A. General Provisions

To receive water services from the City of St. Joseph the property owner or his authorized agent must complete the appropriate application for water service and permit to connect. Application for water service and permit to connect fees must be paid at the time of application.

If the request for water service is outside the City of St. Joseph, authorization must be obtained from the township of residence before permit application and payment are made to the City of St. Joseph for a new water connection.

All interior plumbing shall be by a licensed plumber or in accordance with current state plumbing code. The City of St. Joseph Water Department personnel will install all meters and inspect all interior connections to the water system.

Normally, water service and meter installations shall be provided in the order applications are received.

All water will be metered. No unauthorized connections will be made to the City of St. Joseph water system. Any unauthorized and/or un-metered connections to the City of St. Joseph's water system will be shut off immediately. Arrangements to restore service may be made after appropriate application for water service and permit to connect have been completed. There may be fees and/or other charges related to the unauthorized connection. Water service will not be restored until the city is satisfied that all violations have been cured, remedied or otherwise abated, and all fees have been paid.

No person shall break, damage, destroy, alter, disable, tamper with or remove any water meter or device, which is part of the water supply and distribution system, including but not limited to winter removal and resetting.

It is the responsibility of all water service customers to ensure that meters are protected from freezing and vandalism. The City of St. Joseph shall not be held responsible for loss or damage to any plumbing fixtures or meters due to freezing or vandalism.

The water service pipe extending from the curb stop to individual premises shall be the sole property of the owner of those premises to which it is connected. It shall be the duty of each owner of premises, upon being notified or otherwise learning of a leak in a service pipe, to immediately cause such leak to be repaired.

No connections shall be made to fire hydrants except by authorized personnel. Authorized personnel may include Fire Department personnel, and St. Joseph Water Department personnel. Some public works projects may be allowed to connect with a permit from the St. Joseph Water Department only. Violations are subject to prosecution and fine.

A cross connection is an arrangement of piping that could allow undesirable water, sewage, or chemical solutions to enter the St. Joseph water system. These cross connections must have an approved back flow prevention device installed at the connection and/or just after the building's meter as required by State Plumbing Code. The device must be installed by a licensed plumber and must be maintained in good working order. Any cross connection and any back flow prevention device must be identified on the Permit to Connect Application.

When the application and permit to connect is taken out for a property that is using a private well for domestic purposes, the property owner must indicate the condition of the well, its approximate location and its intended future use, on the permit/application form. The existing well must be physically disconnected and inspected before the service is connected to the St. Joseph water system. If the property owner will no longer use the existing well, the City of St. Joseph encourages the owner to have the well sealed off as recommended by the MDEQ Well Abandonment Program guidelines.

Any deviation from these rules may be cause to discontinue water service to the property.

B. New Domestic Service

After the proper application for water service and permit to connect have been completed and payment is received by the City of St. Joseph, the applicant must place a stake labeled "water" at the roadway indicating the desired location of the water service connection to the existing water main. Within the next 21 days, the City of St. Joseph Water Department will install the new connection as closely as possible to this location.

The curb stop will normally be placed twenty-six (26) feet from the centerline of the road on standard sixty-six foot right of ways or as determined by the City Water Department.

The St. Joseph City Water Department will not connect any customer service lines not meeting the following criteria:

• Service lines shall have not less than four (4) feet, but not more than five (5) feet of cover.
• New water services shall not be placed within eight (8) feet of any existing or planned drive, tree, or structure.
• Water service lines shall be installed at least five (5) feet from any existing sanitary service lines. Variations from this shall only be by approval of the City of St. Joseph Water Department.
• Material shall be K Copper.
• Customer service lines not extended to at least 26 feet from centerline of roadway.

The property owner or his authorized agent must make arrangements with the City of St. Joseph at the time of application to have the water meter(s) and remote reader(s) installed. All appropriate plumbing for the meter installation must be completed and inspected prior to the meter installation. Meter installation will take place within five business days of the application.

All meters will be installed and remain in an accessible area inside the dwelling being served. A remote will be placed on the outside of the dwelling, no less than four (4) feet from the ground and must be kept free of obstruction.

Meters will be installed horizontally (parallel with the floor). A jumper or spacer must be installed in order to accommodate the water meter. The spacer will be composed of two nipples and a union with the spacing as follows:

The jumper or spacer must be installed at least three (3) inches from existing walls.

There must be gate or ball valves installed on both sides of the meter. These valves shall be installed not more than six (6) inches away from the meter.

No tees or faucets shall be installed before the meter.

When a connection to the City of St. Joseph water system is made, the well must be disconnected from the domestic water lines within each dwelling. If the property owner wishes to utilize the well, there must be a separate sillcock or faucet installed for this purpose. There shall be no physical connection between the municipal water supply and a private well.

C. Sprinkler Service

An application/permit for a water sprinkler system meter may be taken at the time of the original water service application/permit or may be added to an existing water service.

Sprinkler meters shall not be less than 3/4 inch.

The property owner or his authorized agent must make arrangements with the City of St. Joseph at the time of application to have the sprinkler water meter and remote reader installed. All appropriate plumbing for the meter installation including an appropriate cross-connection control device must be completed and approved prior to the arranged appointment. Meter installation will take place within five business days of the application.

Sprinkler systems are considered a cross connection hazard to the St. Joseph water system and must have an approved backflow prevention device appropriate for lawn sprinkling installed in accordance with State of Michigan Plumbing Codes.

D. Duplex Residential

Duplex residential units shall install two separate meters and two services lines, from the street to the dwelling. A duplex connection with curb stops and boxes will be provided when the water tap is installed by the City of St. Joseph.

E. Commercial

Each metered service shall have a separate connection to the public main with shutoff located within the public right of way or dedicated easement.

F. Charges

Water rates shall be determined by the St. Joseph City Commission and shall be applied consistently and billed quarterly.

Bills for water service are due and payable upon issuance of the bill. Failure of the customer to receive notice of their water bill or other related charge does not relieve them from the obligation for payment or from the consequences of nonpayment.

Amounts remaining not paid Thirty days (30) after the due date shall be deemed delinquent and may be collected by any legal means, including shutting off the water service or a lien on the property.

All water must be metered and paid for whether used or not. A minimum charge shall be assessed for water service from the date the water service is connected whether the water is used or not.

There shall be a fee for turning off water for any reason. Water services improperly restored will be assessed additional turn off fees, as necessary.

No person who has a delinquent water bill shall be entitled to further use of water at the same or any other property served by the SJC water system until such water charges are paid in full, together with any other associated costs.

All claims for adjustments of water bills shall be made within thirty days (30) of the billing. Adjustments will be made for clerical errors, misreads or failure of water department equipment only. Adjustments will not be issued for water leaks or pool fills.

In the event, the Water Department is unable to obtain an accurate meter reading, the City shall make a good-faith estimate of the consumption for that property and shall bill accordingly.

A customer may request that a meter be tested. If the meter is found to be defective, it shall be repaired or another meter installed.

If you have any questions about these topics, please contact the City and we will be glad to help you.