No person, firm, or corporation may establish or maintain, or
permit to be established or maintained, any unprotected cross connection.
Cross connections shall be protected as required in Ch. SPS 382, Wis.
Adm. Code.
Upon presentation of credentials, a representative of the water utility shall have the right to request entry, at any reasonable time, to a property served by a connection to the public water system for the purpose of inspecting the property for cross connections. Refusing entry to such utility representative shall be sufficient cause for the water utility to discontinue water service to the property, as provided under §
440-44 of this article. If entry is refused, a special inspection warrant under § 66.0119, Wis. Stats. may be obtained.
The water utility may request an owner, lessee, or occupant of property served by a connection to the public water system to furnish the water utility with pertinent information regarding the piping systems on the property. Refusing to provide requested information shall be sufficient cause for the water utility to discontinue water service to the property, as provided under §
440-44 of this article.
The water utility may discontinue water service to any property wherein any unprotected connection in violation of this article exists, and take other precautionary measures deemed necessary to eliminate any danger of contamination of the public water system. Water service may be discontinued, however, only after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing under Ch. 68, Wis. Stats., except as provided in §
440-45 of this article. Water service to such property shall not be restored until the unprotected cross connection has been eliminated.
If it is determined by the water utility that an unprotected
cross connection or emergency endangers public health, safety, or
welfare, and requires immediate action, and if a written finding to
that effect is filed with the Clerk and delivered to the customer's
premises, water service may be immediately discontinued. The customer
shall have an opportunity for hearing under Ch. 68, Wis. Stats., within
10 days of such emergency discontinuance. Water service to such property
shall not be restored until the unprotected cross connection has been
eliminated.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
BACKFLOW
The undesirable flow of water or mixtures of water and other
liquids, gases or other substances under positive or reduced pressure
into the Cambria Water Utility (hereinafter "Utility") distribution
pipes of the potable supply of water from any source.
BACKFLOW PREVENTER
A device or means designed to prevent backflow caused by
backpressure or back-siphonage; most commonly categorized as air gap,
reduced pressure principle backflow preventer, double check valve
assembly, pressure vacuum breaker, atmospheric vacuum breaker, hose
connection vacuum breaker, hose connection backflow preventer, backflow
preventer with intermediate atmospheric vent, and barometric loop.
BACKPRESSURE
An elevation of pressure in the downstream piping system
(i.e., pump, elevation of piping, or steam and/or air pressure) above
the Utility supply pressure, which would cause or tend to cause a
reversal of the normal direction of flow.
BACK-SIPHONAGE
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distribution pipes of the Utility's potable water supply
system from any source caused by the sudden reduction of pressure
in the Utility's potable water supply system.
CROSS CONNECTION
Any physical connection or arrangement between two otherwise
separate systems, one of which contains potable water from the Utility,
and the other containing water from a private source, water of unknown
or questionable safety, or steam, gases, or chemicals, whereby there
may be a flow from one system to the other, the direction of flow
depending on the pressure differential between the two systems.
The property owner shall be responsible for the elimination
of or protection from all cross connections on their premises. The
owner shall, at his or her expense, have installed, maintained, and
tested any and all backflow preventers on his or her premises in compliance
with Chs. NR 810 and SPS 382, Wis. Adm. Code. The property owner shall
have corrected any malfunction, revealed by periodic testing of any
backflow preventer on his or her premises. The property owner shall
inform the Utility of any proposed or modified cross connections and
also any existing cross connections that are not protected by an approved
backflow prevention device. The property owner shall not install a
bypass around any backflow preventer unless there is a backflow preventer
of the same type on the bypass. Property owners who cannot shut down
operation for testing of the backflow prevention device must supply
additional devices necessary to allow testing to take place. In the
event the property owner installs plumbing upstream of the backflow
preventer, such plumbing must have its own approved backflow preventer.
The property owner is required to follow the protection practices
described in the American Water Works Association publication AWWA
M14 titled "Recommended Practice for Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection
Control," unless the Utility requires or authorizes other means of
protecting the public water system. These requirements or authorizations
will be at the discretion of the Utility.
In the case of premises having internal cross connections that
cannot be permanently corrected or controlled, or intricate plumbing
and piping arrangements or where entry to all portions of the premises
is not readily accessible for inspection purposes, making it impracticable
or impossible to ascertain whether or not dangerous cross connections
exist, the public water system shall be protected against backflow
from the premises by installing an approved backflow preventer in
the service line. In the case of any premises where there is any material
dangerous to health that is handled in such a manner that, in the
opinion of the Utility, could create an actual or potential hazard
to the public water system, the public water system shall be protected
by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced-pressure
principle backflow preventer. Examples of premises where these conditions
will exist include sewage treatment plants, hospitals, mortuaries,
plating plants, and car wash establishments. In the case of any premises
where, in the opinion of the Utility, an undue health threat is posed
because of the presence of toxic substances, the Utility may require
an approved air gap at the service connection to protect the public
water system. This requirement will be at the discretion of the Utility.
SPS 382 is hereby adopted, except any penalty provisions therein.
Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 810 is hereby adopted.
This article does not supersede the State of Wisconsin Plumbing
Code, in its entirety, Comm 81 through 87, but is supplementary to
it.