[Adopted 7-1-1997 by L.L. No. 11-1997 (Ch. 173, Art. I,
of the 1991 Code)]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Water Ordinance
of the City of Fulton, New York."
General City Law, Book 20, Article 2A.
The purpose of this article is to protect and preserve the municipal
water supply and the health and safety of the inhabitants of the City
and visitors thereto.
This article includes the City of Fulton and adjacent communities
or locations in Oswego County which are supplied with City water.
Except where specifically defined herein, all words used in
this article shall carry their customary meanings.
APPLICABLE TERRITORY
The territory to which this article applies includes the
City of Fulton and in Oswego County, where mains are maintained.
CITY
The City of Fulton, New York.
CROSS-CONNECTIONS
Any physical connection or arrangement between two otherwise
separate water supply piping systems, one of which contains potable
water and the other water of unknown or questionable safety, whereby
water may flow, depending on the pressure differential, between the
two systems.
HOUSE SERVICE
That portion of the house service between the curb box and
the building being served.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation
or group.
SERVICE STREET
That portion of the service line which connects to the water
main in the street and ends with the curb box located between the
pavement and the property line.
No person shall in any manner interfere with or attempt to interfere
with any structure, standpipe or pipeline or the appurtenances thereto
or trespass upon any of the property being and forming a part of the
water supply system of the City of Fulton.
The City of Fulton reserves the right to stop any and all lawn
sprinkling at any time by notice in the newspaper duly designated
as the official newspaper of the City, unless not feasible because
of emergency situations.
In the event that any customer violates any provision on this
article in respect to making or maintaining the connection of the
meter with the water system and fails to correct such violation within
five days after notice has been given by the Water Department to do
so, or in the event that the customer has failed to install a meter
in connection with the premises being served through the waste system
by the date fixed as the final date for making connections, unless
said date is extended by public action and notice, the Water Department
shall have the right to remedy the violation at the expense of the
customer and charge therefor in addition to a service charge and shall
be a lien prior to and superior to every other lien or claim except
the lien of an existing tax or local assessment upon real property
of said owners so served with water from the date said work is done
until it is paid. The bill shall be submitted for the same immediately
after the work is completed, and if it is not paid within 10 days,
such amount shall be added to the bill submitted at the next billing
period, and, if not paid when due, service may be discontinued.
In case a house or other building is to be closed or become
vacant, notice thereof shall be given to the Water Department in order
that the meter may be read and the curb cock closed. The meter shall
be removed and stored by the Water Department. Where such notice is
not given and pipes burst from freezing or other cause, the value
of the water lost by reason thereof as estimated by the Water Department,
together with a charge to cover labor and expense to the Water Department,
shall be added to the next bill and be paid in like manner as regular
water charges.
Any person who shall, except as permitted by this article, break,
damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, apparatus
or equipment which is part of any public water supply system shall
be deemed to have violated this article. Any person who commits or
permits any acts in violation of any of the provisions of this article
shall be deemed to have committed an offense against such article
and shall be liable for the penalties provided. A separate offense
against this article shall be deemed committed on each day during
or on which a violation occurs or continues. A separate penalty may
be imposed for each separate offense.
In addition to the above provided penalties, the City may cause
water service to be cut off to any property where a violation exists.
The City may also maintain action or proceedings in the name of the
City in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with
or to restrain by injunction the violation of this article.
[Adopted 5-15-2001 by L.L. No. 4-2001 (Ch. 174 of the 1991
Code)]
This article shall be known as the "Cross-Connection Control
Law of the City of Fulton, New York."
The purpose of this article is:
A. To protect the public potable water supply served by the City of
Fulton Water Department from the possibility of contamination or pollution
by isolating, within its customer's internal distribution system,
such contaminants or pollutants which could backflow or backsiphon
into the public water system.
B. To promote the elimination or control of existing cross-connections,
actual or potential, between its customers potable water system and
nonpotable systems.
C. To provide for the maintenance of a continuing program of cross-connection
control which will effectively prevent the contamination or pollution
of all potable water systems by cross-connection control.
[Amended 12-16-2003 by L.L. No. 6-2003]
The Commissioner of Public Works of the City of Fulton is hereby
given the authority to administer and enforce the provisions contained
herein.
[Amended 12-16-2003 by L.L. No. 6-2003]
The Commissioner of Public Works of the City of Fulton shall
be responsible for the protection of the public potable water distribution
system from contamination or pollution due to the backflow or backsiphonage
of contaminants or pollutants through the water service connection.
If, in the judgment of the Commissioner, an approved backflow device
is required on any water service, the Commissioner or his delegated
agent shall give notice in writing to said customer to install an
approved backflow prevention device at the outlet end of the water
meter and before any unprotected branch. The customer shall, within
90 days, install such approved device, or devices, at the owner's
own expense, and failure or refusal, or inability on the part of the
customer, to install said device or devices within 90 days shall constitute
a ground for discontinuing water service to the premises until such
device or devices have been properly installed.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ACCEPTABLE DEVICES
Any backflow device or other assembly found to be acceptable
for control of cross-connections as specified by New York State Department
of Health requirements.
AESTHETICALLY OBJECTIONABLE FACILITY
Any facility in which substances are present which, if introduced
into the public water supply system, could be considered a nuisance
to other water customers but would not adversely affect human health.
APPROVED
Accepted by the Commissioner of Public Works as meeting an
applicable specification stated or cited in this regulation, or as
suitable for the proposed use.
[Amended 12-16-2003 by L.L. No. 6-2003]
AUXILIARY WATER SUPPLY
Any water supply on or available to the premises other than
the purveyor's approved public potable water supply.
BACKFLOW
The reverse flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, substances
or gases of questionable quality from an unapproved water supply or
source into a potable water system. Backflow is induced by a difference
in pressure, reduced pressure or backpressure in the distribution
pipes and system.
BACKFLOW PREVENTER
A device or means designed to prevent backflow or backsiphonage.
Most commonly categorized as "air gap," "reduced-pressure-principle
device," "double-check valve assembly," "pressure vacuum breaker,"
"atmospheric vacuum breaker," "hose bib vacuum breaker," "residential
dual check," "double-check with intermediate atmospheric vent" and
"barometric loop."
A.
AIR GAP SEPARATIONA physical separation sufficient to prevent backflow between the free-flowing discharge end of the potable water system and any other system; physically defined as a distance equal to twice the diameter of the supply-side pipe diameter but never less than one inch.
B.
ATMOSPHERIC VACUUM BREAKERA device which prevents backsiphonage by creating an atmospheric vent when there is either a negative pressure or subatmospheric pressure in a water system. This type of device is only applicable to hose bibs.
C.
BAROMETRIC LOOPA fabricated piping arrangement rising at least 35 feet at its topmost point above the highest fixture it supplies. It is utilized in water supply systems to protect against backsiphonage.
D.
DOUBLE-CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLYAn assembly of two independently operating spring-loaded check valves with tightly closing shutoff valves on each side of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of each check valve.
F.
HOSE BIB VACUUM BREAKERA device which is permanently attached to a hose bib and which acts as an atmospheric vacuum breaker.
G.
PRESSURE VACUUM BREAKERA device containing one or two independently operated spring-loaded check valves and an independently operated spring-loaded air inlet valve located on the discharge side of the check or checks. Device includes tightly closing shutoff valves on each side of the check valves and properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valve(s).
H.
REDUCED-PRESSURE-PRINCIPLE BACKFLOW PREVENTERAn assembly consisting of two independently operating approved check valves with an automatically operating differential relief valve located between the two check valves, tightly closing shutoff valves on each side of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valves and the relief valve.
BACKPRESSURE
A condition resulting from backflow or backsiphonage of unacceptable
quality water or gases from a plumbing fixture or other customer source(s)
into a public water supply system due to a greater pressure within
the customer's water system.
BACKSIPHONAGE
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distribution pipes of a potable water supply system from
any source other than its intended source caused by the sudden reduction
of pressure in the potable water supply system.
COMMISSIONER
The Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Fulton,
New York.
[Amended 12-16-2003 by L.L. No. 6-2003]
CONTAINMENT
A method of backflow prevention which requires a backflow
prevention preventer at the water service entrance.
CONTAMINANT
Any substance that will impair the quality of the water to
a degree that it creates a serious health hazard to the public leading
to poisoning or the spread of disease.
CONTAMINATION
The presence of a substance in water that can degrade water
quality.
CROSS-CONNECTION
Any actual or potential connection between the public water
supply and a potential source of contamination or pollution.
CROSS-CONNECTION PERMIT FEE
A fee determined and charged by the Department for the initial
installation permit, and a fee for the renewal of the permit.
CUSTOMER
A water user served by the City of Fulton water system.
DEGREE OF HAZARD
Rating applied to a facility, either hazardous, aesthetically
objectionable or nonhazardous.
FIXTURE ISOLATION
A method of backflow prevention in which a backflow preventer
is located to correct a cross-connection at an in-plant location rather
than at a water service entrance.
OWNER
Any person who has legal title to, or license to operate
or habitat in, a property upon which a cross-connection inspection
is to be made or upon which a cross-connection is present.
PERMIT
A document issued by the Department, which allows the use
of a backflow preventer.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, company, public or private corporation,
political subdivision or agency of the state, department, agency or
instrumentality or the United States or any other legal entity.
POLLUTANT
A foreign substance that, if permitted to get into the public
water system, will degrade its quality so as to constitute a moderate
hazard or impair the usefulness or quality of the water to a degree
which does not create an actual hazard to the public health but which
does adversely and unreasonably affect such water for domestic use.
WATER SERVICE ENTRANCE
That point in the owner's water system beyond the sanitary
control of the district; generally considered to be the outlet end
of the water meter and always before any unprotected branch.
The Department recognizes the threat to the public water system
arising from cross-connections. All threats will be classified by
degree of hazard and will require the installation of approved reduced-pressure-principle
backflow prevention devices or double-check valves.
The Department shall not permit a cross-connection within the
public water supply system unless it is considered necessary and it
cannot be eliminated.
A. Cross-connection permits that are required for each backflow prevention
device are obtained from the Department. A fee of $50 will be charged
for the initial permit and $25 for the renewal of each permit.
B. Permits shall be renewed every five years and are nontransferable.
Permits are subject to revocation and become immediately revoked if
the owner should so change the type of cross-connection or degree
of hazard associated with the service.
Any existing backflow preventer shall be allowed by the Department
to continue in service unless the degree of hazard is such as to supersede
the effectiveness of the present backflow preventer or result in an
unreasonable risk to the public health. Where the degree of hazard
has increased, as in the case of residential installation converting
to a business establishment, any existing backflow preventer must
be upgraded to a reduced-pressure-principle device, or a reduced-pressure-principle
device must be installed in the event that no backflow device was
present.
Any person, association, partnership, firm or corporation violating
any of the provisions of this article shall be deemed guilty of a
violation and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined in an amount
not exceeding $250 or shall be imprisoned in the Oswego County Jail
for a period not exceeding 15 days, or shall be both fined and imprisoned.