3.20.040 Adjustment type – Specific property types.
(a) High Bill Adjustment (Single-Unit Residential Properties).
(1) If a single-unit residential customer receives a bill with an ADC at least three times the comparable ADC (or current ADC if comparable ADC is unavailable) and the customer is not eligible for any other adjustment set forth in this chapter, WSSC shall make an adjustment at the customer’s request.
(2) The adjustment shall exclude water and sewer use charges attributable to 50 percent of the water use in excess of the property’s comparable ADC, or current ADC if the comparable ADC is unavailable.
(3) A customer may only receive the adjustment under this subsection if WSSC has confirmed, through a meter reading, that water usage following the high billing period has returned to normal.
(4) Eligible customers may receive an adjustment under this subsection for up to two consecutive billing periods in any three-year period.
(5) CAP customers shall be eligible for adjustment of high bills as set forth in WSSC 3.45.100.
(b) High Bill Adjustment (Single-Unit Commercial Properties).
(1) If a single-unit commercial property receives a bill with an ADC at least three times the comparable ADC (or current ADC if comparable ADC is unavailable), and the customer is not eligible for any other adjustment set forth in this chapter, WSSC shall make an adjustment at the customer’s request.
(2) The adjustment shall exclude water and sewer use charges attributable to 25 percent of the water use in excess of the property’s comparable ADC, or current ADC if the comparable ADC is unavailable.
(3) A customer may only receive the adjustment under this subsection if WSSC has confirmed, through a meter reading, that water usage following the high billing period has returned to normal.
(4) Eligible customers may receive an adjustment under this subsection only once, for up to two consecutive billing periods.
(c) Delayed Collection Action (Single-Unit Residential and Single-Unit Commercial).
(1) Except as provided in subsection (c)(2) of this section, a bill issued to an account in the name of a tenant in a single-unit residential property or single-unit commercial property that is left unpaid after the tenant vacates the property is ultimately the responsibility of the property owner in accordance with the Public Utilities Article, § 25-504(e), Annotated Code of Maryland.
(2)
(i) If WSSC failed to disconnect service to the property for nonpayment of the delinquent balance on the date that the property was eligible for disconnection, all charges that accrued after that date and up to the tenant’s move-out date shall be excluded from the bill.
(ii) The property owner shall be responsible for the unpaid charges up to the date the water should have been turned off.
(d) Charitable Institutions.
(1) In accordance with the Public Utilities Article, § 25-506, Annotated Code of Maryland, WSSC provides charitable institutions with up to 100 gallons of water a day per resident without cost.
(2) To qualify for the WSSC charitable credit, the institution must provide residential 24-hour care for indigent persons without regard to ability to pay and without regard to whether the person is a resident of Montgomery County or Prince George’s County.
(3)
(i) From time to time, but not more frequently than once per year, WSSC may require a charitable customer to certify that it continues to meet the criteria required by the Public Utilities Article, § 25-506, Annotated Code of Maryland, and this chapter.
(ii) Failure to return the certification within the time period specified shall result in discontinuation of the charitable credit until the certification is restored.
(iii) During the time of no certification, the institution shall be liable for all charges as billed, unless there can be established a basis for restoring the charitable credit during the noncertification period.
(4)
(i) The charitable credit is determined by calculating an average per-resident ADC by dividing the property’s total water usage by the number of calendar days in the billing period by the total average number of persons residing at the charitable property for that billing period.
(ii) If the average per-resident ADC is below 100 gallons per day, the water/sewer charges shall be zero.
(iii) If the per-resident ADC is 100 gallons or above, the property shall be billed based on the actual ADC, with a credit of 100 gallons per day per resident.
(e) Credits for Customers With Physical or Mental Impairment (Single-Unit Residential).
(1) When all adult residents occupying a single-unit residential property are either hearing/visually impaired or otherwise physically or mentally challenged, bills that include excess usage charges arising from a leak that was not apparent to the occupants due to the impairment(s) shall be adjusted.
(2) Both excess water and sewer charges shall be reduced to the level of the comparable ADC or, if there is no comparable ADC, to the current ADC.
(3) To qualify for the adjustment, the customer shall provide a repair receipt and a physician’s letter certifying a physical and/or mental impairment for all adult occupants.
(4) This adjustment shall cover all billing periods affected by the leak.
(f) Public Fountain Use.
(1) Bills including charges for water used at public drinking fountains located at parks owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission shall be adjusted each quarter to exclude 5,000 gallons of water and sewer charges for each fountain.
(2)
(i) The adjusted charges may not exceed the total water usage for that period.
(ii) If the adjusted charges would exceed the total water usage for the period, the charges shall be based on zero consumption.
(g) Discolored Water or Sod Restoration (Single-/Multi-Unit Residential).
(1) A bill for a multi-unit residential property or single-unit residential property shall be adjusted when a customer has experienced a high bill due to having to run the water in the home to clear discoloration, or due to watering of sod replaced or restored by a WSSC contractor.
(2) Confirmation of the discolored water or sod restoration shall be provided by maintenance records, or be otherwise verified by WSSC staff.
(3) The adjusted bill shall exclude both water and sewer charges in excess of the comparable ADC or, if unavailable, the current ADC.
(h) Illegal Consumption (Single-Unit Residential). Charges issued to a single-unit residential property owner that resulted from the illegal water/sewer usage of a tenant who has vacated the property shall be removed up to the date the tenant moved out. (Res. 2023-2352; Res. 2019-2235; REG-CUM-CC-2018 § III. Formerly 3.20.030)