4-6-020 CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL STANDARDS:

A. PURPOSE:

1. National standards of safe drinking water have been established. The City, as a water purveyor, has the primary responsibility for preventing water from unapproved sources, or any other substances, from entering the public potable water system. (Ord. 4312, 5-13-1991)

2. This Section is to protect the health of the water consumer and the potability of the water in the distribution system. This is accomplished by eliminating or controlling all actual (direct) and potential (indirect) cross connections between potable and nonpotable systems through the use of approved backflow prevention assemblies.

B. APPLICABILITY:

This Chapter applies throughout the water service area of the City. It applies to all systems installed prior to or after its enactment. Therefore, anyone wanting or using water from the City is responsible for compliance with these regulations and shall be strictly liable for all damage incurred as a result of failure to comply with the express terms and provisions contained herein.

C. AUTHORITY:

The Public Works Administrator will administer the provisions of the Chapter. The Administrator will designate cross connection specialists and propound all needful rules and regulations to implement these provisions. The Water Utility Section of the Utility Systems Division will be responsible for monitoring and inspecting all existing cross connection assemblies and for keeping all records generated by the cross connection control program. The Plan Review Section of the Development Services Division of the Department of Community and Economic Development will be responsible for reviewing all new and revised plans for cross connections. (Ord. 5450, 3-2-2009; Ord. 5676, 12-3-2012)

D. INSTALLATION OF BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLIES:

Backflow prevention assemblies required by this Chapter must be installed so as to be readily accessible for maintenance and testing. All assemblies shall be connected at the meter, the property line when meters are not used, or within any premises where, in the judgment of the City Cross Connection Control Specialist, the nature and extent of activity on the premises or the materials used or stored on the premises could present a health hazard should a cross connection occur. This includes:

1. Premises having an auxiliary water supply.

2. Premises having internal cross connections that are not correctable, or intricate plumbing arrangements which make it impractical to ascertain whether or not cross connections exist.

3. Premises where entry is restricted so that inspections for cross connections cannot be made with sufficient frequency or at sufficient short notice to assure that cross connections do not exist.

4. Premises having a repeated history of cross connections being established or re-established.

5. Premises on which any substance is handled under pressure so as to permit entry into the public water system, or where a cross connection could reasonably be expected to occur. This includes the handling of process waters and cooling waters.

6. Premises where materials of a toxic or hazardous nature are handled such that if backsiphonage should occur, a health hazard may result.

7. Hospitals, mortuaries, clinics.

8. Laboratories.

9. Piers and docks.

10. Sewage treatment plants.

11. Food or beverage processing plants.

12. Chemical plants using a water process.

13. Metal plating industries.

14. Petroleum processing or storage plants.

15. Radioactive material processing plants or nuclear reactors.

16. Car washes.

17. Process waters or cooling towers.

18. Fire sprinkler systems.

19. Irrigation systems.

20. Solar hot water systems.

21. Others specified by the Administrator. (Ord. 5676, 12-3-2012)

E. TYPES OF BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLIES REQUIRED:

Specific types of backflow prevention assemblies are required in the following conditions:

1. An air-gap separation or reduced principle backflow prevention assembly shall be installed where the water supply may be contaminated by industrial waste of a toxic nature or any other contaminant which would cause a health or system hazard.

2. An air gap must be used between a potable water supply and sewer connected wastes.

3. Lawn sprinkler or irrigation systems, which are supplied by City water only, shall be required to have a pressure vacuum breaker. If such system contains an auxiliary pump or is subject to chemical additives a double-check valve assembly, air-gap separation or a reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly will be required.

F. RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNER AND UTILITY:

1. Water Utilities Section:

a. The Water Utilities Section will perform evaluations and inspections of plans/or premises of all existing facilities and inform the owner, by letter, of any corrective action deemed necessary, the method of achieving the correction and the time allowed for the correction to be made.

b. The Water Utilities Section shall insure that all backflow prevention assemblies are tested annually to insure satisfactory operation.

c. The Water Utilities Section shall inform the owner, by letter, of any failure to comply by the time of the first reinspection. An additional fifteen (15) days will be allowed for the correction. In the event the owner fails to comply with the necessary correction by the time of the second reinspection, the Water Utilities Section will inform the owner, by letter, that the water service to the owner’s premises will be terminated within a period not to exceed five (5) days.

d. If the Water Utilities Section determines at any time that a serious threat to the public health exists, the water service will be terminated immediately and without notice.

2. Plan Review Section: On new installations the Plan Review Section will provide on-site evaluation and/or inspection of plans in order to determine if cross connections exist and what type of backflow preventer, if any, will be required before a water meter permit can be issued.

3. Owner:

a. The owner shall be responsible for the elimination or protection of all cross connections on his property.

b. The owner, whether notified by the City or not, shall at his expense install, maintain and have tested by a certified tester any and all backflow preventers on his premises.

c. The owner shall return to the City the assembly test reports within thirty (30) days after receipt of the yearly test notification.

d. The owner shall inform the Water Utilities Section of any proposed or modified cross connections.

e. Owners who cannot shut down operation for testing of assemblies must provide bypass piping with an additional backflow assembly at their expense.

f. The owner shall only install backflow preventers which are approved by the Washington State Department of Health.

g. The owner shall install backflow preventers only in a manner approved by the Washington State Department of Health.

h. The owner may be required to install a backflow preventer at the service entrance if a private water source is maintained on his premises, even if it is not cross connected to the City’s system.

i. Failure of the owner to cooperate in the installation, maintenance, repair, inspection and testing of backflow preventers required by this Section shall be grounds for the termination of water service or the requirements of an air-gap separation.

G. ANNUAL INSPECTION AND TESTING REQUIREMENTS:

All reduced pressure principle backflow assemblies, double check valve assemblies, pressure vacuum breaker assemblies and air gaps installed in lieu of a backflow preventer shall be inspected and tested annually, or more often when successive inspections indicate failure. All inspections and testing will be performed by a certified tester. The test reports shall be returned to the City within thirty (30) days after receipt of the yearly test notification. (Ord. 4312, 5-13-1991)