ADJUSTMENTS TO CUSTOMER BILLS FOR LEAKS

Any customer seeking a billing adjustment shall be treated courteously and fairly by the utility Board, Manager and staff.
It is accepted utility practice in the USA that the customer is responsible for his or her utility service on the customer's side of the meter. This includes leakage. A customer seeking a leak adjustment should also realize that the water he or she doesn’t pay for will be paid for by the rest of the customers.
The utility is run for the benefit of all present and future customers, and while no customer shall intentionally be treated unfairly, no customer shall be treated in a way that compromises the interests of other customers.

1. Leak Adjustment Eligibility and Amount

a) A customer who receives an unusually high bill due to a water leak may apply for an adjustment to his or her bill. A water adjustment is a reduction in the water portion of a customer’s bill. A sewer adjustment is a reduction of the sewer portion from the bill. A customer may qualify for one, both, or neither type of adjustment, depending on the circumstances of the case.

b) SUD allows adjustments for leaks on the customer’s service line only. The customer service line is defined as the line between the customer’s meter and the foundation of the house. Any branches off of the service line are not considered a part of the service line.

c) If the customer is eligible for an adjustment, the customer and the district will share the cost of the leak. The district will reduce the customer’s bill for the month in which the leak occurred by reducing the customer’s water bill by 50%. When necessary, a payment plan will be worked out to reduce hardship on the customer.

d) When a customer signs an affidavit attesting that his or her monthly sewer bill, in whole or in part, was based upon water usage which included a major loss of water in the customer’s internal water system, and attesting that this major loss of water did not enter the sewer collection system., the customer's sewer bill for that month will be adjusted to a level equal to the previous twelve month average of the customer’s sewer bill.

e) Customers are allowed 1 adjustment in a 3 year period. No more than 3 adjustments will be granted for any one customer over the life of service. A water adjustment and a sewer adjustment due to a single leak are considered one adjustment for the purposes of this rule.

2. Adjustment Procedure

a) Any customer seeking an adjustment must first discuss his or her bill with the office staff and/or the Manager, who will begin by determining whether the meter was properly read. If the meter was misread, a new bill will be issued.

b) If the district determines that there is no error in the meter reading or no failure of equipment, the bill remains valid and payable. The office staff and/or Manager will then determine whether the customer is eligible for an adjustment under this Rule. The customer must make its request for an adjustment in writing including an explanation of the leak in sufficient terms so the District’s General Manager can determine whether the customer is eligible for an adjustment.

c) In order to qualify for an adjustment, the customer must have repaired the service line causing the leak, and the repair must be inspected by Sewanee Utility District staff.

d) If the customer believes the Manager has not applied this Rule properly, the customer may appeal the Manager's decision to the Board of Commissioners. On appeal the Board of Commissioners will determine whether the customer is entitled to an adjustment under this Rule.

3. Certification of meters

a) If a customer questions the accuracy of a meter, he or she shall pay a meter testing deposit of $50. The District will remove the meter and have it tested outside of its own shop.

b) If the meter proves to be within the accuracy guidelines established for used meters by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), it is deemed to be accurate. If the meter tests accurate, the customer forfeits the meter testing deposit and must pay the bill in question. If the meter does not meet AWWA standards, the District shall refund the deposit and repair or replace the meter and adjust the customer’s bill for the proceeding month by the percentage of error. It should be noted that as most meters age they usually tend to record less water than actually passes through them.