The city shall provide protection to the public water system against backflow by implementing the following requirements.
(A) Residential. Buildings used for habitation or occupancy shall be considered as residential buildings. No water service connection to any premises shall be installed or allowed to be installed by the city unless such service connection is protected by a backflow prevention assembly. Residential service connections shall be considered as low hazard applications and all such connections shall have a minimum dual check valve backflow preventer installed between the water meter and the residence. The city 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) Nonresidential. No water service connection to any nonresidential facility shall be installed or allowed to be installed by the city unless such water service connection is protected by a backflow prevention assembly. 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. At a minimum, the service connection shall be installed with a dual check valve backflow preventer. In the event activities to occur within a nonresidential facility changes and creates a higher degree of hazard, then the backflow prevention assembly shall be replaced with an assembly which provides acceptable protection.
(C) Inspections. The customer’s water system shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the city to determine whether cross-connections or other structural or sanitary hazards, including violation of this chapter, exist. When such a condition becomes known, the city shall 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 city statutes relating to plumbing, water supplies, and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto. Water service to any premises shall be discontinued if it is found that a backflow prevention assembly required by this chapter has been removed, by-passed, 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. 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 chapter so long as the city is assured that the public water system is satisfactorily protected. Whenever the existing service connection is moved or requires more than minimum maintenance or when the city determines that a hazard to health exists, then a backflow prevention assembly meeting the requirements of this chapter shall be installed on such existing service connection. Periodically, the city shall install or require to be installed backflow prevention assemblies on existing unprotected water service connections until such time that all water service connections within the public water system are equipped with backflow prevention assemblies. 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 potential hazards that may be created as a result of such backflow assembly installation. Notices provided to such property owners shall include the following language adopted in 815 KAR 20.129 § 2, 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.
(Prior Code, § 52.04) (Ord. 95-3, passed 5-1-1995)