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CMP Part 4C. Water Supply <br /> City Conservation Strategies <br /> 1. Metering. All water customers on Orono's three water systems are <br /> metered. All new users added to the system will be metered. All <br /> customers purchase meters through the City, and meters are tested, <br /> recalibrated, and repaired on an as-required basis. Meters are read by <br /> City personnel quarterly. <br /> 2. Water Audits, Leak Detection and Repair. The volume of <br /> unaccounted-for water is determined on an annual basis. Unaccounted- <br /> for water is defined as the volume of water withdrawn from the source <br /> minus the volume of water sold. Water not accounted for may be a result <br /> of meter under-registration;various forms of public unmetered use such <br /> as hydrant flushing, appropriation by fire departments, and illegal <br /> connections or appropriations; or system leakage. The city conducts <br /> annual leak detection as a means of identifying and repair leaks. <br /> 3. Conservation-Oriented Water Rates. Water customers are billed <br /> quarterly. Water rates are reviewed by the City annually and adjusted as <br /> necessary with the goal of paying for the true cost of supplying, treating <br /> and delivering water as well as maintaining the distribution system. <br /> Past reviews have resulted in the adoption of a hydrant charge to those <br /> properties where water is available but unconnected. Capital <br /> expenditures are financed through the use of connection charges, area <br /> charges, and special assessments. Since 2010 the city has used a <br /> conservation-oriented water rate structure. The conservation-oriented <br /> structure establishes Water Usage Tiers that vary between residential, <br /> multi-family and commercial users and are based on usage. <br /> 4. Regulation. Orono has adopted a number of regulations to provide <br /> short-term demand reductions and long-term improvements in water <br /> use efficiencies: <br /> • Short-Term Demand Reduction Procedures: Municipal Code <br /> Sections 14-136 and 14-137 define measures for short-term <br /> demand reduction. The Code identifies a number of restrictions <br /> which the City Council may order singly or in combination to <br /> effectuate demand reduction, and provides procedures for <br /> enforcement of such measures. <br /> • Long-Term Demand Reduction: Long-term demand reduction will <br /> be accomplished by enforcement of the State and Federal Plumbing <br /> Codes which require the use of water efficient fixtures in new home <br /> construction as well as when retrofitting. <br /> 5. Education and Information Programs.The City of Orono will make <br /> an effort to promote efficient water use on an ongoing basis. Education <br /> of the public on the benefits of water conservation will include articles <br /> City of Orono Community Management Plan 2020-2040 Part 4C, Page 28 <br />