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(1) Definitions. For the purpose of determining rate classification for water and sewer general facility charges for new water and sewer connection charges and upsizing of existing water and sewer connections, the following definitions shall apply, unless otherwise provided for:

“Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)” means any building or portion of a building, which is subordinate to and located on the same lot as a principal residence and includes provisions for independent cooking, living, sanitation, and sleeping; separate entrance/exit to the outside. Accessory dwelling units may be either attached to a principal single-family residence or a detached accessory building, and may not be subdivided or segregated in ownership from the principal residence. Examples of accessory dwelling units include: mother-in-law apartment, basement rental unit, a mobile home placed on a property, an RV trailer converted to a living space, a garage apartment, a tiny/micro home, a backyard cottage, a “home within a home” unit, other such designation that meets the intent of this definition. When determining the number of dwelling units, each separate dwelling unit shall count as one accessory dwelling unit based on its square footage.

“Alderwood Water and Wastewater District (AWWD) sewer basin” means an area identified by the district where the sewer flows are delivered to the Alderwood Water and Wastewater drainage basin for sewer collection and then sent to King County Metro Sewer for sewer treatment per interlocal agreements.

“Condominium” means a land use term used to describe a wide range of residential structure types and property ownerships but is not a term used by the district to determine a customer classification.

“Credit for existing water and sewer connection (upsizing)” means a credit an existing customer can apply for when they are requesting or are required to increase their existing meter size, change the number of units served on a property or when there is change in customer class to meet an increased or changed water or sewer service demand.

“Customer class” shall mean the type of water and sewer connection to determine the associated general facility charge and basis for the charge. The district’s customer classes are:

(a) Commercial, Industrial and Irrigation Customer Classes.

(i) “Commercial” means all nonresidential customers receiving water and sewer service or discharging domestic flows to the district’s sewer system without one or more dwelling units. Schools, churches, public agencies, retail stores, restaurants, office buildings, gyms/fitness facilities, hotels, motels and parks are examples of commercial class customers. Commercial class customers can be for-profit or not-for-profit customers.

(ii) “Industrial” is commercial customer with a business activity that meets the industrial classification pursuant to the Standard Industrial Classification Manual issued by the United States Office of Management and Budget, or a customer whose sewer discharge meets the BOD, TSS, or other discharge standard of their respective sewer basin sewer treatment provider: either King County Metro or the city of Everett. The sewer general facility charge shall be equal to the amount negotiated by the Silver Lake Water and Sewer District and the customer, based on the expected sewer discharge capacity required and impact on the district’s system, plus any respective general facility charges, capacity charges or permit requirements required by the sewer treatment providers. The negotiated sewer general facility charge shall not be less than the respective commercial class customer sewer general facility fee.

(iii) “Irrigation meter” means a water meter that is dedicated and plumbed solely to provide water to an irrigation system or water sprinkler system.

(b) Fire Meter Customer Classes.

(i) “Fire meter” means a water meter, regardless of size, that is dedicated and plumbed solely to provide water to a fire suppression or fire sprinkler system. Fire meters can be installed in any structure(s).

(ii) “Fire meter – Residential combo/domestic meter” means a 5/8-inch or 1-inch residential water meter specially plumbed under the Uniform Plumbing Code to provide combined fire and domestic water. Residential combo/domestic meters shall pay the general facility charge for a 5/8-inch residential water meter plus the general facility charge for a 5/8-inch fire meter.

(c) Multifamily Residential Customer Classes.

(i) “Mobile home park” means a tract of land that is either owned or rented that contains three or more mobile homes served by master water meter. Each mobile home attached to a master meter shall count as one multifamily dwelling unit.

(ii) “Multifamily live/work structure” means a dwelling unit or dwelling units contained within a multifamily structure designed to provide space for both living and commercial or business activities for the occupant.

(iii) “Multifamily structure” means a structure or portion of a structure containing three or more dwelling units with water service provided by a master water meter per structure.

(d) Residential Customer Classes.

(i) “Duplex,” “two-family dwelling units” or “single-family attached units” means a detached structure containing two dwelling units. Each separate duplex dwelling unit shall be considered a single-family customer class and billed one ERU. For example, two duplex structures, containing four dwelling units, would be served by four separate water meters and would be billed four residential units. Duplex connections may be provided fire service by either a dedicated fire meter or residential combo/domestic meter serving each unit.

(ii) “Mobile home” means it is a prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to a site and used as permanent living space on a tract of land. Each individual mobile home served by an individual water meter shall be counted as one residential unit.

(iii) “Single-family detached unit” means a structure containing one family living area and having a permanent foundation including the fee simple interest of the respective underlying real property for the structure. Each single-family detached structure shall be counted as one residential unit, though any additional accessory dwelling units shall be counted as an additional dwelling unit.

(iv) “Townhomes” means a structure containing multiple single-family dwelling units, sharing a common wall, with each dwelling unit separately owned. Each individual townhome served by an individual water meter shall be counted as one residential unit.

“Dwelling unit” means any building or portion of a building which contains complete housekeeping facilities for one family, including provisions for sleeping, eating, food preparation, and sanitation, physically separated from any other dwelling unit which may be in the same building and with an exit, through a corridor or otherwise, to the outside. Examples of dwelling unit could be an apartment, condominium, micro apartment, loft, studio, co-op, or other such designation that meets the intent of this definition. When determining the number of dwelling units, each separate dwelling unit shall count as one multifamily (M/F) unit.

“ERU” means equivalent residential unit. ERU counts are used as the multiplier in calculating the sewer general facility charge.

“Everett sewer basin” means an area identified by the district where sewer flows are delivered to the city of Everett for sewer treatment per interlocal agreement.

“Factor ratio” means the percentage increase used to calculate a larger meter size’s water general facility charge from the base meter size.

“Meter size” means the size of the water meter requested or required to meet water and sewer demands.

“Side sewer inspection – New connection” means when a new side sewer connection is made to the main sewer line or when the location of an existing side sewer is changed requiring a new as-built drawing to be created. Customers shall not be charged the side sewer inspection fee when the repairs to their side sewer lines do not require either a new connection to the main sewer line or a revised as-built drawing being created.

“Water meter installation charge” means when a customer requests a new water service line be installed to serve their property or that an existing water meter be relocated to a new location. These costs will be billed as actual time and materials.

“Water permit charge” means the charge when a customer purchases a new water permit and includes the costs of issuing the permit, retaining the permit; and if the district installs the meter, the costs associated with the water meter drop in costs but not the costs of installing a water service line from the water main to the property.

(2) Adoption of Rates. The water and sewer general facility charges set forth on Exhibits “C,” “D” and “E,” attached to the resolution codified in this section and incorporated by this reference, are hereby adopted effective January 1, 2021. The water and sewer general facility charges set forth on Exhibits “F” and “G,” attached to the resolution codified in this section and incorporated by this reference, are hereby adopted effective January 1, 2022.

(3) Other Charges, Assessments, and Fees. The general facility charges set forth in Exhibits “C,” “D,” “E,” “F” and “G,” attached to the resolution codified in this section, are not in lieu of any ULID assessments, latecomer’s fees, special connection fees, other agency general capital facility or capacity charges, or other district fees and charges for services. Examples of other district fees may include, but are not limited to, water meter installation and permit fees, side sewer inspections, water main tapping, latecomer agreement fees, returned check, and flow tests.

(4) Application for New or Upsized Water and/or Sewer Connection. Customers requesting or required to connect a new or upsized water and/or sewer connection to the district’s water and sewer systems must make application to the district. The general manager or designee may require the applicant to submit additional plans or engineering reports to substantiate the size of their required water meter and/or sewer connection.

The district must receive payment in full of all water and/or sewer general facility charges and other fees prior to issuing a water and/or sewer permit and prior to the customer physically connecting to the district’s water and sewer system.

(5) Credit for Existing Water and Sewer Connection (Upsizing). Customers requesting or required to upsize or change the customer class of an existing water and/or sewer connection may request a credit for their existing water and/or sewer connection. The credit amount shall be the current general facility charge for the existing water and/or sewer connection.

Example of 2" Meter Upsized from 1" Meter (Everett Basin)

Water

Sewer

2" Meter commercial GFC

32,200.00

54,920.00

l" Meter commercial GFC

(10,065.00)

(17,165.00)

2" GFC Charge Due

$

22,135.00

$

37,755.00

(6) Required Water Meter and Side Sewer Inspection. All new or upsized water and/or side sewer connections must be inspected by the district prior to acceptance. The district may schedule the inspection of the water connection. The customer or their contractor must call the district to schedule an inspection of the side sewer. The physical side sewer connection must be visible to the district at the time of the inspection. The district may require customers, at their own expense, who have back filled the sewer trench, to re-open the sewer trench so a side sewer inspection can be conducted.

(7) Charges and Fees by Interlocal Agreement Agencies. In addition to the fees and charges assessed by the district for each new or upsized water and/or sewer connection, customers may be required to pay directly to the district or directly to another agency their respective general facility charges, capacity fees, or other fees adopted by the respective agency. Customers requesting a new or upsized water and/or sewer connection within the Alderwood drainage basin must complete and submit a King County Metro sewer use certification form to the district.

(8) Nontransferable. Existing water and sewer connections and issued water and/or sewer permits are provided to a specific property and are not transferable to another property or parcel. Existing water and/or sewer connections on a subject property that is being subdivided can transfer the existing water and/or connections to one of the newly created parcels by submitting a written request to the district. The property or parcel from which such connection(s) are transferred forfeits any and all rights of connection to the district utility systems.

(9) Time Requirement to Connect. Customers shall have 180 days from when they are issued a new water and sewer permit to connect to the water and/or sewer system. Customers that fail to connect within 180 days from when the water and or sewer permit is issued shall have to pay any increase or additional fees adopted by the board of commissioners subsequent to the permit date.

(10) General Facility Charges – Water and Sewer Service Outside the District Boundaries. Properties outside the district’s corporate boundaries, using or benefiting from the use of the district’s water and sewer general facilities, shall pay a general facility charge as adopted by the district, as a condition of water and sewer service.

(11) General Manager Authority to Determine Customer Class for New Water and Sewer Connections. The general manager, or designee, shall have the authority to determine the customer class for new water and sewer connections.

(12) Water/Sewer Availability Letter – Deposit in Lieu of Water and Sewer General Facility Fees. Customers that request the district provide a water and/or sewer availability letter to a property where the district already provides service to the land use agency will be required to submit a deposit equal to their application’s water and sewer general facility and associated permit fees plus $1,000. An example of this would be the construction of an additional dwelling unit to an existing single-family residence. Once the land use agency has issued a building permit to the customer, the customer shall notify the district. The district shall apply the portion of the deposit to the applicable water and/or sewer general facility fees, plus permit fees, and issue the respective water and sewer permit. Once a water and sewer permit has been issued, all fees are nonrefundable.

Once the land use agency has issued a certificate of occupancy to the customer, the customer shall notify the district. The district shall refund any remaining deposit to the customer.

Should the land use agency not issue a building permit, or the customer elect to discontinue their building permit application prior to the district issuing a new water and sewer permit, the customer may request the deposit in lieu of water and sewer general facility fees to be refunded. The district will then notify the land use agency that the previously issued availability letter is null and void. [Res. 827 § 2 (Exh. 2), 2022; Res. 802 § 1 (Exh. 1), 2020; Res. 772 § 11, 2019; Res. 756 § 11, 2018; Res. 674 §§ 2 – 10, 2011; Res. 522 §§ 5, 6, 2000; Res. 455 §§ 4, 5, 1995; Res. 453 § 6, 1995; Res. 376 § 5, 1984; Res. 374 §§ 3, 4, 1983.]