Chapter 15.80
CROSS-CONNECTION CONTROL
Sections:
15.80.020 Code authority and enforcement.
15.80.050 Risk assessment survey.
15.80.070 Existing buildings, structures, and grounds.
15.80.080 Records and reports.
15.80.010 Purpose.
The purpose of the city of Longview cross-connection control program is to protect the public water system from contamination via cross-connections and backflow incidents. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.020 Code authority and enforcement.
Enforcement of this cross-connection control program in the area served by the city water utility will be in accordance with this chapter and WAC 246-290-490, as amended. For water utility customers outside of Longview city limits, the provisions of this chapter shall be enforced as water utility policy, to the extent allowed by law. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.030 Policy.
This policy shall provide for the permanent abatement or control of cross-connections to the potable water system of the city of Longview. Where it is infeasible to find, eliminate, or permanently control cross-connections to the water system, and when it is mandated by WAC 246-290-490 or deemed necessary by a city CCS, there shall be installed at the city water service connection and prior to any branch connections an approved backflow preventer commensurate with the degree of hazard posed by the customer’s water system upon the public water system. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.040 Minimum protection.
(1) All backflow preventers used for cross-connection control to protect the city of Longview water system shall be identified on the current list of approved backflow prevention assemblies developed by the Washington State Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water, as amended. Backflow prevention assemblies not identified on the Office of Drinking Water list of approved assemblies, but approved by another public water system in the state of Washington, may be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis by the city, who shall have the sole discretion to approve or disapprove use of the proposed backflow prevention assembly.
(2) All backflow preventers used to protect the public water system from potential premises hazards shall be installed downstream of connections to the public water system and prior to any branch connections, as determined by the city CCS.
(3) The following methods of cross-connection control are the minimum protection required at the water service connection at the property line to protect the public water system from potential hazards on the premises:
(a) All premises listed under WAC 246-290-490(4)(b)(i), (4)(b)(ii), (4)(b)(iii) and Table 13 shall require installation of an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(b) All premises on which material that may be dangerous to health is stored, handled, or processed, and which, in the assessment of a city CCS, poses a potential high health cross-connection hazard to the public water system, shall require installation of an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(c) All premises where entry is restricted such that inspection for cross-connections cannot be made with sufficient frequency or at sufficient short notice to ensure that cross-connections do not exist, and the risk of cross-connection hazards is low, shall require an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(d) All premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or reestablished shall require an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(e) All premises that have an auxiliary water supply on or available to the customer’s premises shall require an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(f) All premises that have internal cross-connections that are not correctable, or which have complex plumbing arrangements that make it impractical to ascertain whether or not cross-connections exist, shall require an air gap or a reduced pressure backflow assembly.
(g) All premises that have a heat exchanger or a solar hot water system shall require a risk assessment inspection by a city CCS to determine the level of backflow protection required.
(h) All fire systems that may contain chemical additives, including food-grade additives, shall require a reduced pressure backflow assembly or reduced pressure detector assembly.
(i) All premises that pose a high probability of changes in the use of water by tenants, such as but not limited to shopping malls or strip malls, shall require a backflow assembly commensurate with the degree of hazard.
(j) All fire systems with no chemical additives shall require a double check valve assembly or double check detector assembly.
(k) All premises where cross-connections are unavoidable or not correctable, such as but not limited to tall buildings (over 30 feet) or water booster pump systems, shall require a double check valve assembly unless other hazards on the premises require a higher level of backflow protection.
(4) The control of cross-connections requires cooperation between the water purveyor, the local administrative authority, the health officer and the customer (consumer).
(a) WAC 246-290-490(1)(d): The purveyor’s responsibility for cross-connection control shall begin at the water supply source, include all the public water treatment, storage, and distribution facilities, and end at the point of delivery to the customer’s water system, which begins at the downstream end of the service connection or water meter located on the public right-of-way or utility-held easement.
(b) WAC 246-290-490(1)(e): Under the provisions of this section, purveyors are not responsible for eliminating or controlling cross-connections within the customer’s water system. Under Chapter 19.27 RCW, the responsibility for cross-connections within the customer’s water system, i.e., within the property lines of the customer’s premises, falls under the jurisdiction of the local administrative authority.
(c) WAC 246-290-490(2)(d): The purveyor shall coordinate with the local administrative authority in all matters concerning cross-connection control. The purveyor shall document and describe such coordination, including delineation of responsibilities, in the written cross-connection control program required in WAC 246-290-490(2)(e).
(5) A city CCS shall make available to all local administrative authorities information maintained in the city cross-connection control program files, which may include, but is not limited to:
(a) A master list of all premises that have been isolated from the city water system in accordance with the city’s cross-connection control program;
(b) Information concerning any internal cross-connections that come to the attention of a city CCS during risk assessment evaluations of premises; and
(c) Notification of any termination of water service for failure to comply with the requirements of WAC 246-290-490 or the city’s cross-connection control program. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.050 Risk assessment survey.
(1) A risk assessment survey for cross-connections and sanitary hazards requires a water use evaluation of new and existing buildings, structures, and grounds to determine the degree of potential health hazard risk to the public water system. While assessing the risk of contamination of the public water system, if the degree of hazard posed by a substance or process is unknown, the city must assume the hazard is high. Almost all substances other than potable water under the city’s control are considered to be a health hazard to some degree.
(2) Factors to consider while determining the level of probability that a cross-connection may occur include:
(a) The probability increases that an existing cross-connection will go undetected as the complexity of a piping system increases.
(b) Piping changes will create new cross-connections or change the operating risk from back-siphonage to back-pressure conditions.
(c) A backflow preventer could be bypassed or removed from service.
(d) A material stored, handled, or processed could be changed or increased in strength.
(e) A material stored or handled may deteriorate, thus becoming a health hazard.
(f) A material, when combined with the chemicals in the potable water supply or when exposed to certain piping material, may react, and form a compound that poses a health hazard, such as CO2 mixing with water to form carbolic acid, an acid that leaches copper from service pipes.
(g) A material that, if it contains a bacteriological contaminant, could become a health hazard long after it enters the potable water supply, through bacteria regrowth. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.060 New construction.
(1) Risk assessments for new construction shall be conducted as outlined below: Upon application for a water service connection, a city CCS shall review the application and determine the risk posed to the public water system by the customer’s water system. A city CCS shall classify the water service connection as either a high health hazard cross-connection, a low health hazard cross-connection, or no health hazard cross-connection, and shall specify the need for and identify the type of backflow protection required (if applicable) for premises isolation backflow protection. When deemed necessary, a city CCS shall request the city’s engineering division or local administrative authority to require a detailed plan and specification for the plumbing installation in order to facilitate risk assessment review of the water use at the property.
(2) A city CCS shall review all water system related plans and specifications to:
(a) Assess the actual or potential health hazard or contamination risk to the public water system.
(b) Assess the complexity of any existing and/or proposed water piping system.
(c) Assess the probability of cross-connections within a customer’s water system.
(d) Determine what cross-connections might constitute acceptable risks.
(e) Determine the reliability required of any backflow prevention assembly utilized within a facility or mandated for premises isolation.
(f) Assess the actual or potential use and/or availability of any unapproved auxiliary water supply systems.
(g) Assess the storage and handling of material dangerous to health and toxic substances that, if introduced into the water system, would constitute a water system, plumbing, or health hazard.
(3) If it is determined that any of these conditions will exist, a city CCS shall advise the customer in writing that such cross-connections exist and may, as a courtesy, offer technical guidance in eliminating or controlling such cross-connections. If a city CCS determines that the customer’s water system represents a potential health hazard risk to the city water system, such as, but not limited to, WAC 246-290-490(4)(b) (Table 13) facilities and/or systems, a backflow preventer commensurate with the assessed degree of hazard shall be required for premises isolation at the water service connection, notwithstanding any point of hazard, point of use, or fixture protection existing or proposed within the property lines of the premises.
(4) Backflow preventers, when required, shall be installed and tested before the water service is activated. A city CCS shall advise the customer that it is the customer’s responsibility to install the backflow preventer and have it tested by a Washington State certified backflow assembly tester (BAT) prior to use of the water service, and that annual testing and documentation is required thereafter. A city CCS shall attend and witness the initial test of all backflow assemblies installed for premises protection. It is the responsibility of the customer to contact a city CCS and coordinate an appointment time for a city CCS to attend and witness the required test of a backflow assembly (24-hour advance notice is required). (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.070 Existing buildings, structures, and grounds.
(1) A city CCS shall evaluate all high health hazard premises, all commercial and/or industrial premises, all premises with fire systems, all premises with water systems using booster pumps, and all premises with buildings 30 feet or more in height to ensure premises isolation backflow protection has been provided at the water service connection. Premises to be evaluated shall be selected in order from an established list prioritized by expected degree of health hazard and/or risk of contamination. Premises not on the established priority list that come to the attention of a city CCS, and upon evaluation are determined deficient in required premises isolation backflow protection, shall be brought into current compliance without regard to any established priority list. Residential properties will not be routinely inspected unless those properties come to the attention of a city CCS and are identified to pose a potential health hazard risk to the city water system.
(2) The initial evaluation of existing facilities shall proceed according to the following steps:
(a) A priority list shall be established using existing water service records, telephone directory yellow page listings, and other resources as beneficial.
(b) Beginning with the highest-rated health hazard on the program’s priority list, a city CCS shall make a risk assessment evaluation of each property for actual or potential cross-connections and/or any conditions that might tend to contaminate the city water system.
(c) Upon completion of the risk assessment evaluation, a city CCS shall determine whether premises isolation backflow protection is required and shall determine the level of protection required commensurate with the assessed degree of hazard.
(d) A city CCS shall prepare a written report that includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(i) A list of all cross-connections found, their locations, and any optional methods of elimination or control.
(ii) Any applicable drawings, sketches, blueprints, or photos.
(iii) A summary of the findings, recommendations, and requirements for corrective actions.
(e) A city CCS shall notify the customer, in writing, of the city’s requirement for premises isolation backflow protection. The letter shall include the requirements for corrective actions and a corrective action completion date.
(f) Corrective action by the customer must be completed within 30 days in most cases. Where existing cross-connections pose an immediate threat to public health and the city’s water system, a city CCS may require immediate corrective action and may terminate water service until required backflow prevention is installed and tested. For cross-connections that are complex and may require additional time to design and install, a city CCS may allow up to 90 days to complete corrective action.
(3) On the specified corrective action completion date, a city CCS shall inspect the customer’s facility to determine if the corrective actions have been completed. If the corrective actions have been completed, a city CCS shall inspect each required premises isolation backflow assembly located at the city water service connections to the property. If the corrective actions are in progress but more time is required for completion, a new completion date may be set by a city CCS. If corrective actions have been disregarded, the city shall take appropriate corrective action within its authority, up to and including denying or discontinuing water service to a customer’s premises until the cross-connection hazard is eliminated or controlled to the satisfaction of the city.
(4) The city’s corrective action may include, but is not limited to:
(a) Denying or discontinuing water service to a customer’s premises until the cross-connection hazard is eliminated or controlled to the satisfaction of a city CCS.
(b) Requiring the customer to install an approved backflow preventer for premises isolation commensurate with the degree of hazard.
(c) Contracting with a properly licensed and certified company or individual to install an approved backflow preventer for premises isolation commensurate with the degree of hazard. The cost of installation and testing, plus a 20 percent administrative fee, shall be added to the customer’s water bill.
(5) Reinspection of premises isolation for each premises subject to corrective action may be performed annually, or more often if the degree of hazard so indicates, or whenever there is a change in the use of the premises.
(6) The city shall ensure that inspections and/or tests of backflow prevention facilities are conducted:
(a) At the time of installation.
(b) Annually after installation, or more frequently if required by the city for connections serving premises or systems that pose a high health cross-connection hazard or for assemblies that repeatedly fail.
(c) After a backflow incident.
(d) After an assembly is repaired, reinstalled, or relocated or an air gap is replumbed. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.080 Records and reports.
(1) The city of Longview’s cross-connection control program files shall include separate files for each customer requiring the installation of a premises isolation backflow prevention assembly. A computer software database may be utilized for compiling and extracting information required for tracking compliance as well as Department of Health annual reporting.
(2) The following information shall be maintained in each individual jacket file:
(a) Copies of all correspondence with customer relative to cross-connection control.
(b) Copies of evaluation reports, complete with field drawings (if applicable).
(c) Copies of all completed backflow assembly test report forms.
(d) Copies of all reports or correspondence pertaining to enforcement action, cross-connections, or backflow incidents. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).
15.80.090 Cost recovery.
Any customer violating any of the provisions of this program when said violation results in damage to or impairs the city’s water system, including, but not limited to, allowing contamination, pollution, any other substances, or nonpotable water to enter the city’s water system, shall be liable to the city for all expenses, loss, or damages caused by such violation. Such costs may include, but are not limited to, cleaning, purifying, repairing, or replacement work in the city’s water system caused by the violation. (Ord. 3533 § 1, 2024).