(A) The following general requirements may pertain to both the city and the users, as applicable, for recycled water system components within their respective purview:
(1) Unauthorized use of recycled water on a site requires immediate notification to the General Manager.
(2) Use areas shall be designed, maintained, and operated to comply with the following setback requirements:
Setback Definition | Minimum Irrigation Setback (feet) |
Edge of use area to property boundary | 25 |
Edge of use area to public road right of way | 30 |
Edge of use area to manmade or natural surface water drainage course 1 | 50 |
Edge of use area to domestic water supply well or irrigation supply well | 150 |
Toe of recycled water impoundment berm to domestic water supply well or irrigation supply well | 150 |
1 Excluding ditches used exclusively for tailwater return from land application area and land application areas separated by levees or other permanent physical barriers from surface waters or drainage courses. | |
(3) Tailwater runoff and spray of recycled water shall not be discharged outside of the use areas except in minor, incidental amounts that cannot reasonably be eliminated by implementation and good maintenance of best management practices.
(4) There shall be at least a ten-foot horizontal and a one-foot vertical separation between all pipelines transporting recycled water and those transporting domestic supply, and the domestic supply pipeline shall be located above the recycled water pipeline.
(5) A public water supply or auxiliary water supply shall not be used as backup or supplemental source of water for a recycled water system unless the connection between the two systems is protected by a backflow preventer (e.g., an air gap separation) which complies with the requirements of Cal. Code of Regulations Title 17.
(6) Any backflow prevention device installed to protect a public water system shall be inspected and maintained in accordance with Cal. Code of Regulations Title 17. The recycled water system shall be tested for possible cross connections at least once every four years. The inspections and the testing shall be performed by a cross connection control specialist certified by the California-Nevada section of the American Water Works Association or an organization with equivalent certification requirements.
(7) All recycling equipment, pumps, piping, valves, and outlets shall be marked to differentiate them from potable water facilities. All recycled water piping (above and below ground) and appurtenances in new installations and in retrofit installations shall be colored purple or distinctively wrapped with purple tape in accordance with Cal. Health and Safety Code § 116815.
(8) Recycled water controllers, valves, and similar appurtenances shall be fixed with recycled water warning signs, and shall be equipped with removable handles or locking mechanisms to prevent public access or tampering.
(9) Quick couplers, if used, shall be different than those used in potable water systems.
(10) Hose bibs and unlocked valves, if used, shall not be used in areas accessible to the public.
(11) Public contact with recycled water shall be controlled using fences, signs, and/or other appropriate means. Signs, visible to the public, stating “RECYCLED WATER - DO NOT DRINK” and “AGUA DE DESPERDICIO RECLAMADA - NO TOME” shall be placed at all areas of public access and around the perimeter of the areas used for effluent disposal or conveyance to alert the public of the use of recycled water. The signs will be no less than four inches high by eight inches wide.
(12) Irrigation of the use area(s) shall occur only when appropriately trained personnel are on duty.
(13) Field perimeters shall be graded to prevent ponding along public roads or other public areas and prevent runoff to adjacent properties.
(14) Irrigating with recycled water shall not be performed within 24 hours of a forecasted storm, during or within 24 hours after any precipitation event, nor when the ground is saturated.
(15) No physical connection shall exist between any recycled water system and any separate system conveying potable water, domestic water supply well or irrigation well.
(16) Workers shall be educated regarding proper hygienic procedures to ensure personal and public safety. User is responsible for training employees in the use of recycled water. It is recommended that training be conducted at the beginning of each irrigation season. New employees shall be instructed before any handling of recycled water.
(17) User is responsible for application fees and annual RWQCB fees if applicable.
(18) User is responsible for installing a delivery pipeline and all necessary air gap devices on irrigation wells. Upon completion of construction and verification of expenditures, city shall pay user a one-time “mitigation fee” equal to actual costs incurred by user.
(19) User is responsible for keeping records of water use and associated nitrogen loading and reporting to the city.
(20) The annual nutrient loading of the use area, including the nutritive value of organic and chemical fertilizers and recycled water, shall not exceed crop demand.
(21) Hydraulic and nutrient loading of recycled water and supplemental irrigation water shall be at reasonable agronomic rates designed to:
(a) Maximize crop nutrient uptake;
(b) Maximize breakdown of organic waste constituents in the root zone;
(c) Minimize the percolation of waste constituents; and
(d) Minimize erosion within the use areas.
(22) The General Manager shall provide user with a copy of all reports required by the applicable WDR.
(23) The General Manager has the right to inspect the use area on regular basis to ensure compliance with the provisions of this chapter and the reclamation agreement.
(24) A copy of the reclamation agreement and this chapter shall be maintained at the user’s facilities and be available at all times for inspection by the authorized representatives of the city, the RWQCB, or CDPH.
(25) The use area(s) shall be managed to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. In particular:
(a) There shall be no standing water 48 hours after irrigation ceases;
(b) Tailwater ditches shall be maintained essentially free of emergent, marginal, and floating vegetation; and
(c) Low-pressure and unpressurized pipelines and ditches accessible to mosquitoes shall not be used to store recycled water.
(26) User will manage the use of the recycled water to:
(a) Minimize contact with workers.
(b) Maintain application or recycled water at reasonable rates considering the crops, soil, climate, irrigation management system, nutrient loading, and crop demand.
(Ord. 13-05, passed 10-1-2013)