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1. Water Services.
A. An air gap or an approved reduced pressure principal backflow prevention assembly is required for a water service having one or more cross connections which the administrative authority has classified as a high hazard.
B. An approved double check valve assembly is required for water services having no high hazard cross connections but having one or more cross connections which the administrative authority has classified as low hazard.
2. Fire Protection Systems.
A. A reduced pressure principal backflow prevention assembly shall be installed on all new and existing fire protection systems, which the administrative authority has determined to have any of the following:
(1) Direct connections from public water mains with an auxiliary water supply on or available to the premises for pumper connection.
(2) Interconnections with auxiliary supplies such as reservoirs, rivers, ponds, wells, mills, or other industrial water systems.
(3) Use of antifreezes or other additives in the fire protection system.
(4) Combined industrial and fire protection systems supplied from the public water mains only, with or without gravity storage or pump suction tanks.
(5) Any other facility, connection, or condition which may cause contamination.
A. A double check valve assembly will be required for all other fire protection systems. The double check valve assembly shall be required on all new systems at the time of installation and on existing systems at the time they are upgraded.
B. Submittal of proposed backflow prevention devices to the administrative authority does not relieve the designer or the sprinkler contractor of the responsibility of submitting plans, including backflow prevention devices to the Fire Marshal for approval.
1. The required backflow prevention assemblies for containment shall be installed in the horizontal plumbing immediately following the meter or as close to that location as deemed practical by the administrative authority. In any case, it shall be located upstream from any branch piping. Installation at this point does not eliminate the responsibility of the customer to protect the water supply system from contamination or pollution between the backflow prevention assembly and the water main.
2. Reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assemblies shall be installed so as to be protected from flooding.
3. Reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assemblies shall not be installed in underground vaults or pits.
4. All backflow prevention assemblies shall be protected from freezing. Those devices used for seasonal water services may be removed in lieu of being protected from freezing; however, the devices must be reinstalled and tested by a registered backflow prevention technician prior to service being reactivated.
5. If hot water is used within the water system, thermal expansion shall be provided for when installing a backflow prevention assembly for containment.
6. Provisions shall be made to convey the discharge of water from reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assemblies to a suitable drain.
7. The backflow prevention assemblies shall not be installed in a place where it would create a safety hazard, such as, but not limited to, over an electrical panel, or above ceiling level.
8. If interruption of water service during testing and repair of backflow prevention assemblies for containment is unacceptable, another backflow prevention assembly, sized to handle the temporary water flow need during the time of test or repair, should be installed in parallel piping.
9. All backflow prevention assemblies shall be installed so that they are accessible for testing as stated in approved plumbing code.
10. All shutoff valves shall conform with the current edition of the “Manual Of Cross Connection Control” (University of Southern California) requirements for either ball or resilient seat gate valves at the time of installation. Ball valves shall be used on assemblies installed in piping two inches and smaller, and resilient seat gate valves on assemblies installed in piping larger than two inches.
11. The administrative authority, prior to installation, shall approve location and protection of the containment assembly.
1. A backflow prevention assembly technician registered by the State shall include their registration number on all correspondence and forms required by or associated with this chapter.
2. Noncompliance with any of the following by a registered technician shall be grounds for reporting such individual to the State Department of Public Health:
A. Improper testing or repair of backflow prevention assemblies.
B. Improper reporting of the results of testing or of repairs made to backflow prevention assemblies.
C. Failure to meet registration requirements.
D. Related unethical practices or deliberate falsification of documentation.
Backflow prevention assemblies shall be tested as follows:
1. A registered backflow prevention assembly technician shall perform testing of backflow prevention assemblies. The costs of the testing and reporting required in this subsection and Subsections 2 through 8 of this section shall be borne by the customer.
2. Backflow prevention assemblies shall be tested upon installation and tested and inspected at least annually.
3. Backflow prevention assemblies, which are in place, but have been out of operation for more than three months, shall be tested before being put back into operation. Backflow prevention assemblies used in seasonal applications shall be tested before operation resumes each season.
4. Any backflow prevention assembly which fails a periodic test shall be repaired or replaced. When water service has been terminated for noncompliance, the backflow prevention assembly shall be repaired or replaced prior to the resumption of water service. A registered backflow prevention assembly technician shall retest backflow prevention assemblies immediately after repair or replacement.
5. Any backflow prevention assembly, which fails a periodic test that has been installed as part of an underground lawn irrigation system shall be replaced with approved reduced pressure principle backflow assembly to prevent backflow or back siphoning.
6. The administrative authority may require backflow prevention assemblies to be tested at any time in addition to the annual testing requirement.
7. The registered backflow prevention assembly technician shall report the successful test of a backflow prevention assembly to the customer and to the City or its authorized designee, as directed by City, within 15 days of the test. The report shall be in the form and format prescribed by the City, which may include the submission of the report in an electronic form.
8. The administrative authority may require, at the owner’s expense, additional tests of individual backflow prevention assemblies as it shall deem necessary to verify test procedures and results.
Backflow prevention assemblies shall be repaired in accordance with the following:
1. Registered backflow prevention assembly technicians shall perform all repairs to backflow prevention assemblies.
2. Any backflow prevention assembly, which fails a periodic test that has been installed as part of an underground lawn irrigation system that is not already an approved reduced pressure principle, shall be replaced with approved reduced pressure principle backflow assembly to prevent backflow or back siphoning.
3. The registered backflow prevention assembly technician shall not change the design, material, or operational characteristics of a backflow prevention assembly during repair or maintenance, and shall use only original manufacturer replacement parts.
4. The registered backflow prevention assembly technician shall report the repair of a backflow prevention assembly to the customer and to the administrative authority on the form provided by the administrative authority within 15 days of the repair. The report shall include the list of materials or replacement parts used.
5. Anytime fire services are discontinued for a period of time longer than necessary to test the device, the tester is required to notify the Fire Marshal’s office that the fire services are shut off for repair.
The water service may be discontinued in the case of noncompliance with this chapter. Noncompliance includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Refusal to allow the administrative authority access to the property for the purpose of performing inspections required by this chapter.
2. Removal of a backflow prevention assembly, which has been required by the administrative authority.
3. Bypassing of a backflow prevention assembly, which has been required by the administrative authority.
4. Providing inadequate backflow prevention when cross connections exist.
5. Failure to install, test, or properly repair a backflow prevention assembly, which has been required by the administrative authority.
6. Deliberate falsification of documentation concerning the backflow prevention assemblies or possible cross connections.
7. Failure to comply with the requirements of this chapter.
1. The administrative authority may deny or discontinue, after written notice to the customer thereof, the water service to any premises wherein:
A. Any backflow prevention device required by these regulations is not installed or maintained as outlined in this chapter.
B. It is found that the backflow prevention device has been removed or bypassed.
C. An unprotected cross connection exists on the premises.
D. The administrative authority is denied entry to determine compliance with these regulations.
2. The administrative authority may immediately deny or discontinue, without notice to the customer thereof, the water service to any premises wherein a severe cross connection exists which constitutes an immediate threat to the safety of the public water system. The administrative authority shall notify the customer within 24 hours of said denial or discontinuation of service.
3. Water service to such premises shall not be restored until the customer has corrected or eliminated such conditions or defects in conformance with these regulations, and to the satisfaction of the administrative authority.
4. The customer shall pay a fee as set forth in the fee schedule established by the Council for the turning off and turning on a water service for noncompliance of this chapter.
Unless another penalty is expressly provided by this chapter for any particular provision or section, any person violating any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation adopted herein by reference shall, upon conviction, be subject to the standard penalty as stated in Section 1-4-1.