(a) If, in the judgment of the Utility Director or the Water Treatment Plant superintendent, the integrity of the public water system is, or can be, endangered by backflow from an actual or potential cross-connection within the plumbing system of a water consumer, the Director may order the installation of approved backflow prevention method of device consisting of either an air-gap, double sanitary check-valve assembly, vacuum breaker, reduced pressure principle backflow preventer or any combination thereof at the water service connection to the premises.
(b) The water consumer shall install the designated device or method at his or her own expense and failure, refusal or inability to install such device or method immediately shall constitute a ground for discontinuing water service to the premises until such device or methods has been installed and approved by the Director.
(c) The use of the approved backflow preventer at the water service connection does not in any way affect or eliminate the need for individual fixture devices or air-gaps as required by the Ohio Building Code.
(d) The Director, or his or her authorized representative, shall have the right to enter any premises served by the City water system at all reasonable times for the purpose of making surveys and investigations of water use practices within the premises.
(e) The water department shall conduct or cause to be conducted at intervals not to exceed five years investigations of water use practices within a consumer’s premises to determine whether there are actual or potential cross-connections to the consumer’s water system through which contaminants or pollutants could backflow into the City’s water system.
(f) Any backflow prevention device required by the Utility Director shall be of a model or construction approved by the City and by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The department shall maintain a current list of approved backflow prevention devices.
(g) No person shall install or maintain a water service connection to any premises where a booster pump has been installed on the service line to or within such premises, unless such booster pump is equipped with a low-pressure cut-off device designed to shut off the booster pump when the pressure in the service line on the suction side of the pump drops to ten pounds per square inch gauge or less.
(h) It shall be the duty of the water consumer to maintain the low-pressure cut-off device in proper working order and to certify to the Department, at least once a year, that the device is operable.
(i) Annual inspections, tests and overhaul of the backflow prevention devices shall be at the expense of the consumer, and shall be performed only by persons approved by the water system as qualified to inspect, test and overhaul the devices.
(j) Backflow prevention devices found to be defective shall be repaired by the consumer without delay.
(k) Backflow prevention devices shall not be bypassed, made inoperative, removed or otherwise made ineffective without written authorization of the water system superintendent.
(Ord. 03-011. Passed 7-14-03; Ord. 06-006. Passed 4-10-06.)