§ 19-180. Meter testing shall be done at the customer's request, and in accordance with the following guidelines and schedules.

(1)

Meter test request. If any customer requests a test of the water meter, the county will require a deposit to defray the cost of testing; such deposit shall not exceed the schedule of fees which shall be specifically set forth in a separate resolution.

(2)

Adjustments of bills for meter error. In meter tests made by the county, the accuracy of registration of the meter and its performance in service shall be judged by its average error. The average meter error shall be considered to be the average of the errors at the test rate flows.

a.

Fast meters. Whenever a meter tested is found to register fast, in excess of tolerance provided in the meter accuracy requirements provision herein, the county shall refund the customer the amount billed in error for one-half (½) the period since the last test; said one-half (½) period not to exceed six (6) months except that if it can be shown that the error was due to some cause, the date of which can be fixed, the overcharge shall be computed back to but not beyond such date. The refund shall not include any part of any minimum charge.

b.

Slow meters. Whenever a meter tested is found to register slow, in excess of the tolerance provided in the meter accuracy requirements provision herein, the county may bill the customer an amount equal to the unbilled error for one-half (½) the period since the last test; said one-half (½) period not to exceed six (6) months, except that if it can be shown that the error was due to some cause, the date of which can be fixed, the charge may be computed back to but not beyond such date and provided further that if the utility has required a deposit, the customer may be billed only for their portion of the unbilled error which is in excess of the deposit retained by the county. In the event of a nonregistering meter, customer may be billed on an estimate based on previous bills for similar usage, such estimate to apply only to the current billing. In the event of unauthorized use, the customer may be billed on a reasonable estimate, in the sole discretion of the county, of the service taken.

c.

Meter accuracy requirements. All meters for measuring quantity of water delivered to a customer shall register within the accuracy limits set forth in American Water Works Manual M6, Table 5-3, as the same may be amended from time to time.

(Ord. No. 04-4, § 7, 3-2-2004; Ord. No. 08-30, § 1, 10-7-2008)