(A) Responsibility: town.
(1) Except as, otherwise provided herein, it is the town's responsibility to ensure a safe water supply, which begins at the source and includes all of the public water distribution system, including the service connection, and ends at the point of delivery to the consumer's water system (water meter). In addition, the town shall exercise reasonable vigilance to ensure that the consumer has taken the proper steps to protect the public potable water system. To ensure that the proper precautions are taken, the Public Utilities Department shall determine the degree of hazard or potential hazard to the public potable water system; the degree of protection required; and proper containment protection through an on-going inspection program.
(2) When it is determined that a backflow prevention assembly is required for the protection of the public system, the town shall require the consumer, at the consumer's expense, to install an approved backflow prevention assembly at each service connection, to test immediately upon installation and thereafter at a frequency as determined by the Public Utilities Department, to properly repair and maintain the assembly or assemblies and to keep adequate records of each test and subsequent maintenance and repair, including materials and/or replacement parts.
(B) Responsibility: plumbing inspections.
(1) The Department of Planning and Inspections and the Department of Public Utilities for the town shall review building plans and inspect plumbing as it is installed and shall prevent cross- connections from being designed and built into any plumbing system within the Department of Planning and Inspection's jurisdiction. Where the review of building plans suggests or detects the potential for cross-connections being made an integral part of the plumbing system, the Plumbing Inspector shall require that the cross-connections be either eliminated or provided with backflow prevention equipment approved by the State Building Code.
(2) The Plumbing Inspector's responsibility begins at the point of delivery (downstream of the first installed backflow prevention assembly) and continues throughout the entire length of the consumer's water system. The plan inspector should inquire about the intended use of water at any point where it is suspected that a cross-connection might be made or where one is actually called for by the plans. When such is discovered, it shall be mandatory that a suitable, approved backflow prevention assembly approved by the State Building Code be required by the plans and be properly installed. The primary protection assembly for containment purposes only shall have approval from the town's Public Utilities Department, the State Building Code and the State Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources.
(C) Responsibility: consumer. The consumer has the primary responsibility of preventing pollutants and contaminants from entering his or her potable water system(s) or the public potable water system. The consumer's responsibility starts at the point of delivery from the public potable water system and includes all of his or her water system(s). The consumer, at his or her own expense, shall install, operate, test and maintain approved backflow prevention assemblies as directed by the town's Public Utilities Department. The consumer shall maintain accurate records of tests and repairs made to backflow prevention assemblies and shall maintain the records for a minimum period of three years. The records shall be on forms approved by town's Public Utilities Department and shall include the list of materials or replacement parts used. Following any repair, overhaul, repiping or relocation of an assembly, the town shall test it to ensure that it is in good operating condition and will prevent backflow. Tests, maintenance and repairs of backflow prevention assemblies shall be made by a certified backflow prevention assembly tester employed by the town.
(D) Responsibility: certified backflow prevention assembly tester.
(1) The certified backflow prevention assembly tester will have the following responsibilities:
(a) Making competent inspections and for repairing or overhauling backflow prevention assemblies and making reports of the repair to the consumer and responsible authorities on forms approved by the town's Public Utilities Department;
(b) Including the list of materials or replacement parts used;
(c) Being equipped with and being competent to use all the necessary tools, gauges, manometers and other equipment necessary to properly test, repair and maintain backflow prevention assemblies; and
(d) Ensuring that original manufactured parts are used in the repair of or replacement of parts in a backflow prevention assembly. The tester shall not change the design, material or operational characteristics of an assembly during repair or maintenance without prior approval of the town's Public Utilities Department. The tester shall perform the work and be responsible for the competency and accuracy of all tests and reports. The tester shall provide a copy of all test and repair reports to the consumer and to the town's Public Utilities Department within ten business days of any completed test or repair work. A tester shall maintain the records for a minimum period of three years.
(2) All certified backflow prevention assembly testers must use the backflow prevention assembly test equipment provided by/approved by the town's Public Utilities Department. All test equipment shall be registered with the town's Cross-Connection Control Department. All test equipment shall be checked for accuracy annually (at a minimum), calibrated, if necessary and certified to town as to the calibration, employing an accuracy/calibration method acceptable to the town's Public Utilities Department.
(3) All certified backflow prevention assembly testers must become re-certified every two years through an approved backflow prevention certification program.
(Ord. passed 6-21-2011)