Purpose:

To ensure customers pay for sewer services only when such services are actually being utilized.

Overview:

The City recognizes that customers at times may experience water leaks during which water will bypass the sanitary sewer system. Should such a leak occur, the customer may receive a refund of a portion of the sewer service fees paid in accordance with this policy.

Procedure:

The following is the procedure through which refunds for a leak adjustment may be granted:

1. Any request for a leak adjustment must be made in writing, state with detail the reasons therefor, and be signed by the customer. A receipt indicating that repairs have been made should accompany such request.
2. Upon receipt of the request, the Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee shall review the written request and supporting material, if any, to determine if a leak adjustment to the customer’s sanitary sewer bill is justified. An adjustment will be given only if the Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee determines that (i) water bypassed the sanitary sewer system and (ii) the water leak has been fixed.
3. If a leak adjustment is justified, the Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee shall calculate an average monthly sewer service charge based upon a six-month usage. If at the time of the request for an adjustment, the Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee is unable to calculate a six-month average, a shorter period of time may be used; provided, that the average is based upon at least two months of the customer’s water consumption during which the premises was occupied and used in a similar manner as when the leak occurred.
4. No leak adjustment will be given to residential customers whose water consumption is individually metered and whose average monthly usage bill exceeds 12,000 gallons since sewer service charges for such customers are not calculated on water usage in excess of 12,000 gallons per month.
5. The leak adjustment shall be calculated based upon the difference between the amount billed for sanitary sewer services and the average usage as determined by the Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee as set forth hereinabove. The Utility Billing Manager or the manager’s designee shall refund the customer this difference; provided that the leak adjustment is not for a period of more than two consecutive months and the customer has not had such an adjustment during the previous 12-month period.