The following rules and regulations governing plumbing work in connection with the City Waterworks System are hereby adopted:
(A) (1) No person, firm, or corporation, except licensed plumbers shall make any connections to or attachments with the pipes of the water system of the City, nor make any repairs, additions to, or alterations of any tap, pipe, cock, or other fixture connected with said pipes on the outside or street side of the water meter or upon the service between the water meter and any structure or plumbing fixture except as permitted within Chapter 154 of the Revised Code of Ordinances; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to authorized employees of the City.
(2) Each licensed plumber making any connection to or attachment with the pipes of the water system of the City of Mt. Vernon or with any private service line shall file and keep on file the bond required by Chapter 154 of the Revised Code of Ordinances to the City of Mt. Vernon, Illinois in the sum of Twenty-Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) conditioned upon a full indemnity to the City of Mt. Vernon against damage to the City or to any persons to whom the City may be liable by reason of: (1) failure of the plumber to observe Ordinances of the City of Mt. Vernon relating to plumbing; (2) failure of the plumber to observe all rules and regulations established under the authority of any Ordinances of the City of Mt. Vernon relating to plumbing; (3) failure of the plumber to observe all rules and regulations established by or under the Plumber’s License Law of the State of Illinois; and (4) negligence of the plumber in performing or protecting any plumbing work. Such bond shall be renewed annually or more often in the event of the impairment of the surety.
(B) No connection shall be made between pipes carrying City water and pipes carrying water from another source such as a cistern, well, bond or creek.
(C) Every service shall have a meter pit containing a meter setter located in the right-of-way. All angle meter valves used for service pipes of two (2) inch waterway or less shall be heavy brass inverted meter setters or angle meter valves; all angle meter valves used on service pipes of three (3) inch waterway or more may be of the gate valve type. All meter setters shall be equipped with a check valve and angle meter valve. All meters setters shall be placed in a meter pit as laid out by the Building Inspector said meter pit shall be set at the permanent earth grade. Adequate aggregate drainage shall be placed at the bottom of the meter pit.
(D) (1) No service pipe between City water mains and the building shall be laid less than four (4) feet below the surface of the street grade or lawn. The material used for such pipe shall, in each and every case, be subject to the inspection by the Illinois Plumbing Inspector or his agent, and if found defective or below the standard, its use will not be permitted.
(2) All services shall be laid straight from the meter setter to the building and shall be firmly bedded on solid earth. Water services shall not be backfilled until the Department has inspected the service. Water and sewer service shall not be run in the same trench, except by permission of the Department.
(E) All service pipes from the City water mains to the water meter shall be of IDPH approved material with the ability to trace said material type K copper or Pex or other material approved by IDPH and the City of Mt. Vernon. All nonmetallic service pipes shall have attached a usable tracing wire made of minimum of 14 gauge braided copper wire.
(F) No tap greater than three-fourths of an inch shall be made in any water main or distributing pipe. No feeder main having a waterway of twelve inches or larger may be tapped without special permission from the Director of Public Works. Multiple taps shall be at least eighteen inches apart and shall not be in the same line along the length of the main.
(G) All taps in the mains or distributing pipes of the waterworks system shall be made on the side of said mains and not higher up than 22-1/2 degrees above horizontal. Service pipes from said taps shall be securely blocked with masonry materials to prevent damage from earth settlement.
(H) No taps less than three-quarters of an inch shall be made in any main or distributing pipe, and no service pipe shall be connected therewith of less than three-quarters of an inch waterway. All corporation cocks used for any tap on the water mains must be approved by the Department.
(I) The location of all service pipes placed within a public street, alley, right-of-way, or upon other public property shall be determined and must be approved in writing by the Department.
(J) All water meters shall be so located that they will be easily accessible to the meter reader and City personnel. No meter shall be installed within a building. All meters shall be adjacent to the City main. Any meter set on private property along fire suppression lines or dead end fire hydrant lines shall be placed within a green space adjacent to the City main and easily accessible to City personnel. All meters shall be equipped with angle meter setter that contains both a check valve and an angle meter valve and shall be enclosed in a meter pit made of a Department approved material not less than 18 inches in diameter and all meter pits shall be subject to approval by the Department.
(K) No plumber or other person shall, after making any connection with the street mains, or after making repairs or putting in any new attachment, leave the angle meter valve open and the water turned on in the premises unless a meter is set and a new service has been established with the City or unless a permit has been issued by the City to temporarily use the water and all required fees have been paid.
(L) All new services shall be provided with new meters. All new services constructed shall serve one and only one residence or place of business. All water meters shall be approved by the Department. All discontinued services shall be shut off at and disconnected from the main.
(M) No residence or place of business will be allowed a water service unless there is a water main or distributing pipe in the street or alley adjacent to the property to be served. Said water main or distributing pipe shall be of four inch (4”) size or larger in the case of existing mains, and no water main construction will be allowed of less than six inches (6”) in size.
(N) Any plumber or other person violating any of the rules contained in this Section shall for each offense a penalty of one hundred dollars ($100.00) or such greater penalty as permitted by any applicable Code described within § 154.01 of the Plumbing Code of the City and shall in addition be liable in damages to any person, including the City, for injuries resulting from the violation of said rules; said damages shall include any cost incurred by the City, including reasonable attorney fees, to enforce or correct the violation For any injury or damage to said waterworks or fixtures caused by the carelessness, neglect, or want of skill or other act or omission of any plumber or plumbers or his or their employees, he or they shall be liable to an action on his or their bond for the damages as described above sustained by said City by reason of the breach or breaches of the condition of said bond.
(O) (1) No physical connection shall be permitted between the piping of the municipal water supply system of said City, either within or outside any building or structure or upon public or private property wherein any water derived from any source other than said municipal water supply or any water derived from said municipal water supply and theretofore used or stored, may be forced, drawn, siphoned or otherwise taken into said municipal water supply system, either directly or indirectly or through the manipulation of valves, stops, pipes, or fixtures or because of ineffective check or back pressure valves; or in any other manner whatsoever.
(2) This Article shall not be construed to apply to the discharge of water derived from said municipal water supply system into an elevated tank cistern, or suction well at an elevation above the high water line of any such elevated tank, system or suction well.
(P) Any Plumber who shall neglect, refuse, or fail to make good any defects or faults discovered in his work shall not be permitted to do any further or additional work until the defects or faults so discovered have been made good in a manner satisfactory to the Department.
(Prior Code, Art. 16, § 16.3(d))