Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 490 - Water Resources Board › Chapter 00 - N/A › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 1 - Water Use and Efficiency Rule for Major Public Water Suppliers › Section 490-RICR-00-00-1.3 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. "Board" means the Rhode Island Water
				 Resources Board, pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 46-15, or, for the
				 administration of these regulations, the staff of the Rhode Island Water
				 Resources Board.
B. "Conservation
				 pricing" means a rate structure that is employed by water utilities with the
				 intent of providing a price signal to reduce or minimize wasteful use of water
				 resources and to reduce future costs to customers.
C. "Gallons per capita per day" or "GPCD" means
				 a residential water use calculation that is determined by dividing the amount
				 water supplied for residential use by the number days in the reporting period and
				 further dividing that figure by the number of residents served in their places of
				 residence.
D. "Increasing (or
				 inclining) block rates" means charging customers higher unit rates for
				 progressively higher quantities of water used.
E. "Leakage" means a component of non-billed
				 water and is water that is lost through the water supply system through leaks in
				 pipes, pumps, services connections, etc. For purposes of this rule leakage is
				 calculated by estimating the difference between total non-billed water and the
				 total of the estimated or measured allowances for firefighting, meter inaccuracy,
				 theft, system usage, main flushing, sewer cleaning, storm drain cleaning, and
				 other allowances that may be developed by the water resources board.
F. "Non-billed water" means the difference
				 between water withdrawn and/or purchased by a supplier and water sold by a
				 supplier. Components of non-billed water include leakage, firefighting, meter
				 inaccuracy, theft, system usage, main flushing, sewer cleaning, storm drain
				 cleaning, and other allowances that may be developed by the Board.
G. "Major water customer" means a water
				 customer of a major public water supplier that uses more than three million
				 gallons/year or more than 750,000 gallons in any consecutive three-month period
				 and is supplied by a public supplier
H. "Major public water supplier" means a water
				 supplier that obtains, transports, purchases or sells more than fifty million
				 gallons of water per year. The Department of Defense is not included in this
				 definition.
I. "Residential water
				 use" means water used by single and multiunit residences for household
				 purposes.
J. "Seasonal rates" means
				 customers are charged a lower water rate in the winter when water demand is
				 usually lower and a significantly higher rate in the summer when demand is
				 higher. All unit rates or rate blocks by class can be set so that they reflect
				 higher summer demands for each customer class.
K. "Water efficiency and demand management
				 strategy" (hereinafter referred to as DMS) means a strategic plan and
				 implementation schedule that is developed by a major public water supplier which
				 meets the targets established by this rule and employs a combination of the
				 required methods plus any combination optional methods in order to achieve a high
				 level of efficiency. The schedule lays out a timeline for implementing the
				 strategies and identifies responsible parties.
L. "WaterSense certified" means an appliance,
				 product, or fixture certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as
				 using water efficiently.
M. "Water
				 source" means a well, reservoir, pond, lake, and river or stream segment used for
				 potable water supply.
N. "Water
				 supply system management plan" or "WSSMP" means the plan that is prepared by
				 major public water systems with content prescribed by R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter
				 46-15.3 and submitted to the Water Resources Board pursuant to the Rules and
				 Procedures for Water Supply System Management Planning, Part 2 of this
				 Subchapter.