Operating Regulations
OPERATING REGULATIONS
Each Member of the society accepts, by virtue of such membership, the following Operating Regulations and agrees to be bound by their terms.
1. All actions/decisions of the Board as provided for in these Operating Regulations shall be informed and guided by the policy decisions adopted by the members at any General Meeting of the society.
2. Any Member’s accepting a connection or already connected to the water supply, and their successors, shall be furnished with a copy of these Operating Regulations of the Society.
3. In the event of a Member failing to comply with any of these Operating Regulations, the Board reserves the right to withdraw the supply of water from that member and no liability will attach to the Board or any of its members individually or otherwise for any damage arising in any manner howsoever from the withdrawal of the water supply.
4. The Board is empowered to take whatever action is necessary in an emergency or otherwise to safeguard the interests of the Society and its Members.
5. The Board shall have the right to institute any legal proceedings it may deem necessary in order to enforce any of the Operating Regulations herein contained and the proceedings shall be instituted in the name of the society.
6. The group water scheme network (including pipes, fittings, valves, meters, main-line and other associated infrastructure and equipment), are the property of the Society and cannot be operated or interfered with by any individual without the permission of the Board or its duly authorised agent.
7. It is the responsibility of the Members to ensure that his/her own system (from the point of connection to the group water scheme network) is maintained in a proper fashion. It is also the responsibility of the member/shareholder to meet the cost of any such maintenance and to meet any costs that may arise as a result of a lack of or insufficient maintenance.
8. The water supply must not extend beyond the house or farmyard without the provision of a floating ball-cock system. No manual taps are permitted beyond the house or farmyard.
9. All connections from the main supply will be governed by these Operating Regulations and the cost of such connections will be determined by the Board and approved by general meeting from time to time
10. It is the responsibility of the Member to ensure that the society is notified of any change of his/her address.
11. Upon the sale/transfer of property to which the Society has provided a connection, it is the responsibility of the Member to notify the society as to the name and address of the new owner.
12. The Board reserves the right to withdraw and disconnect supply, following the issue of written notice to the member concerned outlining the reasons. These may include inter alia:
- where a debt has not been cleared as regards annual charges, fines, development charges, upgrading charges, connection fees or any other such charges as agreed at a general meeting or special general meeting of the society.
- where reasonable access has been denied to the society’s appointed agents to examine fittings, extensions, pipes and equipment.
- where it is reasonable to assume that the society’s property was interfered with in contravention of these Operating Regulations.
13. The Board reserves the right to install meters for any of the following reasons-
- to monitor and manage supply and demand.
- to detect wastage.
- to calculate charges where agreed at a general meeting of the society.
14. Applications for permanent or temporary connections must be made to the society’s secretary and must be approved by the Board. If approval is granted and the necessary financial provisions have been complied with, the society’s agent will arrange connection.
15. Any member giving an unauthorised temporary or permanent supply to another party will be liable for a fine of €500 and the Board is entitled to, in accordance with Operating regulation 12, disconnect that member’s property or premises until such fine is paid and the unauthorised connection is terminated or regularised. The Board may review the amount of this fine from time to time.
16. A reconnection fee of €500 shall be charged in all cases. The Board may review this fee from time to time.
17. The provision of fire hydrants and other special services shall be the sole function of the Board.
18. The Board is empowered to appoint an agent or agents or to contract for the maintenance and upkeep of the society’s network and associated infrastructure and to decide on remuneration and terms for same. Any member found to be abusing or obstructing any member of the Board or its appointed agents may be subject to sanctions as set out in Operating regulation 12.
19. The Society, its Board and members shall not be liable to any Member or Members for any failure to supply water or to procure the supply of water to a Member or any other party, nor shall the Society, its Board or its Members be responsible in respect of the loss of any other material or service intended to be supplied by virtue of an arrangement made with a Member or Members where the loss has resulted from an Act of God or other circumstances beyond the control of the Society, its Board or Members, and the Society, its Board and Members shall not be liable for any expenses or consequential losses whatsoever sustained by a Member or Members in those circumstances. This exclusion of liability shall apply in respect of any delay in arranging supply and in respect of termination of supply for whatever reason. Each member accepts, by virtue of such membership, the provisions of this clause.
