Connecting to an existing water main:

Tap Agreement & Deposits
A street address is required for all new taps. For multiple units in one building, one address is required for each separate tap application. A separate tap, service line and curb box are required for each separately metered address. A minimum of 48 hours notice to Mountain Water is necessary to allow time to obtain material and scheduling for the tap.
A tap deposit will be necessary for each individual tap. The deposit must be paid and a tap agreement filled out by the contractor, developer or owner. A contractor must be hired to install the service line and prepare for the tap.

MWC will perform the tap.

TAP DEPOSITS
1” service $ 330.00
2” service $ 500.00
4” service $1,130.00
6” service $1,300.00
8” service $1,525.00
10” service $1,855.00
12" service $2,560.00
Any Size on Size Connection, Additional $800.00
(i.e. 4" tap on 4" main-$1,130.00+$800.00=$1,930.00)

These deposits are refundable once water service has been established and the new customer is being billed for the account. Further, the full deposit will not be refunded until the entire service tap is being billed/used. (i.e. if a 6” tap was done but only a 2” meter is used) only a portion of the deposit will be refunded and the remainder held until the entire service is in use. Once the deposits are paid, the actual tap can be scheduled.
The contractor is responsible for providing a job site that meets all local, state, and federal laws, statutes and regulations and must also perform all work in accordance with Mountain Water’s specifications.

Job Site Requirements for Tap
The following is a checklist of the job site requirements for a tap on the Mountain Water system:
1. Traffic control that meets statutory requirements and has been approved by the City Engineering Department. (Provide copy to MWC)
2. Appropriate trench protective system (trench box, shielding, or sloping) that is adequate for the job, minimum width 4’.
3. Box must have approved end panels.
4. Engineering document that the trench box has been certified. (Provide copy to MWC.)
5. An approved ladder that extends 3’ above the trench box and ditch bank and meets OSHA requirements.
6. Trench box cannot be placed on water main.
7. A ramp—if there will be more than 12” between box and/or ditch bank.
8. No equipment running on job site while tap is being done.
9. All materials at the job site, including fine grade for MWC pipe.
10. For multiple taps, required distance between taps must be: 12” on steel and 18” on PVC.
11. The curb box must be installed and ready for review for adherence to MWC specifications. These specific requirements do not relieve the contractor from following all other laws, regulations or statutes not specifically mentioned.

Service Line & Curb Box Information
Mountain Water’s specifications require that the service line be 6’ deep to top of pipe, with trace wire and the curb box in the ditch and exposed for inspection prior to the time of the tap. The service line and main must be bedded and back filled according to MWC specifications. Service line must be minimum of 1” in diameter.

As per the standard drawing, the curb stop and box must be located a minimum of 2” outside the property line and the meter pit must be located a minimum of 2’ inside the property line. Curb boxes or meter pits may not be located in the sidewalk.

If no sidewalk exists, contact Missoula City Engineering Office to determine any future sidewalk position and place the curb box accordingly.

Meter Pits
Meter pits are required on all new residential services. Costs are the responsibility of the customer or developer. It is the responsibility of the contractor installing the service line to install the pit. MWC personnel will inspect the pit installation for conformance to requirements and will do the meter installation. Leave a clear area around the meter pit of a minimum 4’ radius to allow access by MWC personnel for maintenance.

Meter pits must not be buried nor access obstructed by fences or landscaping materials.

Any meter larger than 1” will require a Mountain Water approved concrete pit or be installed at an approved inside location.

Commercial or Apartment Meter Sites

Any apartment or apartment complex that will need a 1 1/2” or larger meter, must install the meter in a readily accessible location inside the building. Meters for commercial buildings will be installed inside the building regardless of size and must be in an accessible location. Meters cannot be installed in a crawl space. Bypass will be required on any 1 1/2” and larger meter. If the meter can’t be installed in a readily accessible location inside, it must be installed in a MWC approved meter pit. A bypass will be required in this pit also. See Backflow information.

Irrigation Meter Sites

Meters for irrigation can be installed inside the building or in meter pits provided they meet Mountain Water Requirements. These requirements are the same as for commercial meters except no bypass is required.

Backflow Devices

If the requested tap is to serve commercial property, an approved, properly installed, backflow prevention assembly must be installed on each potable line serving the property. If the requested tap is to serve an existing house or building, Mountain Water Company must inspect the property to determine if a private well or other auxiliary water supply is located on the property. MWC must also perform an inspection if the tap is to serve a property, either new or existing, on which a private well or auxiliary water supply is planned to be installed. If there is to be a private well or other source of water in addition to the Mountain Water potable supply, state law requires that an approved backflow prevention assembly be installed on each line serving the property.

Backflow Prevention Requirements

The City of Missoula and Mountain Water Company require that commercial accounts (including multiple family dwellings—4-plex or larger) install an approved and properly installed reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly on the service to the property. The installation specifications for a reduced pressure assembly are as follows:

1. The assembly must be on the approved assembly list (call Gary Mitchell at Mountain Water Company— 721-5570 for info on which assemblies are approved for installation.)
2. The assembly must be installed above grade with provisions for drainage to atmosphere.
Backflow assembly may not be installed in crawl spaces.
3. The assembly must be protected from freezing.
4. The assembly shall be installed as close to the service connection as possible with no taps, hose bibs, or connections ahead of backflow assembly.
5. The assembly must be down stream of the water meter.
6. The assembly must be horizontal and level unless approved for other orientation(s) (Call Gary Mitchell for orientation approvals).
7. The assembly must be tested annually by a certified backflow assembly tester.
8. Onsite thermal expansion control must be installed as needed.
9. The assembly must be supported as needed.
10. All premises (both commercial and residential) having multiple services must have each service protected by an approved and properly installed backflow prevention assembly.
11. Assembly must be installed at least 1 ft. and no more than 5 ft. from floor. If assembly is more than 5 ft from floor, a permanent platform must be installed to facilitate testing and repairs.
12. All properties on which there are auxiliary supplies of water (i.e. private wells, ditches, etc.) must either have an approved properly installed backflow prevention assembly on all potable services or the private well must be abandoned per DNRC specifications.
Also, all services (both residential and commercial) serving underground irrigation systems must be protected by an approved and properly installed backflow prevention assembly. Call Gary Mitchell at Mountain Water Company, 721-5570 for applications and installation requirements.