[R.O. 2006 §705.400; Ord. No. 98.41 §41(25-41), 10-15-1998]
The purpose of this Article is to protect the public potable water supply from contamination or pollution by containing within the customer's internal building service piping system(s) or private water system(s) such contaminants or pollutants which could backflow through the building service line into the public water system; promote elimination containment, isolation, or control of existing cross-connections, actual or potential, between the public or customer's private potable water systems; and provide for the maintenance of a continuing program of cross-connection control which will systematically and effectively prevent the contamination or pollution of all water systems, both public and private.
[R.O. 2006 §705.410; Ord. No. 98.41 §42(25-42), 10-15-1998]
The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Missouri Safety Drinking Water Law RSMo. Chapters; the water purveyor has the primary responsibility for preventing water from unapproved sources or any other substances from entering the public water system.
[R.O. 2006 §705.420; Ord. No. 98.41 §43(25-43), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 13.57 §5, 9-19-2013; Ord. No. 14.17 §1, 4-3-2014]
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this Article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
AIR-GAP SEPARATION
The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet conveying water or waste to a tank, plumbing fixture, receptor, or other assembly and the flood level rim of the receptacle.
ANNIVERSARY DATE
The date the annual inspection is due for each backflow prevention assembly (BPA) as determined by the Public Works Director, which shall be each year thereafter the initial or previous year's inspection and test date, but no later than thirty (30) days past said anniversary date.
BACKFLOW
The flow other than the intended direction of flow, of any foreign liquids, gases, or substances into the public water system.
BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLY (BPA)
An assembly or means assigned to prevent backflow and shall be of a model or construction approved by the Public Works Director and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Common types of backflow prevention assemblies are:
1. 
DOUBLE-CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLYAn assembly consisting of two (2) internally spring-loaded check valves, installed as a unit between two (2) tightly closing resilient-seated shutoff valves and fittings with properly located resilient-seated test cocks.
2. 
REDUCED-PRESSURE PRINCIPLE BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLYAn assembly consisting of two (2) independently acting approved check valves together with a hydraulically operating, mechanically independent pressure differential relief valve located between the check valves and below the first check valve. These units are located between two (2) tightly closing resilient-seated shutoff valves as an assembly and equipped with properly located resilient-seated test cocks.
CLASS I
A contaminant which is considered to be potentially toxic or life/health threatening. MDNR regulations require air-gap or reduced-pressure principle assembly.
CLASS II
A pollutant which is not considered toxic or dangerous, but which will otherwise degrade the quality of water by imparting tastes and odors, color, or anything that would be aesthetically displeasing. MDNR regulations require air-gap, reduced-pressure principle assembly or a double-check valve assembly.
CONTAINMENT
Protection of the public water system by installing a backflow prevention assembly on the main service line to a facility.
CROSS-CONNECTION
Any physical link between the potable water supply and any other substance, fluid, or source, which makes possible contamination of the public water system due to the reversal of flow of the water in the piping.
HEALTH, HAZARD
Any condition, device, or practice in the water system and its operation which could create or may create a danger to the health and well-being of the customer.
HEALTH, POLLUTION
An actual or potential threat to the physical properties of the water system or to the portability of the public or the customer's potable water system but which would constitute a nuisance or be aesthetically objectionable or could cause damage to the system or its appurtenances, but would not be dangerous to health.
ISOLATION
Protection of a customer's internal plumbing system by installing a backflow prevention assembly, air-gap separation, or other backflow prevention device at the point of the cross-connection.
MDNR
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
POLLUTION
The presence of any foreign substance (organic, inorganic, or biological) in water which tends to degrade its quality so as to constitute a hazard or impair the usefulness 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 waters for domestic use.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
Any publicly or privately owned water system supplying water to the general public which is satisfactory for drinking water, culinary, and domestic purposes and meets the requirements of the MDNR.
PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY
Any water source or system, other than the City's public water system, that may be available in the building or premises.
[R.O. 2006 §705.430; Ord. No. 98.41 §44(25-44), 10-15-1998]
A. 
This Article shall apply to all premises served by the public water system of the City and will be reasonably interpreted by the City. It is the City's intent to recognize the varying degrees of hazard and to apply the principal that the degree of protection required shall be commensurate with the degree of hazard.
B. 
If, in the judgment of the City, cross-connection protection is required through either piping modification or installation of an approved backflow prevention device, due notice shall be given to the consumer. The consumer shall immediately comply by providing the required protection at his/her own expense; failure, refusal, or inability on the part of the consumer to provide such protection shall constitute grounds for discontinuing water service and removal of the water meter to the premises, as provided for in this Article, until such protection has been provided.
C. 
No building service line to any premises shall be installed or maintained unless the water supply is protected as required by this Article. Water service to any premises shall be discontinued by the City if a backflow prevention assembly required by this Article is not installed, tested, and maintained, or if it is found that a backflow prevention assembly has been removed, bypassed, or if any unprotected cross-connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected.
[R.O. 2006 §705.440; Ord. No. 98.41 §45(25-45), 10-15-1998]
A. 
No building service line from a private well system shall be installed or maintained to any premises where actual or potential cross-connections to the public water system may exist unless such actual or potential cross-connections are abated or controlled to the satisfaction of the City.
B. 
No connection shall be installed or maintained whereby a private water supply may enter the public water system unless such private water supply and the method of connection and use of such supply shall have been approved by the City.
C. 
No building service line shall be installed or maintained to any premises in which the plumbing system, facilities, and fixtures have not been constructed and installed using acceptable plumbing practices determined by the Building Official to be necessary for the protection of health and safety.
D. 
The Public Works Director or his/her designee shall be permitted to enter private property at any reasonable time for the purpose of observing any unauthorized cross-connections.
[Ord. No. 14.17 §2, 4-3-2014]
[R.O. 2006 §705.450; Ord. No. 98.41 §46(25-46), 10-15-1998]
A. 
The customer's premises shall be open at all reasonable times to the City to conduct surveys and investigations of water use practices within the customer's premises to determine whether there are actual or potential cross-connections to the customer's water system through which contaminants or pollutants could backflow into the public potable water system.
B. 
On request by the City, the customer shall furnish information on water use practices within his/her premises.
C. 
It shall be the responsibility of the customer to conduct periodic surveys of water use practices on his/her premise to determine whether there are actual or potential cross-connections to his/her water through which contaminants or pollutants could backflow into his/her or the public water system, to notify the City if such connections are found to exist, and to make any repairs necessary to bring his/her water system into compliance with the provisions of this Article.
[R.O. 2006 §705.460; Ord. No. 98.41 §47(25-47), 10-15-1998]
A. 
The type of protection required by this Article shall depend on the degree of hazard which exists, as follows:
1. 
An approved air-gap separation shall be installed where the 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 assembly shall be installed where the public water system may be contaminated with a substance that could cause a health hazard.
3. 
An approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principal backflow prevention assembly or an approved double-check valve assembly shall be installed where the public water system may be polluted with substances that could cause a pollution hazard not dangerous to health.
[R.O. 2006 §705.470; Ord. No. 98.41 §48(25-48), 10-15-1998]
A. 
An approved backflow prevention assembly shall be installed on each service line to a customer's water system serving premises where, in the judgment of the City, actual or potential hazards to the public water system exist. The type and degree of protection required shall be commensurate with the degree of hazard, as determined by the Building Official and/or Public Works Director, in accordance with the City's adopted plumbing code.
[Ord. No. 14.17 §3, 4-3-2014]
B. 
An approved air-gap separation or reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention assembly shall be installed at the water service meter location or within any premises where, in the judgment of the Public Works Director, the nature and extent of activities on the premises, or the materials used in connection with the activities, or materials stored on the premises, would present an immediate and dangerous hazard to health should a cross-connection occur, even though such cross-connection may not exist at the time the backflow prevention device is required to be installed. This includes but is not limited to the following situations:
[Ord. No. 14.17 §3, 4-3-2014]
1. 
Premises having private water systems, unless the quality of the private water supply is acceptable to the Public Works Director.
2. 
Premises having internal cross-connections that are not correctable, or intricate plumbing arrangements which make it impractical to ascertain whether or not cross-connections exist.
3. 
Premises where entry is restricted so that inspection for cross-connections cannot be made with short notice to assure that cross-connections do not exist.
4. 
Premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or reestablished.
5. 
Premises, which due to the nature of the enterprise therein, are subject to recurring modification or expansion.
6. 
Premises on which any substance is handled under pressure so as to permit entry into the public water system, or where a cross-connection could reasonably be expected to occur. This shall include the handling of process waters and cooling waters.
7. 
Premises where materials of a toxic or hazardous nature are handled such that if back siphonage or back pressure should occur, a serious health hazard may result.
C. 
Facilities representing Class I backflow hazards fall into one (1) or more of the categories or premises where an approved air-gap separation or reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly is required by the City to protect the public water system and must be installed at these facilities unless all hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions have been eliminated or corrected by other methods to the satisfaction of the City. This includes, but is not limited to the following types of facilities:
1. 
Aircraft and missile manufacturing plants.
2. 
Automotive plants including those plants which manufacture motorcycles, automobiles, trucks, recreational vehicles and construction and agricultural equipment.
3. 
Potable water dispensing stations which are served by a public water system.
4. 
Beverage bottling plants including dairies and breweries.
5. 
Canneries, packing houses and reduction plants.
6. 
Car washes.
7. 
Chemical, biological and radiological laboratories including those in high schools, trade schools, colleges, universities and research institutions.
8. 
Hospitals, clinic, medical buildings, autopsy facilities, morgues, mortuaries, and other medical facilities.
9. 
Metal or plastic manufacturing, fabrication, cleaning, plating or processing facilities.
10. 
Plants manufacturing paper and paper products.
11. 
Plants manufacturing, refining, compounding or processing fertilizer, film, herbicides, natural or synthetic rubber, pesticides, petroleum or petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, radiological materials or any chemical which would be a contaminant to the public water system.
12. 
Commercial facilities that use herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers or any chemical which would be a contaminant to the public water system.
13. 
Plants processing, blending or refining animal, vegetable or mineral oils.
14. 
Commercial laundries and dye works.
15. 
Sewage, stormwater and industrial waste treatment plants and pumping stations.
16. 
Waterfront facilities including piers, docks, marinas and shipyards.
17. 
Industrial facilities which recycle water.
18. 
Restricted or classified facilities or other facilities closed to the supplier of water or the department.
19. 
Fire sprinkler systems.
20. 
Private water systems.
21. 
Irrigation systems (including in-ground lawn sprinkler systems) with facilities for injection of pesticides, herbicides or chemicals or with provisions for creating back pressure or siphonage.
22. 
Portable tanks for transporting water taken from the public water system.
23. 
Facilities which have pumped or repressurized cooling or heating systems that are served by a public water system, including all boiler systems.
D. 
Facilities representing Class II backflow hazards fall into the category of premises where an approved air-gap separation, reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly, double detector check valve assembly or double-check valve assembly is required by the City to protect the public water system and must be installed at these facilities unless all hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions have been eliminated or corrected by other methods to the satisfaction of the City. This includes, but is not limited to the following types of facilities:
1. 
Tanks to store water from the public water system for fire fighting only, unless such tanks meet the requirements of the MDNR for construction to maintain bacteriological quality of the water.
2. 
Irrigation systems (including in-ground lawn sprinkler systems) not using chemical additives and with no provisions for creating back pressure.
3. 
Fire sprinkler systems not using chemical additives (double detector check valve assembly required).
4. 
Fire lines (double detector check valve assembly required).
5. 
Swimming pools with a piped or permanent connection to the water supply.
6. 
Cross-connections that could permit introduction of contaminants into the public or customer water system and thereby create a nuisance, be aesthetically objectionable or cause minor damage to the public water system or its appurtenances.
7. 
All hose bibs should have an anti-siphonage device.
[R.O. 2006 §705.480; Ord. No. 98.41 §49(25-49), 10-15-1998]
The property owner of any premises with existing private water service shall protect the public water system against backflow by installing an approved device commensurate with the degree of hazard in the service line in accordance with Section 705.450 and the design construction manual.
[R.O. 2006 §705.490; Ord. No. 98.41 §50(25-50), 10-15-1998]
All new building service lines shall protect the public water system against backflow by installing an approved device commensurate with the degree of hazard in the service line in accordance with Section 705.450 and the design construction manual. Additions or major modifications to the public water systems shall be considered to be new service lines for purposes of this Section.
[R.O. 2006 §705.500; Ord. No. 98.41 §51(25-51), 10-15-1998]
Whenever the existing assembly is moved from its present location, or requires more than minimum maintenance, or when the City finds that the maintenance constitutes a hazard to health, the unit shall be replaced by a backflow prevention assembly meeting the requirements of this Article and the design construction manual.
[R.O. 2006 §705.510; Ord. No. 98.41 §52(25-52), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 14.17 §4, 4-3-2014]
Backflow prevention assemblies required by this Article shall be installed at the customer's expense in a manner approved by the Building Official and/or Public Works Director and in accordance with the City's adopted plumbing code and the manufacturer's specifications.
[R.O. 2006 §705.520; Ord. No. 98.41 §53(25-53), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 14.17 §5, 4-3-2014]
A. 
Backflow prevention assembly (BPA) devices shall be approved by the Public Works Director for the use as installed and shall be certified by a backflow prevention assembly tester certified by MDNR. Initial installation and initial testing shall be approved by the Building Official and/or the Public Works Director.
B. 
Annual Inspections And Tests Required. It shall be the responsibility of the customer at any premises where BPAs are installed to have an annual inspection and test report completed by a certified backflow prevention assembly tester certified by MDNR and submitted to the Public Works Director. In those instances where the Public Works Director determines imminent danger of backflow or contamination of the City's water supply, additional certified inspections and tests may be required. All inspections and tests shall be at the expense of the customer and shall be performed by a certified backflow prevention assembly tester certified by MDNR. BPAs shall be repaired, overhauled, or replaced at the expense of the customer whenever said assemblies are found to be defective, leaking, in danger of failure, or otherwise not in working order.
C. 
Reporting.
1. 
Annual inspections and testing shall be performed no later than the customer's anniversary date. A report of satisfactory annual inspection and tests shall be received by the Public Works Director within thirty (30) days after said inspection and test.
2. 
Records of said inspections, tests, repairs, and overhaul shall be kept by the Public Works Director for a period of five (5) years. The report shall contain the customer's name and address, signature and the certification number of the certified backflow prevention assembly tester, and the attestation of the said tester as to compliance or non-compliance of the assembly with established operational requirements.
[R.O. 2006 §705.530; Ord. No. 98.41 §54(25-54), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 14.17 §6, 4-3-2014]
A. 
Upon the customer's anniversary date, if the required annual inspection and test report has not been received by the Publics Works Director, the Public Works Director shall notify the customer and MDNR of non-compliance and pending water service shutoff due to non-compliance.
B. 
Upon thirty (30) days after a customer's anniversary date, if the required annual inspection and test report has not been received by the Public Works Director, the Public Works Director shall send second notice to MDNR of said customer's non-compliance, and the Public Works Director may remove the water meter or otherwise deny or disconnect said customer's water service to the premises of which said backflow prevention assembly is located.
C. 
The Public Works Director may immediately remove the water meter or otherwise deny or disconnect the water supply to the premises of which said BPA is located without notice when:
1. 
The Public Works Director has knowledge of or reasonable suspicion that the customer is causing or maintaining an unprotected cross-connection.
2. 
The Public Works Director has knowledge of the customer failing or refusing to proceed without delay to correct any violation of this Article.
D. 
Water service shall not be restored until the customer has installed a BPA satisfactory to the Public Works Director as prescribed in this Article or has corrected or eliminated any cross-contamination problems.
E. 
Whenever water service is severed or otherwise disconnected, a reconnection fee, as prescribed in Section 705.360(E)(2)(a), shall apply for reconnection to the water system. Upon written application, this fee may be waived by the City Administrator, or his/her designee, where necessary to avoid extreme hardship or unjust result.
[R.O. 2006 §705.540; Ord. No. 98.41 §55(25-55), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 14.17 §7, 4-3-2014]
The Public Works Director or his/her designee shall be the City's official representative responsible for carrying out and enforcing the duties and obligations of the City as specified in this Article.
[R.O. 2006 §705.550; Ord. No. 98.41 §56(25-56), 10-15-1998; Ord. No. 19.76, 11-21-2019]
This Article is intended to be consistent with the provisions of the International Plumbing Code as adopted by the City and referenced in the City's Code of Ordinances. In the event that any conflict is determined to exist between the provisions of this Article and these Codes, the more stringent provision providing the most protection for backflow prevention shall apply.