Consumption fees shall be based upon of the volume of water entering the structure from a public water supply agency, non-residential private well, steam facility, or other source. The consumption rate assumes fifteen percent (15%) of the measured water usage is not discharged to the NBC's facilities. All water sources must be metered except for residential private wells. Where a property is not metered at the water source entering the structure, or where a property is metered at the water source entering the structure but there is an output meter, consumption fees shall be based upon the volume of metered wastewater discharged directly or indirectly into the NBC's facilities. The user fee rate for discharges from such properties shall be charged in accordance with the rate and method set forth in Terms and Conditions approved by the PUC. Installation and use of an output meter must be approved by the NBC's Executive Director or his/her designee. Consumption charges for compound meters shall be based upon metered water usage of the domestic use dial.
The NBC receives meter readings for its customers from various public water suppliers. When actual water meter readings do not exist, accounts will receive an estimated bill based on previous usage. Any variance due to estimated reads will be corrected when an actual read is obtained. Estimated bills may result in a customer overpayment resulting in a credit or under billings resulting in a true-up bill.
Although a customer is indirectly or directly connected to the NBC's facilities, there may be instances where the NBC is not billing such property. In such instances, upon NBC's identification of an unbilled account, the customer may be retroactively billed for a three (3) year period for flat fees in effect for those service periods and for consumption fees in effect for those service periods based on meter readings supplied by the public water supplier. Where meter readings are unavailable from the public water supplier for the prior three (3) year period, the consumption for that period will be estimated based on actual reads taken subsequent to identification of the account.
Surcharges shall be rendered to property owners in accordance with rates approved by the PUC.
835 R.I. Code R. 835-RICR-20-00-2.8