(a) No person shall install or maintain a water service connection to any premises where actual or potential cross-connections to the public water system or a potable consumer’s water system may exist unless such actual or potential cross-connections are abated or controlled to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Water.
(b) No person shall install or maintain any connection whereby water from an auxiliary water system may enter the public water system or potable consumer’s water system unless the auxiliary water system and the method of connection and use of such system shall have been approved by the Superintendent of Water and by the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as required by Ohio R.C. 6109.13.
(c) The Superintendent of Water shall conduct or cause to be conducted periodic surveys and investigations, of frequency acceptable to the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, 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 public water system.
(d) The Superintendent of Water, or his authorized representative, shall have the right to enter premises served by the public water system at all reasonable times for the purpose of making surveys and investigations of water use practices within the premises.
(e) On request of the Superintendent of Water, or his authorized representative, the consumer shall furnish the Superintendent, or his authorized representative, information on water use practices within the consumer’s premises.
(f) Subsection (c) hereof does not relieve the consumer of the responsibility for conducting, or causing to be conducted, periodic surveys of water use practices on his premises to determine whether there are actual or potential cross-connections in the consumer’s water system through which contaminants or pollutants could backflow into the public water system or a potable consumer’s water system.
(g) An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed on each service line to a consumer’s water system serving premises, where in the judgment of the Superintendent of Water or the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, a health pollutional or system hazard to the public water system exists.
(h) An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed on each service line to a consumer’s water system serving premises where the following conditions exist:
(1) Premises having an auxiliary water system, unless such auxiliary system is accepted as an additional source by the Superintendent of Water and the source is approved by the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency;
(2) Premises on which any substance is handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the public water system. This shall include premises having sources or systems containing process fluids or waters originating from the public water system which are no longer under the control of the Superintendent of Water;
(3) Premises having internal cross-connections that, in the judgment of the Superintendent of Water, are not correctable, or intricate plumbing arrangements which make it impracticable to determine whether or not cross-connections exist;
(4) Premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete cross- connection survey;
(5) Premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or re-established;
(6) Others specified by the Superintendent.
(i) An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed on each service line to a consumer’s water system serving, but not necessarily limited to, the following types of facilities unless the Superintendent determines that no health, pollutional or system hazard to the public water system exists:
(1) Hospitals, mortuaries, clinics, nursing homes;
(2) Laboratories;
(3) Piers, docks, waterfront facilities;
(4) Sewage treatment plans, sewage pumping stations or storm water pumping station;
(5) Food or beverage processing plants;
(6) Chemical plants;
(7) Metal plating industries;
(8) Petroleum processing or storage plants;
(9) Radioactive material processing plants or nuclear reactors;
(10) Car washes;
(11) Others specified by the Superintendent.
(j) An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed at any point of connection between a public water system or a potable consumer’s water system and an auxiliary water system, unless such auxiliary system is accepted as an additional source by the supplier of water and the source is approved by the Superintendent.
(k) The type of protection required under subsections (g) to (i) hereof shall depend on the degree of hazard which exists as follows:
(1) An approved air gap separation shall be installed where a public water system may be contaminated with substances that could cause a severe health hazard;
(2) An approved air gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be installed where a public water system may be contaminated with any substance that could cause a system or health hazard;
(3) An approved air gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device or an approved double check valve assembly shall be installed where a public water system may be polluted with any substance that could cause a pollutional hazard.
(l) The type of protection required under subsection (j) hereof shall be an approved air gap separation or an approved interchangeable connection.
(m) Where an auxiliary water system is used as a secondary source of water for a fire protection system, the provisions of subsection (l) hereof for an approved air gap separation or an approved interchangeable connection may be waived by the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency provided:
(1) At premises where the auxiliary water system may be contaminated with substances that could cause a system or health hazard, the public water system or a potable consumer’s water system shall be protected against backflow by installation of an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device;
(2) At all other premises, the public water system or a potable consumer’s water system shall be protected against backflow by installation of either an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device or an approved double check valve assembly;
(3) The public water system or a potable consumer’s water system shall be the primary source of water for the fire protection system;
(4) The fire protection system shall be normally filled with water from the public water system or a potable consumer’s water system;
(5) The water in the fire protection system shall be used for fire protection only, with no other use of water from the fire protection system downstream from the approved backflow prevention device.
(n) 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 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. 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 Superintendent of Water, at least once a year, that the device is operable.
(o) The installation of yard hydrants where water is available or accessible for drinking or culinary purposes and having drip openings below ground surface is prohibited unless such hydrants are equipped with approved devices to prevent entrance of ground water into chambers connected with the public water supply. Any such yard hydrant shall be of a model or construction approved by the Superintendent of Water and the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
(p) Any backflow prevention device required by any subsection of this section shall be of a model or construction approved by the Superintendent of Water and the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Any backflow prevention device required by any subsection of this section shall be installed at a location and in a manner approved by the Superintendent of Water, or his authorized representative, and shall be installed and maintained by and at the expense of the water consumer. In addition, any backflow prevention device required by subsections (l) and (m) hereof.
(q) It shall be the duty of the consumer, on any premises on which backflow prevention devices required by this section are installed, to have thorough inspections and operational tests made of the devices at such intervals and in such manner as may be reasonably required by the Superintendent of Water or the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. These inspections and tests shall be at the expense of the water consumer and shall be performed by the Superintendent of Water or a person approved by the Superintendent of Water as qualified to inspect and test backflow prevention devices. It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of Water to see that these tests and inspections are made. These devices shall be repaired, overhauled or replaced at the expense of the consumer whenever they are found to be defective. Records of such inspections, tests, repairs and overhaul shall be kept by the consumer and made available to the Superintendent of Water or his authorized representative.
(r) Existing backflow prevention devices approved by the Superintendent of Water or the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency prior to November 26, 1980 and which are properly maintained shall, except for inspection, testing and maintenance requirements, be excluded from the requirements of subsection (p) hereof if the Superintendent of Water and the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are assured that the devices will satisfactorily protect the public water system.
(s) The Superintendent of Water shall deny or discontinue, after reasonable notice to the occupant thereof, the water service to any premises wherein any backflow prevention device required by this section is not installed, tested and maintained in a manner acceptable to the Superintendent of Water. If it is found that the backflow prevention device required by this section has been removed or by passed, or if an unprotected cross-connection exists on the premises, or if a low pressure cut-off required by subsection (n) hereof is not installed and maintained in working order, or if the Superintendent of Water or the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, or the authorized representative of either, is denied entry to determine compliance with this section, then the Superintendent of Water shall deny or discontinue, after reasonable notice to the occupant thereof, the water service to any such consumer. Water service to such premises shall not be restored until the consumer has corrected or eliminated such conditions or defects in conformance with this section, and to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Water.
(t) No subsection of this section shall supersede rules 3745-95-01 through 3745-95-08 and 3745-99-01 promulgated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency under the Ohio Revised Code Chapter 119, statutory authority: 6109.01; 6109.03; 6109.04; 6109.13.
(Ord. 5-8-89.)