"Applicant" means any person, partnership, firm, corporation, municipality, cooperative organization, governmental agency, etc., that has completed a water company's application for water service.

"Commission" means the Washington utilities and transportation commission.

"Contributions in aid of construction" means any money, services or property received by a water company to fund capital investments at no cost to the company with no obligation to repay.

"Customer" means:

• Anyone who has paid water company fees and/or has an accepted application for service; or

• Anyone whose service connection is installed and is currently paying a ready-to-serve charge; or

• Anyone who is actually receiving water service from the company with the knowledge of the company.

"Extension" means the water mains and equipment necessary to extend the company's transmission and distribution infrastructure. An extension may also be called a distribution extension, a main extension, or a line extension.

"Facilities charge" means a one-time fee that a new customer must pay, consistent with WAC 480-110-455 (Water company funding mechanisms), before the company will connect the customer's property to the water system.

"Initial tariff" means:

• The tariff filed by a water company when it first becomes subject to the jurisdiction of the commission; or

• The tariff filed by a water company that was formerly subject to commission jurisdiction, and has once again become jurisdictional. It does not mean a tariff filed to add a newly acquired system or company to the tariff of a currently jurisdictional company.

"Jurisdictional customer" means anyone who is actually receiving water service.

"Potential customer" means anyone to whom the water company has given a letter agreeing to provide service; and

• The letter is currently enforceable and has not expired by its own terms; and

• The property is not yet receiving any type of service.

"Primary contaminants" means substances that, when present in drinking water at levels exceeding designated maximum contaminant levels (MCL), may adversely affect the health of consumers. These MCLs are established as water quality "primary standards" and are based on chronic, nonacute, or acute human health effects.

"Rate increase filing" means any filing by the company that would:

• Increase gross annual revenues of the company from activities regulated by the commission; or

• Restructure tariffs so that one class of customer would provide more gross revenue than under the prior tariff structure. The term does not mean filings designed only to recover governmentally imposed taxes or periodic rate adjustments that have been authorized by commission order.

"Ready-to-serve charge" means the charge assessed by the water company when:

• The water company has the ability to provide water service;

• The water company has committed to provide water service; and

• There is an installed service connection at the customer's property.

"Reconnect charge" means the charge specified in the company's tariff for restoring water service that has been disconnected:

• At the customer's request; or

• For nonpayment; or

• For failure to comply with the company's rules.

"Service area" means the geographic area to which the company intends to provide water service using current plant.

"Service connection" means the pipes, valves, and fittings between the water company's distribution system and the customer's service line.

"Standby charge" means a charge imposed by some unregulated companies for having transmission and distribution infrastructure installed but without the current ability to provide water. It is also sometimes referred to as a system-readiness fee. The commission does not authorize this type of charge for regulated water companies.

"Surcharge" means a monthly charge or fee paid to the water company for plant or expenses. The surcharge is in addition to regular monthly service fees and typically has an expiration date or dollar limit and is subject to specific accounting requirements.

"Water company" or "company" means any corporation, company, association, joint stock association, partnership or person, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatever, owning, controlling, operating or managing any water plant within the state of Washington for the purpose of furnishing water service to the public for hire and subject to the jurisdiction of the commission. It does not include management by a satellite management agency as defined in chapter 70.116 RCW if the satellite agency is not an owner of the water company.

"Water system" means all plant, equipment, and other assets used to provide water service for a specific location.