionnaire—Exhaustive Rules and Regulations Governing Services in City of Clarksville, Tenn.—Percentage Metered—Winter Care

(Continued from page 689)

The Questionnaire

1. Percentage of metered services?
2. What proportion on domestic services?
3. What proportion on factory and manufacturing services? On fire services?
4. Have you meters on public buildings?
5. Does the city install the meter?
6. Does the consumer install the meter?
7. At whose expense is meter installed?
8. What makes have been installed?
9. Have you had trouble with freezing meters?
10. Have you had trouble with freezing services?
11. What precaution is taken against freezing?
12. Who is responsible for maintaining meters?
13. Who is responsible for maintaining services?
14. What methods are employed in thawing services?

Pennsylvania

Bradford—Walter D. Singleton, Supt.: 1. We have about 100 metered services. 2. We have about 3,950 services. 3. All. 4. None. 5-6. No. 7. Yes. 8. Consumer. 9. Crown, Lambert, Worthington, Watch Dog, and others. 10. Very little. 11. Not much. 12. None. 13. Consumer. 14. City in streets; consumer on his property. 15. No particular method

Chester, Water Company—Roy B. Champion, Supt.: 1-4. 100. 5. Yes. 6-7. No. 8. Company. 9. Trident. 10-11. Yes. 12. Proper curb meter setting. 13-14. Company. 15. Electrical.

Huntington—J. G. Bell, Supt.: 2. None. 3. All. 5-6. Yes. 7. No. 8. Boro. 9. Keystone, Trident, Empire. 10. No. 11. No; service lines yes, before this year. 12. Position; high pressure. 13. Boro. 14. Consumer. 15. Electric.

Lewiston Water Company—S. W. Cooper, Supt.: 1. Less than 1. 2. Only a few. 3. All. 4. None. 5-7. No. 8. Company. 9. Nearly all Pittsburgh. 10. Very little. 11. A few. 12. No special precautions. 13-14. Company. 15. Hot water and live steam.

Meadville—Harry Ellsworth. Supt.: 1-3. 100. 4. None. 5. Yes. 6. No. 7. Yes. 8. Consumer. 9. Nearly all. 10. Yes. 11. No. 12. Installed in cellar. 13. Consumer. 14. City.

Mt. Oliver—South Pittsburgh W. Co., E. L. Keene, Mgr.: 1. 99.9. 2. 92. 3. 8. 5. Yes. 6. Company. 7. No. 8. Company. 9. Various. 10. Not excessive. 12 Meters set in house. 13. Company. 14. Consumer.

Punxsutawney Water Company—R. B. Kendig, Supt: 1-2. 90. 3. 100. 4. None. 5. No. 6. Company. 7. No. 8. Company. 9. Trident, Lambert, Gamon, Buffalo. 10-11. Yes. 12. Putting all lines down four-ft. 13-14. Company. 15. Electric.

Reading—Emil L. Nuebling. Ch. Engr.: 1-4. 43.5. 5. Yes. 6. No. 7. Yes. 8. Consumer. 9. Various. 10. Yes. 11. Slight. 12. Services placed below frost line; meters placed in protected places. 13. City, general; consumer, heat and frost. 14. Consumer. 15. Various; (taken care of by consumer).

Uniontown Water Company—I. W. Seaton, Supt.: 1. 99. 2. 95. 3. 5. 4. None. 6. Yes. 7. Company. 8. No. 9. Crown, Empire. 10. Yes. 11. Yes; some are wrapped up, others are boxed. 13. Company, genera! repairs; consumer, if frozen. 14. Consumer. 15. Electricity.

Rhode Island

Newport Water Company:

1. About 2. 2. None. 3. All. 4. None. 5-6. No. 7. Yes. 8. Consumer. 9. All. 10-11. No. 12. Services are laid to proper depth; meters installed on approval of water company. 13. Consumer. 14. Water company.

Providence—Walter T. Slade, Supt.:

1. 94. 2-3-4. Not available. 5-6. Yes. 7. No. 8. Consumer. 9. Ball & Fitts, Crown, Empire, Fales Jenks & Sons, Gem, Hersey, Keystone, Nash, Thomson, Trident, Venturi and Worthington. 10-11-12. Services are laid fourft. eight-inch below surface and usually escape freezing except in unusually severe winters. Meters are mostly installed in heated cellars and are looked after by owner. In winter 1917-18 several thousand were frozen, however. 13. City; except when abused or neglected. 14. City as far as curb stone. 15. Both steam and electricity.

Woonsocket—C. W. Miller, Supt.:

1. 93. 2. 90. 3. 3. 4. 3. 5-6. Yes. 7. No. 8. Owner or consumer. 9. Hersey detector and Torrent and Disc; also Lambert for all services. 10. Only from neglect of consumer. 11. Not the past winter. 12. All services 5J^-ft. in ground. 13. Ordinary repairs city; freezing and neglect of meter by consumer. 14. Main to curb line city; curb to building, etc., consumer. 15. Electricity and steam.

Tennessee

Clarksville—J. R. Manning, Supt.:

1. 50. 2. 40. 3. 100. 4. None. 5. No; city does pay for water. 6. Yes. 7. No; except beyond city limits. 8. City. 9. Nash, Empire, Trident, Keystone, Gem, Lambert; 90 per cent. Lambert. 10-11. No. 12. Meters are set at sufficient depth to prevent. 13. City. 14. Property owner. 15. None have been necessary, as all services are laid below freezing depth.

Rules and Regulations of City of Clarksville

Sec. 29. The rules governing the department as to attachments, use of water, etc., shall be as follows:

1. All application for service attachments to the distributing pipes, for the purpose of introducing the water into any premises, as well as all applications for the use of water, must be made by the party desiring such attachments or use of water, and always with the consent of the owner of the premises into which the water is proposed to be introduced. The applicant must state fully and truly all purposes for which water is required, and frankly without concealment, answer all questions asked by the superintendent relative to its consumption; sign on the books kept for that purpose an application setting forth the purpose for which water is desired, and agreeing to abide by the rules and regulations relating thereto. Upon complying with these conditions the superintendent will issue a written permit granting the privilege of a service attachment and use of water. All attachments to be made by a licensed plumber.
2. On the premises supplied with water the fixtures, such as hydrants, draws, wash basins, sinks, baths, water closets, urinals, fountains, hose attachments, tanks, etc., may be such as will best suit the convenience of the consumer, excepting always those which, in the opinion of the superintendent, are so constructed as to unnecessarily waste water.
3. Applicants desiring to furnish more than one house from an attachment will be permitted to have either a ferrule of larger diameter, or more than one, so as to equalize the water supply as nearly as possible, but there shall be one principal stopcock on the sidewalk, which shall control the whole supply, and as many auxiliary stops as there are dwellings or premises to be supplied with water from the attachments, all placed outside the premises, in such manner as to be at all times accessible to the agents of the department.
4. For an extension or alteration in any of the water fixtures of any consumer written permits from the superintendent must invariably be obtained, describing the work, before any such alteration or extension can be made.
5. Any consumer desiring an extension for the purpose of supplying neighboring premises with water will receive permission to do so on condition that he will become responsible for the payment of the water rent for all premises so supplied, so long as the extensions are available for supplying water.
6. Hydrants, hose attachments, goose necks, faucets, or any other device which the consumer may adopt for obtaining water from the service pipes, shall not be located in such a manner as to afford parties occupying the neighboring premises, or the public, ready access to them, unless all parties having such device for drawing water have their premises assessed and pay for supplying the same with water.
7. Water consumers are not guaranteed a specific quantity of water for any purpose whatever, but simply an ample quantity for the purpose named in the permit; and all other uses the water is applied to is in direct violation of the agreement made between the city and the consumer at the time of granting the permit, and therefore subject to all reasonable penalties which the city may see proper to impose.
8. All willful waste of water through neglect of servants or agents, or by fixtures out of order or by allowing water to be taken from the premises by persons having no right to its use, will be sufficient cause for stopping the supply to any premises, and for forfeiture of amount of bill paid in advance, or the withholding the supply for such time as the city may decide.
9. Any authorized agent of the city must have access at all reasonable times to all premises supplied, to examine fixtures, manner of using water, etc.
10. No plumber, or other person, shall make any attachment to the old pipe or water fixtures in premises from which the water has been shut off, without the party desiring such work to be done, having obtained a reissue and a permit for the same. Nor shall any plumber, or any other person, make any alteration in any pipe or water fixture attached to the waterworks distributing pipes, to conduct water into adjojining premises or into stables, bath, water closets, wash basins, cisterns, fountains, or for any other purpose whatever, without a permit is first obtained from the superintendent for each and every separate job of such modification in the water fixtures.
11. The use of hand hose in case of fire is at all times permitted, and may be used by any one gaining access thereto.
12. All consumers or subscribers entitled to the use of water shall keep their own service pipe, stop-cocks, and other apparatus in good repair and shall prevent all unnecessary waste of water.
13. Steam boilers taking a supply of water directly from the service pipe, and depending upon the hydraulic or hydrostatic pressure of the water works for supplying such boilers, will do so at the risk of parties making such attachments, as the city will not be responsible for any accidents or damages to which such devices are frequently subject.
14. House boilers, for domestic use, must in all cases be provided with vacuum valves, to prevent collapsing when the water is shut off from the distributing pipes; and for accidents or damage resulting from the imperfect action of any such valves the city will in no case be responsible.
15. The city’s loss from interruptions of supply being greater than that of all others combined, for that reason, if there shall be a failure in supplying water, the city will not be responsible beyond a pro rata deduction for the time the supply is suspended at the rate paid for by the consumer, and all its contracts are made on these conditions, which are hereby declared and understood to be a part of the same.
16. These rules and regulations shall be strictly and impartially enforced by such officers as the city may appoint; the said officers or agents shall have unrestricted access, at proper hours in the day to all premises supplied with water from the waterworks, for making assessments or reassessments and such examination and inspection as may from time to time be deemed necessary.
17. When necessary the mayor may, by proclamation, suspend the use of water for sprinkling purposes. The superintendent may cut off the water from any house when necessary for repairs or when leaks are discovered which cause waste, and the. consumer shall only be entitled to a pro rata deduction therefor.

It shall be a misdemeanor, finable by the recorder from five to fifty dollars, for any person to use or permit the use of the water except by persons entitled to do so by contract with the department, and then only for the purposes embraced in the contract, or to in any manner waste the water; for any person to injure or destroy any of the machinery or property of the department, or stop up any of the pipes in any way to wilfully interfere with the operation of the department. These penalties are in addition to those hereinbefore provided.

1. That hereafter water shall not be turned on to any hydrant for sprinkling purposes, except in cases where other than sprinkling rates are paid upon the premises.
2. All water connections hereafter put in shall be of not less than three-fourths inch extra strong lead pipe, with wipe joints and brass ferrules or nipples. Said pipe shall extend from the main to inside of pavement. Also, that the pipe shall be put in on side of main and not extended higher than six inches aboves the main. Any plumber or property owner violating same shall, upon conviction before recorder, be fined not less than $5, nor more than $25 for each offense.
3. That hereafter no person shall open any of the fire hydrants, water gates or mains of the Waterworks Department, or place any object or substance whatsoever therein, except the members of the Fire Department and the duly authorized agents of the Waterworks Department, or in any way molest or interfere with the said hydrants, gates or mains, or any part thereof.
4. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be fined not less than five ($5) nor more than twenty-five ($25) dollars for each offense.
5. Hereafter all city water used for building or repair purposes shall be paid for by the owner, agent, contractor or occupant of the premises where the work is to be done, and at the regular schedule rates. As a matter precedent for the furnishing of water for such purposes the party liable must file at the Waterworks Office an estimate of the work to be done and pay the amount of said estimate to the superintendent, who shall then issue a permit for the use of the water. Any person, firm or corporation found using city water for building or repair work without having paid the tax and secured a permit as above specified shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not less than ten, nor more than twenty, dollars for each offense.

(To be continued)