§ 48-137. Procedures for backflow prevention.
(a)
No water service connection to any premises shall be installed, permitted, or maintained in the city unless and until the water supply is protected as required by state and federal laws and regulations and this article including, without limitation, the regulations of the commission. Service of water to any premises shall be discontinued by the city if a backflow prevention assembly required by this article is not installed, tested and maintained, or if it is found that a backflow prevention assembly has been removed or bypassed, or if an unprotected cross connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected. The director may pursue other remedies to ensure compliance with this article. If required, all users shall provide, maintain and routinely test approved backflow assemblies as required by the city's plumbing code and by this article. The director may require the installation of approved backflow assemblies as deemed necessary. Residential dwellings with lawn watering devices shall require a backflow prevention device. All other lawn-watering devices shall require an approved backflow assembly. The type of device shall be determined by the director.
(b)
The customer's water system shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the city to determine whether cross connections or other system or sanitary hazards, including violations of this article exist.
(c)
No cross connection shall be permitted between any system of piping supplied by water from the mains of the city's water system, and any other source of supply, whether public or private.
(d)
Where the city's water is used by a customer as an auxiliary supply to a roof or suction tank, which is also supplied by water from any other source, such tank shall not be of the pressure type, but shall be an open type containing a vent. The delivery of city's water shall be above the tank overflow rim and controlled by an approved automatic valve. It shall be unlawful to maintain potable water storage tanks supplied only with the city's water, unless the tanks are satisfactorily built and covered so as to prevent the entrance of contaminants. These tanks and static storage systems and other static water storage facilities, including ponds, serving fire suppression systems, shall be designed and built so as to prevent the entrance of contaminants to the city's water system and shall also be subject to periodic inspection by the city through its water department and maintained in a manner in compliance with the standards and requirements of the commission. Pumps taking suction from the city's water supply serving such static storage systems shall be installed or operated only upon request or permit from city subject to their approval as to size, rate, capacity and valving arrangements. Storage tanks supplied with city's water shall require an air-gap or approved backflow assembly. In such cases, a specific backflow assembly shall be required at the service connection.
(e)
It shall be unlawful for anyone to interconnect private water supplies, including, without limitation, deep well systems, with the city's water system.
(f)
If required by the director, an approved backflow prevention assembly shall be installed in each water service line to a customer's water system at a location at or near the property line or immediately inside the building being served, but in all cases before the point where the first branch line leading off of the water service line, wherever any of the following conditions exist:
(1)
In the case of premises upon which any industrial fluids or any other objectionable substances are handled in such a manner as to result in an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing an approved backflow prevention assembly appropriate to the degree of hazard in the service line. This shall include, but not be limited to, the handling of process waters or waters originating from the water utility system which have been subject to deterioration in quality.
(2)
In the case of premises having:
a.
Internal cross connections that cannot be permanently corrected and controlled;
b.
Intricate plumbing and piping arrangements; or
c.
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 an approved backflow prevention assembly in the water service line.
(3)
Any nonresidential building greater than one-story elevation.
(4)
Any residential building structure greater than two-story elevation.
(g)
The water supply to all boilers of users shall require internal protection in the form of an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle assembly.
(h)
All bypass systems shall include a required backflow assembly as determined by the director.
(i)
The type of protective assembly required to be utilized by the customer shall depend upon the degree of hazard, such as:
(1)
In the case of any premises where there is water or any other substance that would be objectionable but not hazardous to health if introduced into the public water system, the public water system shall be protected by an approved double-check valve assembly or by an approved air-gap separation.
(2)
In the case of any premises where any material 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 water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention assembly. The director, upon review of individual facilities may require a double-check valve assembly if he determines that the degree of hazard for that particular user is low.
(3)
In the case of any premises where there are uncontrolled cross connections, either actual or potential, the city water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention assembly at the point of service connection.
(4)
In the case of any premises where, because of security requirements or because of other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete in-plant cross connection survey, the water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by either an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention assembly in each water service line to the premises.
(5)
Any residential or commercial user of city water shall provide backflow prevention on all irrigation systems within city. Atmospheric or pressure vacuum breakers shall be utilized on irrigation systems subject to the degree of hazard, and subject to the approval of the building official, director or water superintendent.
(j)
Any backflow prevention assembly required herein shall be of a model and a size approved by the director. The term "approved backflow prevention assembly" shall mean an assembly that has been manufactured in full conformance with the standards established by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) entitled AWWA C506-78 Standards for Reduced Pressure Principle and Double Check Valve Backflow Prevention Devices, or as such standards may be amended; which has completely met all laboratory and field performance specifications of the Foundation for Cross Connection Control and Hydraulic Research FCCC and HR) of the University of Southern California established by Specifications of Backflow Prevention Devices No. 69-2 dated March 1969 or the most current issue thereof.
(1)
The above-stated AWWA and FCCC and HR standards and specifications, as the same presently exist, or as same may be amended, modified or supplemented, are adopted by the city as the applicable standards for backflow prevention assembly devices. Compliance with such standards and specifications shall be evidenced by a certificate of approval issued by an approved testing laboratory certifying full compliance with the above stated AWWA standards and the above stated FCCC and HR specifications. The following testing laboratories have been qualified by the director to test and certify backflow prevention assembly devices:
a.
Foundation for Cross Connection Control and Hydraulic Research.
b.
University of Southern California.
c.
University Park.
d.
Los Angeles, CA 79007.
e.
University Extension Services.
f.
Texas A and M.
g.
College Station, TX 77843-8000.
(2)
Testing laboratories other than those listed in subsection (1) of this section will be added to an approved list as they are qualified by the director, in his sole discretion. Backflow preventers, which may be subjected to back-pressure to backsiphonage, that have been fully tested and have been granted a certificate of approval by the qualified laboratories and are listed on the laboratory's current list of approved backflow prevention devices may be used with the written approval of a qualified tester, as defined herein.
(k)
It shall be the responsibility of the director to determine the need for double-detector check or backflow prevention assemblies related to fire protection systems. This determination will be made on individual installations or fire suppression systems.
(l)
Backflow/backsiphonage assemblies shall be installed in accordance with current city water utility standards. Vaults and dimensions shall also conform to such standards.
(m)
All assemblies, other than those related to fire protection systems, shall be inspected by the director, building official or their designee upon completion of the building or remodeling project or development, for approval by a qualified tester.
(n)
Should any system supplied by the city water be operated in violation of any provision of this article, the director shall direct that all service lines serving such system be completely disconnected until this article has been complied with. Any cost of such disconnection and the estimated cost of reconnection shall be paid by the consumer before water service shall be restored. If fire protection is being supplied by the noncompliant system, the city may elect to disconnect only the water service for non-fire suppression uses, and may issue citations to the user until such time as the user corrects the problem, or the user's assemblies are tested, and charge the user for such testing. The issuance of citations for violations of this article shall be the responsibility of the director. However, the owner of premises is responsible for proper protection and all liability in connection with all cross connection violations.
(o)
All presently installed backflow prevention assemblies that do not meet the requirements of this article but which were approved devices for the purposes described herein at the time of their installation and which have been properly maintained, shall, except for the inspection and maintenance requirements, be excluded from the requirements of these rules only if the director is assured that such assemblies will satisfactorily protect the city water system. Whenever any existing device is moved from its present location, or requires more than minimum maintenance, or when the director finds that the maintenance constitutes a hazard to health, such device shall be replaced by an approved backflow prevention assembly meeting the requirements of this article.
(p)
Test cocks shall be required on all backflow prevention assemblies.
(q)
Identification, including the size, model number, and serial number shall be placed on the actual device and of durable marking material.
(r)
A plumbing permit must be obtained for installation of all backflow prevention assemblies.
(s)
All approved backflow assemblies shall be of the type which is basically non-removable and installed in such a manner that removal of the assembly would prohibit water flow.
(t)
If a cross connection arises, the director may recommend that a boil water order be made. Such order shall provide protection in such a hazardous situation. The duration of the order shall be determined by the director.
(u)
All cases of cross connection shall be immediately reported to the director.
(v)
Internal protection surveys shall be performed once each year per establishment and as further required by the director, in the interest of public health and safety.
(w)
Thermal expansion. It is the responsibility of the property owner to eliminate the possibility of thermal expansion, if a closed system has been created by the installation of a backflow assembly.
(x)
Pressure loss. Any water pressure drop caused by the installation of a backflow assembly shall not be the responsibility of the city. The city water utilities department may provide reasonable assistance to any property owner regarding information respecting the adequate sizing of assemblies, proper plumbing practices to provide for required pressure and flows for fire protection or domestic service.
(y)
Mobile units.
(1)
A person who owns or operates any vehicle that uses water from the city's public water system shall obtain a use permit from the director before accessing the public water system. The director may require a fixed air-gap mounted on the top of such vehicle.
(2)
The failure of any customer to comply with this article shall be grounds for the city to revoke any use permit and to deny the customer the privilege of reapplying for such a permit in the future.
(3)
The director may deny a use permit to any person who is not in compliance with this article (or who has a history of violating the requirements of the section).
(4)
Any tampering or removal of backflow assembly on any fire hydrant meter is unlawful and will constitute a violation of this article by the person so tampering or removing any assembly, who shall be subject to the penalties provided by this article.
(Code 1994, § 11.306A; Ord. No. 569, § 1, 3-10-2014)