(A) Water system.
(1) The water system shall be considered to be composed of two parts: the utility system and the customer system.
(2) The utility system shall consist of the source facilities and the distribution system and shall include all facilities of the water system that are under the complete control of the utility up to the point where the customer's system begins.
(3) The source shall include all components of the facilities utilized in the production, treatment, storage, and delivery of water to the distribution system:
(4) The distribution system shall include the network of conduits used for the delivery of water from the source to the customer's system.
(5) The customer's system shall include those parts of the facilities beyond the termination of the utility distribution system that are utilized in conveying utility-delivered water to points of use.
(B) Policy.
(1) No water service connection to any premises shall be installed or maintained by the water purveyor unless the water supply is protected as required by state laws and regulations and this subchapter. Service of water to any premises shall be discontinued by the Director or designee if:
(a) A backflow prevention assembly required by this subchapter is not installed, tested, and maintained;
(b) It is found that a backflow prevention assembly has been removed or bypassed; or
(c) An unprotected cross-connection exists on the premises; and
(d) Service will not be restored until such conditions are corrected.
(2) An approved backflow prevention assembly shall be installed on each domestic, fire, or irrigation service line to a customer's water system at or near the property line or immediately inside the building being served; but, in all cases, before the first branch line leading off the service line wherever the following conditions exist.
(a) When premises have an auxiliary water supply that is not or may not be of safe bacteriological or chemical quality and is not acceptable as an additional source by the Director or designee, the public water system shall be protected against backflow by installing an approved backflow prevention assembly in the service line(s) appropriate to the degree of hazard. (Refer to OAR 333-061-0070)
(b) When industrial fluids or other objectionable substances are handled in a manner that creates an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public system shall be protected against backflow by installing an approved backflow prevention assembly in the service line appropriate to the degree of hazard. This shall include the handling of process waters and waters originating from the utility system that have been subject to deterioration in quality.
(c) When premises have:
1. Internal cross-connection(s) that cannot be permanently corrected or controlled;
2. Intricate plumbing and piping arrangements; or
3. Where entry to all parts of the premises is not readily accessible for inspection, making it impracticable or impossible to ascertain whether or not dangerous cross-connections exist, the public water system shall be protected against backflow by installing an approved backflow prevention assembly in the service line.
(3) The type of protective assembly required under division (B)(2) above shall meet all State Health Division standards in addition to the requirements of this chapter. The type of protective devices required will depend on the existing degree of hazard, as follows:
(a) On premises where there is an auxiliary water supply as stated in division (B)(2)(a) above and it is not subject to any of the following rules, the public water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly.
(b) On premises where there is water or 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.
(c) On premises where there is any material dangerous to health that is handled in a manner that creates 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. Examples of premises where these conditions will exist include sewage treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, chemical manufacturing plants, hospitals, mortuaries, and plating plants.
(d) On premises where there are uncontrolled cross-connections, either actual or potential, the public water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly at the service connection.
(e) On premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete in-plant cross-connection survey, the public 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 on each service to the premises.
(4) Any backflow prevention assembly required by this chapter shall be a model and size approved by the State Health Division. The term APPROVED BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLY shall mean an assembly that has been manufactured in full conformance with the standards established by the American Waterworks Association (A.W.W.A.) entitled:
Latest Revision of A.W.W.A. Standards for Reduced Pressure Principle and Double Check Valve Backflow Prevention Devices, and have met completely the laboratory and field performance specifications of the Foundation of Cross-Connection and Hydraulic Research (F.C.C.C. & H.R.) of the University of Southern California established by specifications of backflow prevention assemblies (§ 10 of the most current issue of the Manual of Cross-Connection Control). The A.W.W.A. and F.C.C.C. & H.R. standards and specifications have been adopted by the State Health Division and are hereby adopted by the city.
(5) (a) Customers or users at premises where back-flow prevention assemblies are installed shall have certified inspections and operational tests made at least once per year. The Director or designee may require certified inspections at more frequent intervals.
(b) These inspections and tests shall be at the expense of the water user and shall be performed by the assembly manufacturer's representative, Water Department personnel, or by a certified tester approved by the State Health Division. The Director or designee shall ensure that these tests are made in a timely manner.
(c) The customer or user shall notify the Director or designee in advance when the tests are to be undertaken so that an official representative may witness the tests if so desired. These assemblies shall be repaired, overhauled, or replaced at the expense of the customer or user whenever such assemblies are found to be defective.
(d) Records of tests, repairs, and overhauls shall be kept and copies shall be submitted to the City of Forest Grove Public Works Department in the form outlined by the department.
(6) All presently installed backflow prevention assemblies that do not meet the requirements of this section but were approved at the time of installation and have been properly maintained shall, except for the inspection and maintenance requirements under division (B)(5) above, be excluded from the requirements of these rules so long as the Director or designee is assured that they will satisfactorily protect the utility system. Whenever the existing device is moved from the present location or requires more than minimum maintenance, or when the Director or designee finds that the maintenance constitutes a hazard to health, the unit shall be replaced by an approved backflow prevention assembly meeting the requirements of this section.
(7) The Director or designee may specify the location and methods of installation of all backflow prevention devices.
(8) Any installation, corrective measure, disconnection, or other change to a backflow prevention device shall be at the sole expense of the owner or water customer. The cost of any change required in the city's system outside the property (i.e., between the meter and the supply line) and any charges for cut off or disconnection shall be added to the charges against the premises that necessitated the expenditures.
(9) Any person operating any mobile apparatus that uses the city water system or water from any premises within the city must provide for backflow prevention. These provisions are stated in divisions (B)(3), (B)(4), (B)(5), and (B)(7) above.
(Prior Code, § 4.115) (Ord. 2022-04, passed 9-12-2022)