82

Section 13-82 Cross-connection control.

(a) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to:

(1) Protect the City's public potable water supply from the possibility of contamination by isolating within its customers' private water systems contaminants or pollutants which could backflow through the City's water service connections into the public water system;

(2) Promote the elimination or control of existing cross connections, actual or potential between its customer's in-plan potable water systems and nonpotable water systems, plumbing fixtures and industrial piping systems; and

(3) Provide for the maintenance of a continuing program of cross-connection control which will systematically and effectively prevent the contamination of all potable water systems.

(b) Superintendent's authority. The City's utilities department superintendent is invested with the authority and responsibility for the implementation of an effective cross-connection control program and for the enforcement of the provisions of this section.

(c) Superintendent's responsibility; customer's obligation. The City utilities department superintendent shall be responsible for the protection of the public potable water distribution system from contamination due to backflow of contaminants through the water service connection. If in the judgment of the utilities department superintendent an approved backflow prevention device is required, at the City's water service connection to any customer's premises for the safety of the water system, the utilities department superintendent shall give notice in writing to such customer to install an approved backflow prevention device at each service connection of his premises. The customer shall install such approved device at his own expense, and failure, refusal or inability on the part of the customer to install such device shall constitute a ground for discontinuing water service to the premises until such device has been installed.

(d) Definitions. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this section shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Approved means accepted by the water department as meeting an applicable specification stated or cited in this section or as suitable for the proposed use.

Auxiliary water supply means any water supply on or available to the premises other than the purveyor's approved public potable water supply. These auxiliary waters may include water from another purveyor's public potable water supply or any natural source such as a well, spring, river, stream, pond, etc., or used waters or industrial fluids. Auxiliary water may be polluted or contaminated or it may be objectionable and constitute an unacceptable water source over which the water purveyor does not have sanitary control.

Backflow means the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable water supply from any source other than its intended source.

Backsiphonage means the backing up or siphoning of a foreign liquid into a potable water system.

Backflow preventer means a device or means to prevent backflow.

(1) Air-gap means the unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying water to a tank, plumbing fixture or other device and the flood level rim of the receptacle. An approved air-gap shall be at least double the diameter of the supply pipe, measured vertically above the top rim of the vessel, in no case less than one (1) inch. When an air-gap is used at the service connection to prevent contamination of the public potable water system, an emergency bypass shall be installed around the air-gap system and an approved reduced pressure device shall be installed in the bypass.

(2) Double check valve assembly means an assembly of at least two (2) independently acting approved check valves including tightly closing shutoff valves on each side of the check valve assembly and suitable leak detector drains plus connections available for testing the water tightness of each valve. The entire assembly shall meet the specifications and approval of the water department. To be approved, these devices must be readily accessible for maintenance and testing.

(3) Approved reduced pressure principal backflow prevention device means a device approved by the water department which incorporates two (2) or more spring loaded check valves and automatically operating differential relief valve located between the two (2) checks, two (2) tightly closing shutoff valves, and equipped with necessary appurtenances for testing. The device shall operate to maintain the pressure in the zone between the two (2) check values less than the pressure on the public water supply side of the device. At cessation of normal flow the pressure between check valves shall be less than the supply pressure. When the inlet pressure is two (2) pounds per square inch (psi) or less than the pressure between the two (2) check valves, the relief valve shall open the atmosphere, thereby providing an air gap within the device. To be approved, these devices must be readily accessible for maintenance and testing and installed in a location where no part of the valve will be or may be submerged.

(4) Residential dual check valve means an assembly of two (2) in-line spring loaded independently operating check valves in a bronze body construction. The unit shall operate in horizontal or vertical position.

Contamination means to make unclean by contact.

Cross connection means any connection or structural arrangement between a public or a consumer's potable water system and any nonpotable source or water of questionable safety or system through which backflow can occur. Bypass arrangements, jumper connections, removable sections, swivel or change-over devices, and other temporary or permanent devices through which, or because of which, backflow can occur are considered to be cross connections.

Cross-connection controlled means a connection between a potable water system and a nonpotable and/or questionable safety water system with an approved built-in backflow preventer that will continuously afford protection proportionate with the degree of hazard.

Cross-connection control by containment means the installation of an approved backflow prevention device at the water service connection to any customer's premises where it is physically and economically infeasible to find and permanently eliminate or control all actual or potential cross connections to a customer's water system; or it shall mean the installation of an approved backflow prevention device on the service line leading to and supplying a portion of a customer's water system where there are actual or potential cross connections which cannot be effectively eliminated or controlled at the point of cross connection.

Hazard, degree of means a term that is derived from an evaluation of the potential risk to public health and the adverse effect upon potable water system.

(1) Hazard, health means any condition, device, or practice in a water supply system and its operation that creates, or may create in the judgment of the water department, a danger to the health and well-being of a water consumer.

(2) Hazard, plumbing means a cross connection in a consumer's potable water system that may permit back siphonage in the event of a negative pressure in the supply line.

(3) Hazard, pollutional means an actual or potential threat to the physical properties of the water system or the potability of the public or the consumer's potable water system, but which would constitute a nuisance or be aesthetically objectionable or could cause damage to the system or its appurtenances, but would not be dangerous to health.

(4) Hazard, systems means an actual or potential threat to the physical properties of the public or the consumer's potable water system or of a material not dangerous to health, but aesthetically objectionable that would have a degrading effect on the quality of the potable water in the system.

Industrial fluids system means any system containing a fluid or solution which may be chemically, biologically or otherwise contaminated or polluted in a form or concentration such as would constitute a health, system, pollutional or plumbing hazard if introduced into an approved water supply. This may include, but not be limited to:

(1) Polluted or contaminated waters;

(2) All types of process waters and used waters originating from the public potable water system which may have deteriorated in sanitary quality;

(3) Chemicals in fluid form;

(4) Platting acids and alkalies;

(5) Circulated cooling waters connected to an open cooling tower and cooling waters that are chemically or biologically treated or stabilized with toxic substances;

(6) Contaminated natural waters such as from wells, springs, streams, rivers, bays, irrigation canals or systems and ponds; and

(7) Oils, gases, glycerine, caustic and acid solutions and other liquid and gaseous fluids used in industrial or other processes or for firefighting purposes.

Nontoxic means not toxic.

Pollution means the presence of any foreign substance (organic, inorganic, radiological, or biological) in water which tends to degrade its quality so as to constitute a hazard or impair the usefulness of quality of the water to a degree which does not create an actual hazard to the public health but which does adversely and unreasonably affect such waters for domestic use.

Toxic means anything that can injure or kill, that is poisonous.

Water:

(1) Water, potable means water that is safe for drinking, personal use, or for cooking.

(2) Water, nonpotable means water which is not safe for human consumption or which is of questionable potability.

(3) Water purveyor or water department means the City water department.

(4) Water service connections means the terminal end of a service connection from the public potable water system where the City water department loses jurisdiction and sanitary control over the water at its point of delivery to the consumer's water system. In most cases, the terminal point is at the customer's private gate valve on the downstream side of the meter.

(5) Water, used means water supplied by a water purveyor from a public potable water system to a consumer's water system after it has passed through the point of delivery and is no longer under the sanitary control of the water purveyor.

(e) Water system requirements.

(1) The water system shall be considered as made up of two (2) parts: the utility system and the customer system.

(2) The utility system shall consist of the source facilities and the distribution system, and shall include all those facilities of the water system operated under public health supervision under the control of the utility, up to a point where the customer's system begins.

(3) The source shall include all components of the facilities utilized in the production, treatment, storage, and delivery of water to the distribution system.

(4) The distribution system shall include the network of appurtenances between the source and the point of delivery, such as valves, pipes, conduits, tanks, and fittings, used to convey or store water for public consumption or use.

(5) The customer system shall include those parts of the facilities beyond the termination of the utility distribution system which are utilized in conveying utility delivered domestic water to points of use.

(f) Policy.

(1) No water service connection to any premises shall be installed or maintained by the water purveyor unless the water supply is protected as required by state law and regulation and this Code. Service of water to any premises shall be discontinued by the water purveyor if a backflow prevention device required by the water purveyor in accordance with this Code is not installed, tested, and maintained, or if it is found that a backflow preventive device has been removed by bypass, or if an unprotected cross connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected.

(2) It shall be a violation of this section to effectively remove any backflow prevention device without giving notice of such removal to the utilities department superintendent within seventy-two (72) hours of removal. This violation shall be punishable as provided for in section 1-6 of this Code.

(3) The customer system shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the utillities department to determine whether cross connections or other structural or sanitary hazards, including violations of this section, exists. When such a condition becomes known, the utilities superintendent shall deny or discontinue service to the premises by providing for a physical break in the service line until the customer has corrected the condition in conformance with state and City statutes relating to plumbing and water supplies and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

(4) An approved backflow prevention device shall also be installed on each service line, as required by the water department, to a customer's water system in a location as specified by a water department representative. In all cases, the backflow prevention device shall be installed to protect against the following conditions:

a. In the case of premises having an auxiliary water supply which is not or may not be of safe bacteriological or chemical quality, the public water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line.

b. In the case of premises on which any industrial fluids or any other objectionable substance is handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line. This shall include the handling of process waters and waters originating from the utility system which have been subject to deterioration in quality.

c. In the case of premises having internal cross connections that cannot be permanently corrected and controlled, and intricate plumbing and piping arrangements or where entry to all portions of the premises is not readily accessible for inspection purposes, making it impracticable or impossible to ascertain whether or not dangerous cross connections exist, the public water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line.

(5) The type of protection device required shall depend on the degree of hazard which exists as follows:

a. In the case of any premises where there is an auxiliary water supply, the public water system shall be protected by an approved reduced pressure principle back- flow prevention device installed above ground.

b. In the case of any premises where there is water or a substance that would be objectionable, but not hazardous and nontoxic to health, if introduced into the public water system, the public system shall be protected by an approved double check valve assembly installed in a pit/box with adequate room for testing.

c. In the case of any premises where there is any material toxic and dangerous to health which is handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public system shall be protected by an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device installed above ground.

d. In the case of any premises where there are uncontrolled cross connections, either actual or potential, the public water system shall be protected by an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device installed above ground in the service to the premises.

e. In the case of any premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions it is impossible or impractical to make a complete in-plant cross-connection survey, the public water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line. In this case, an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be installed above ground in the service to the premises.

f. In the case of any new water service to a residential customer after passage of the ordinance from which this section derives, an approved residential dual check valve shall be installed in the service line on the customer's side of the stop cock or valve. Both the valve or cock and residential dual check valve shall be located in a box adjacent to the property line.

g. In the case of any new fire services after passage of the ordinance from which this section derives consisting of a standpipe service with a pipeline with hose connections smaller than standard two-and-one-half-inch fire hose, an approved dual check valve shall be installed in the service line on the customer's side of the gate valve. Both the gate valve and dual check valve shall be located in a box adjacent to the property line. All hose valves shall be closed and sealed and opened only in the case of fire.

h. In the case of any new fire service after the passage of the ordinance from which this section derives, consisting of a fire hydrant, the same standard hydrants as those used by the City shall be conformed with. A gate valve shall be required on the customer's property adjacent to the property line. All hydrants shall be closed and sealed and opened only in the case of fire.

i. In the case of any new fire service after passage of the ordinance from which this section derives, consisting of an automatic sprinkler system, an approved double check valve shall be installed in the service line on the customer's side of the customer's required gate valve adjacent to the property line. Both the gate and the dual check valve shall be located in a box with adequate room to provide for testing of the dual check valve.

j. In the case of any existing fire service that is a potential source of contamination, the utilities superintendent shall have the right to require that an adequate backflow preventor, as required by the utilities department, be installed in the service on the customer's property, adjacent to the property line.

(6) Any backflow prevention device required shall be of a model that is approved by the utilities department. The term "approved backflow preventer" shall mean a device that has been manufactured in full conformance with the standards established by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and/or the American Society of Sanitary Engineers (ASSE) entitled:

a. AWWA C506, Standard for Backflow Prevention Devices-Reduced Pressure Principle and Double Check Valve Types;

b. ASSE, Performance Requirements for Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Preventers;

c. ASSE 1015, Performance Requirements for Double Check Valve Type Back Pressure Preventers;

d. ASSE 1024, Dual Check Valve Type Backflow Preventers.

The above standards have been adopted by the utilities superintendent.

(7) It shall be the duty of the customer-user at any premises where backflow prevention devices are installed to have thorough inspections and operational tests made at least once a year, or more often in those instances where inspection indicates a need. Test records shall be maintained for a period of five (5) years.

(8) The water department shall inspect and test operations of the backflow preventors at least once a year. The City test shall not replace the customer-user test in subsection (f)(7).

(9) If a backflow preventor is found to be defective, the customer must repair, overhaul or replace the device at the expense of the customer-user. When repair, overhauling, or replacements have been completed, the customer-user shall be required to certify that the device is repaired and operational to the utilities superintendent.

(10) In cases where a backflow prevention device fails and/or is found not properly functional, and a toxic substance is a potential contaminant, the utilities superintendent shall require immediate discontinuance of water service to the premises until such time as the backflow prevention device is repaired or replaced and tested. The customer-user shall be required to certify that the device is repaired and operational to the utilities superintendent.

(11) In cases where a backflow prevention devices fails and/or is found not properly functional, and a nontoxic substance is the only potential contaminant possibly involved, it shall be at the discretion of the utilities superintendent whether immediate discontinuance of water service to the premises shall be carried out or whether the water service shall be left on and a specific time period specified for repairs or replacement of the backflow prevention device. The customer-user shall be required to certify that the device is repaired and operational to the utilities superintendent after repairs or replacements have been carried out.

(12) All presently installed backflow prevention devices which do not meet the requirements of this section, but were approved devices for the purposes described herein at the time of installation, and which have been properly maintained shall, except for the inspection and maintenance requirements, be excluded from the requirements of these rules so long as the utilities superintendent is assured that they will satisfactorily protect the utility system. Whenever the existing device is moved from the present location or requires more than minimum maintenance or when the utilities superintendent finds that the device no longer provides protection from contaminants, the customer-user shall replace the unit with a backflow prevention device meeting the requirements of this section.

(13) Making connection to or operating any City hydrant on the utility system is strictly prohibited except by employees of the City in the performance of their official duties.

(g) Implementation schedule.

(1) The utilities department shall investigate all known potential cross-connections sources. Customers with potential sources of contamination will be notified by the water department personal and given five (5) business days to be in compliance with this section. If not in compliance within five (5) business days, the customer will be notified and services discontinued until the requirement to install a backflow device as required by this section has been met.

(2) Any new service shall have the required backflow prevention device installed before connection is made to the City mains.

(3) In the event that an existing water service is cut out for any maintenance, the water service must have the proper private shut-off valve and backflow device installed before water service is turned back on by the City. Whencustomers are delinquent according to the provisions of Section 13-15(b) or the dwelling has been vacated , the tenant or home owner will be given five (5) business days to be in compliance with this section. If not in compliance within (5) business days, the customer will be notified and services discontinued until the requirement to install a backflow device as required by this section has been met.

(h) Backflow device installation. Each person desiring to install any backflow prevention device shall have a valid plumbing qualification certificate and license issued in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the City of Thomasville Water and Light Department.

(Code 1958, 18-28; Ord. of 7-14-86(2); Ord. of 8-22-88(1); Ord of 9-26-050

(2005 (13-82 g), Amended, 09/26/2005, Prior Text)