Chapter 7 - Water and Sewer
Division 12 - Fire Hydrants & Services
SEC. 7.12-1. No person, firm or corporation may take water from any fire hydrant except authorized persons or parties for fire purposes and no hydrant may be used for any purpose except the extinguishment or prevention of fires unless prior approval is obtained from the Water Department.
SEC. 7.12-2. Fire hydrants shall not be screened or otherwise obstructed by trees, shrubs, bushes, fences, or any other structure that impedes access to the hydrant from Town water and/or Fire Department personnel. Painting, changing the grade or any other alteration to the hydrant or its surroundings that diminishes the visibility of the hydrant shall not be permitted.
SEC. 7.12-3. No utility pole, traffic signal, sign post, lighting standard, or other such permanent structure may be located within ten (10) feet of any existing hydrant, and no new fire hydrant may be located within ten (10) feet of any of the existing aforementioned structures.
SEC. 7.12-4. Installation of new hydrants or replacements of existing hydrants within the jurisdiction of the Municipal water utility shall be in accordance with the following specifications:
- All hydrants must contain one (1) four (4) inch pumper nozzle
and two (2) two and one-half (2 1/2) hose nozzles.
- The bury depth for hydrants must be a minimum of four and
one-half (4 1/2) feet and must have a branch valve of at least
six (6) inches at the main connection.
- Hydrants shall be of the dry barrel type with a main valve
opening of the compression type that closes with the pressure.
Main valve minimum opening shall be five and one-quarter (5
1/4) inches.
- All hydrants located within four (4) feet of a major street must be traffic model or breakaway type.
SEC. 7.12-5 FIRE SERVICES. Fire service connections are to be used only for the extinguishment of fires and are to have no connection whatever with any other service connection or service pipe. The Town reserves the right to require or provide at owner’s expense a meter or detector check to ensure that water is not being used for other than fire protection.
SEC. 7.12-6. Fire service lines must meet all requirements of watermain specification and installation as otherwise mentioned in this Code. A complete set of blueprints prepared by a registered professional engineer or architect shall be on file with the Water Department showing the location of all piping, valves, sprinklers, and other related equipment that is a part of or is connected to the fire service line. As-built drawings must be furnished to the Water Department within ninety (90) days after installation is completed. (Subsections 1-6 Amended 9/21/81)
SEC. 7.12-7 FIRE HYDRANT RENTAL
- Fee Imposed. All persons owning property within the
Town of Normal, served by a secondary water supply system shall
pay to the Town, a monthly fire hydrant rental fee for the use
and availability for use of public fire hydrants for fire protection
only in the serviceable vicinity of such property.
- Calculation of Fee. The monthly fire hydrant rental
fee shall be determined by the Town Water Director, based on
the total public fire hydrant maintenance cost incurred by the
Town for the preceding calendar year. Maintenance costs shall
include the value of water used for flushing. A monthly unit
maintenance cost shall be calculated from annual maintenance
costs for all public hydrants. This monthly unit cost rounded
to the nearest whole dollar, shall be multiplied by the number
of public hydrant units within the serviceable vicinity of the
property served by a secondary water supply system and the result
shall be the monthly fire hydrant rental fee.
- Serviceable Vicinity. That area is determined by
the Fire Chief in which it is reasonable to anticipate that
the fire hydrants located therein would be used for firefighting
purposes on the properties served by the secondary water supply
system.
- Billing Procedure. The monthly fire hydrant rental
fee shall be billed and collected by the Town Treasurer or his
designee. All bills for fire hydrant rental shall be rendered
every two months to cover the preceding two month period for
which fire hydrants were used or available for use as specified
herein. All bills shall be due not later than the close of business
on the 15th day following the date of the bill as rendered.
A penalty of ten (10%) percent shall be added to all bills not
paid within 15 days of the date of billing. When the fifteenth
(15th) day of any month shall be Sunday or a legal holiday,
then such bills for service shall be payable on the next succeeding
calendar day without additional penalty. Additionally, bills
not paid when due shall accrue interest on the unpaid balance
of principle, interest and penalty as provided in Division 18,
Chapter 25 of this Code.
- Lien. The Town may cause a lien to be placed against
property when the owner refuses or neglects to pay any fire
hydrant rental fee within 60 days of due date. The Town shall
file a Notice of Lien in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds
of McLean County. Such lien shall secure payment of all fire
hydrant rental fees due at the time of the filing of notice
together with any penalty or interest added to such fee any
interest accruing after the filing of the Notice of said lien
and also a ten dollar ($10.00) fee to cover the cost of recording
said Notice of Lien. The Notice of Lien shall consist of sworn
statement setting out:
- A description of real estate, sufficient for identification.
- The amount of money due the Town for fire hydrant rental,
together with any accrued penalty, interest and lien recording
fee.
- The amount of accruing interest, if any, from the date
the
lien is filed, until paid.
- The dates for which the fire hydrant rental fee was
imposed.
- Lien Enforcement. Any lien filed pursuant to the Section, may be enforced by proceeding to foreclosure as provided by law.
Upon payment of the fire hydrant rental fee, all accrued penalty
and interest, and lien recording fee, the lien shall be released
by the Town and a Notice of Lien released shall be filed of
record, with the Recorder of Deeds, McLean County.
(SECTION 7.12-7 ADDED 12/19/83)