Polk County Water, Sewage and
Solid Waste Authority (PCWA)
Line Extension Policy
Dated: June 20, 2011
Approved by the Board: June 20, 2011
Amended: June 17, 2013
Overview
The line extension policy affects customers wishing to extend current County water lines for
residential services. It does not include line extensions for business or commercial users. All
line extensions must be installed in accordance with current Federal, State, and County laws
and policies, as well as other organizations such as railroad or road departments.
The PCWA is committed to controlling cost while continuing to provide the best available
product and services to our customers. To do this, it is necessary, from time to time, to modify
past programs when costs and resources change. The PCWA line extension policy reflects
the best utilization of funds and manpower to provide water to residents without County water
service, and may change without notice, given the needs of the business.
Discussion
Charges for line extensions will be determined based on labor, material, and associated costs.
Other charges may apply, such as road and driveway bores, railroad bores, casing, rock
excavation and/or drilling, or other unidentified or special charges that may be required to
complete the installation. A site visit to the requested installation area is necessary before any
final pricing is approved or quoted. The costs, after inspection, are only an estimate. There
may be other charges due to circumstances not detected by visual inspection of the project
site. Typically, line extensions include pipe costs, a three-quarter inch (¾”) residential meter
and installation, line tap, and associated labor. Due to frequent changes that are beyond the
control of the PCWA, requests for line extensions will be priced based on current labor,
material charges and any extraordinary charges that may be incurred due to the installation of
the line and meter. Quotes are provided for a period of thirty days, and then may require a requote at the discretion of PCWA management. Further, timing for line extensions may vary
from job to job, depending on PCWA work load, weather, and material and equipment
availability.
A written quote will be provided and signed by the PCWA General Manager and, if agreed and
accepted, the party contracting for the extension. Terms require payment in full prior to job
start. Payment will be based on the estimated quote and any final payment for extraordinary
charges will be paid in full upon completion of the project.
This line extension policy shall become effective upon approval by the PCWA Board of
Directors and shall remain in full force and effect until revoked or amended by the Board of
Directors. Changes may occur without notice.
The following fund is approved effective June 17, 2013, as a part of the Polk County Water
Authority Line Extension Policy. This fund will be reviewed and identified in
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the annual budget as “Line Extension Fund” and may be changed or discontinued by the
Authority Board of Directors based on the financial and business needs of PCWA. The
amount of the fund shall be set by the BOD annually, and may be revised as necessary.
Line extensions are part of the County system, owned and maintained by the Polk County
Water Authority, for the use of our customers. When a new line extension is approved and
installed, it becomes subject to the control, repair, and maintenance of the Authority.
Taps to Existing Water Main Lines
Customers wishing to tap into a line extension that has been installed and paid for by another
customer may do so in accordance with the following guidelines.
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During the two years following a line extension installation, a new customer may
be added to the extended portion of the line.
However, during this two year period, the new customer will be required to pay
an additional $ 175.00 “added customer fee” to the original line extension
customer, as well as other line connection fees and deposits required as with
any new customer account. No special provisions are available to the “added
customer”.
The Added Customer Fee will be paid to the PCWA and used as a credit on the
originating customer’s account. In any case, the amount collected from “added
customer fees”, and credited to the originating customer, shall not exceed
seventy-five percent (75%) of the original installation amount paid.
After the initial two year period, no special provisions will apply.
Line Extension
1. The Board will establish and set aside a non-restricted fund each budget year for
residential line extensions. This money will be used in response to line extension
requests from residential customers to subsidize the cost of a line extension to their
property. Unused funds at year end will be returned to General Funds. This fund and
the supporting policy may be stopped, reduced, changed, or otherwise modified based
on the financial and operating requirements of the Authority.
2. Each application for a line extension will be reviewed by the General Manager to
determine the cost and viability of the extension. Once this is determined, and if
approved by the General Manager, the PCWA will allocate funds toward the extension
cost.
3. PCWA will pay a flat rate of forty percent (40%) of the cost of the line extension, not to
exceed $ 4,000 per installation, with the balance due from the customer before
installation begins.
4. The customer will be responsible for any and all charges exceeding the PCWA
contribution.
5. Customer charges must be paid in advance of work beginning. Fees may be paid by
builders/contractors on behalf of the account holder, but the account must be in the
property owner’s name.
6. Work must be done by the PCWA Contractor in coordination with other PCWA contract
work.
7. When the annual budgeted amount for PCWA Line Extension Fund is depleted, then
applicants wishing to use the fund will be required to wait until the following year’s
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budget is funded. All applications will be date-time stamped and prioritized on a “first
come/first served” basis.
8. Exceptions may be granted to this policy based on special circumstances as
determined by the Authority’s Finance Committee. This may include additional
budget allocations when the annual line extension fund amount is depleted.
9. Annual funding is set at $ 50,000 for budget purposes. First year (CY 2013) funding
will be pro-rated.