Chapter XV · Utilities

ARTICLE 2. WATER

Sections 15-201 to 15-229 · 29 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 2017)

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 2017)

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 except only when its mains, pumping machinery, power service connection are in good working order, and the supply of water is sufficient for the usual demand of its consumers.

(Code 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

15-207 Connection fees.

At the time of making application for water service, the property owner or customer shall make a cash deposit to secure payment of accrued bills or bills due on discontinuance of service. The rate to be charged for water service furnished by the water works system of the City for new customers shall be as follows:

(a)A deposit of $50.00 for each new customer’s residence.

(b)A connection fee of $50.00 for each new customer’s residence.

(Ord. 777; Code 2017)

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. Curb cocks shall be supplied with strong and suitable “T” handles.

(Code 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

15-211 Water meters; installation and costs.

(a)City to Install All New Water Meters Within City Limits. All new water meters installed on any new or existing structure shall be installed by the City, its employees, or its designees. No individual or entity may contract with any other private or public entity to install a new water meter for any purpose.

(b)User Responsible for Cost of Meter and Installation. The User shall be responsible for the actual purchase cost of the new water meter and all labor and material costs necessary to properly install such meter.

(c)Labor Rates Set By City. The rate for labor to install new water meters shall be $75.00 per hour. The minimum amount of labor to be billed for the installation of a new water meter is eight (8) hours per meter or the actual time required to install such meter, whichever is greater. This rate may be adjusted from time to time as deemed necessary and prudent by the Bucklin City Council as evidenced by a majority vote adjusting such rate.

(d)Payment Due Within 30 Days. The cost of installation of a new water meter, including the costs of such meter, labor costs, and actual materials cost, shall be promptly billed to the User by the City Clerk upon completion of installation. Such bill shall be payable and due in full within 30 days of invoicing. Penalties for late payments may be assessed as determined by the City and approved by the Bucklin City Council.

(Ord. 797; Code 2017; Ord. 2024-003)

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 deemed correct and a charge of $10 will be made to the customer.

(Code 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

15-215 Disconnection, 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 2017)

15-216 Utility deposit.

At the time of making application for water service, the property owner or customer shall make a cash deposit to secure payment of accrued bills or bills due on discontinuance of service.

(Code 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

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 2017)

15-221 Rates.

The users of the water system of the city shall pay the following rates per month for water:

(a)A minimum charge of $36.00 for each meter.

(b)Residential meters including sprinkler meters:

(1)First 10,000 gallons, $2.50 each 1,000 gallons.

(2)Next 10,000 gallons, $2.00 each 1,000 gallons.

(3)Each 1,000 gallons after is $1.00.

(Ord. 57; Ord. 716; Code 2017; Ord. 909; Ord. 2023-001; Ord. 2023-002)

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

Water service shall be terminated for nonpayment of service fees or charges pursuant to Article 1 of this chapter.

(Code 2017)

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 2017)

15-224 Cross-connections prohibited.

No person, company, corporation or institution shall establish or permit to be established or maintain or permit to be maintained, any cross connection whereby a private water supply, or any source of contamination may enter the regular public water supply of the City of Bucklin, Kansas, unless said source is approved by the City Council of the City of Bucklin, Kansas, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

(Ord. 684; Code 2017; Ord. 957)

15-225 Same; protective backflow devices required.

Approved devices to protect against backflow or back-siphonage shall be installed at all fixtures and equipment where backflow or back-siphonage may occur and where there is a hazard of contamination of the potable water supply system.

(Ord. 684; Code 2017; Ord. 957)

15-226 Same; inspection.

The City Superintendent of the City of Bucklin, Kansas or other designate of the City Council of the City of Bucklin, Kansas, shall have the right of entry into any building or premises in the City as frequently as necessary in order to ensure that plumbing has been installed in a manner as to prevent the possibility of contamination of the public water supply of the City of Bucklin, Kansas.

(Ord. 684; Code 2017; Ord. 957)

15-227 Same; protection from contaminants.

Pursuant to the authority of Home Rule Powers and K.S.A. 65-163a, the City of Bucklin, Kansas, may refuse to deliver water to any premises where a condition exists which might lead to the contamination of the public water and may continue to refuse to deliver water until the condition is corrected to the satisfaction of the City. In addition, the City may immediately terminate water service to premises where a backflow or back-siphonage condition exists which may be hazardous to the health of customers served by this public water supply system of the City of Bucklin, Kansas.

(Ord. 684; Code 2017; Ord. 957)

15-228 Manual of regulations regulating backflow and back-siphonage of contaminants.

There is hereby incorporated by reference for the purpose of regulating cross connections between the public water supply and any sources of contamination the manual adopted by the Governing Body of the City of Bucklin, Kansas, known as MANUAL OF REGULATIONS REGULATING BACKFLOW AND BACK-SIPHONAGE OF CONTAMINANTS DUE TO CROSS CONNECTIONS FROT HE CITY OF BUCKLIN, KANSAS, PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY. No fewer than three copies of said manual shall be marked or stamped, OFFICAL COPY AS ADOPTED BY ORDINANCE NO. 957, and to which shall be attached a copy of this ordinance and filed with the City Clerk to be open to inspection and available to the public at all reasonable hours.

(Ord. 957)

15-229 Construction, operation, use, or maintenance of individual or private wells within City limits.

(a)Water well — means any excavation that is drilled, cored, bored, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed in any manner, by hand or otherwise, when the intended use of the excavation is for the location, diversion, artificial recharge, or acquisition of groundwater.

(b)Prohibited Acts. Individual or private water wells are prohibited within the city limits, unless the property is located more than two hundred (200) feet from the public water system, or the City Council or its designee determines public water is unavailable and not feasible to a site and the City Council approves a well request. If granted a well request by the City Council, the property owner to whom such well request is granted must connect to public water once it is available.

(c)Penalties. Any person, individual, partnership, corporation, or association who violates any of the provisions of this section is shall be punished by a fine not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500). Each day any violation of hereof is found to exist or continues to exist shall be a separate offense and punishable as such hereunder.

(C.O. No. 12)