The city shall provide protection to the public water system against backflow by implementing the following requirements.
(A) Residential.
(1) Buildings used for habitation or occupancy shall be considered as residential buildings. No new water service connection to any premises shall be installed, or allowed to be installed, by the city water system unless such service connection is protected by a backflow prevention assembly.
(2) Residential service connections shall be considered as low hazard applications, and all such connections shall have at a minimum a dual check valve backflow presenter installed between the water meter and the residence.
(3) The city water system may require additional or alternate backflow prevention assemblies if the degree of hazard constitutes a higher level of protection for the public water system.
(B) Non-residential.
(1) No new water service connection to any non-residential facility shall be installed, or allowed to be installed, by the city water system unless such water service connection is protected by a backflow prevention assembly.
(2) (a) The type of protective device required shall be determined at the time of installation of the service connection and shall be commensurate with the degree of hazard at the point of such service connection.
(b) At a minimum, the service connection shall be installed with a dual check valve backflow-preventer; in the event activities occur within a non-residential facility change and create a higher degree of hazard, then the backflow prevention assembly shall be replaced with an assembly which provides acceptable protection.
(C) Inspections.
(1) The customer’s water system shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the city water system to determine whether cross-connections or other structural or sanitary hazards, including violation of this subchapter, exist.
(2) When such a condition becomes known, the city water system may deny or immediately discontinue service to the premises by providing a physical break in the service line until the customer has corrected the condition in conformance with the state and local statutes relating to plumbing, water supplies, and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
(3) Water service to any premises shall be discontinued if it is found that a backflow prevention assembly required by this subchapter has been removed, bypassed, or if an unprotected cross-connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected.
(D) Existing service connections.
(1) All existing water service connections which do not have backflow prevention assemblies, or existing water service connections which have less than the minimum required backflow prevention assemblies, shall, except for the inspection requirements, be excluded from the requirements of this subchapter, so long as the city water system is assured that the public water system is satisfactorily protected.
(2) (a) However, if the water system determines that a hazard to health exists, then a backflow prevention assembly meeting the requirements of this subchapter may be installed on such existing service connection. Backflow prevention assemblies shall not be installed on existing service connections until after the property owner of such residential or commercial property has been informed of the actual and potential hazards that may be created as a result of such backflow assembly installation.
(b) Notices provided to such property owners shall include the following language as adopted in 815 KAR 20:120 § 1, item (6): When cross-connection control devices are properly installed, they create a closed water system. A properly sized thermal expansion tank shall be installed in the cold water supply located as near the water heater as possible.
(Ord. 04-2020, passed 9-28-2020) Penalty, see § 10.99