(A) Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is:
(1) To protect the public potable water supply from contamination or pollution by containing within the consumer’s internal distribution system or private water system contaminants or pollutants which could backflow through the service connection into the public potable water supply system;
(2) To promote the elimination, containment, isolation or control of existing cross- connections, actual or potential, between the public or consumer’s potable water system and non-potable water systems, plumbing fixtures and industrial-process systems; and
(3) To provide for the maintenance of a continuing program of cross-connection control which will systematically and effectively prevent the contamination or pollution of all potable water systems.
(B) Application. This chapter shall apply to all person(s)/certified testers and all premises served by the public potable water system of the city.
(1) Tester.
(a) A person wishing to be put on a list of approved testers for the city must provide the Cross-Connection ORC with a letter of request with their full name, address, phone number, name of the school from which the certification was obtained and the certificate number.
(b) The tester wishing to be put on the list of approved testers for the city must provide his or her test kit certifications for the last two years. Thereafter, the test kit results must be submitted to the city after every re-certification.
(2) Businesses/residents.
(a) BPAs must be tested by a certified tester who has been certified by an approved school in the testing and repair of backflow prevention assemblies. All testers must adhere to the test procedures for reduced pressure principle assemblies as listed in the current procedures from the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection and Hydraulic Research Manual of Cross-Connection Control.
(b) All BPAs must be tested and inspected at least annually. It is the responsibility of the BPA owner to secure a certified tester. Copies of the inspection report must be submitted to the City ORC to be kept on file by the city and by the owner of the BPA for not less than five years.
(c) If the annual test reveals that repair or replacement is necessary, the work shall be performed within ten days. A report of such shall be forwarded to the City Cross-Connection ORC for their records.
(d) In the event that a BPA installed inside a vault shows signs of having operated either through visual inspection or activation of the leak detection alarm system, the BPA shall be re-tested within ten days.
(C) Policy. This chapter will be reasonably interpreted by the water purveyor. It is the water purveyor’s intent to recognize the varying degrees of hazard and to apply the principle that the degree of protection shall be commensurate with the degree of hazard.
(D) Responsibility. The water purveyor shall be primarily responsible for protection of the public potable water distribution system from contamination or pollution due to backflow of contaminants or pollutants through the water service connection. The cooperation of all consumers is required to implement and maintain the program to control cross-connections. The water purveyor and consumer are jointly responsible for preventing contamination of the water system.
(E) Notice. If, in the judgment of the water purveyor or their authorized representative, cross-connection protection is required through either piping modification or installation of an approved backflow prevention device, due notice shall be given to the consumer. The consumer shall immediately comply by providing the required protection at his or her own expense, and failure, refusal or inability on the part of the consumer to provide such protection shall constitute grounds for discontinuing water service to the premises until such protection has been provided.
(Ord. 07-14-03B, passed 8-8-2022)