[Amended 5-28-1998 by Ord. No. MC-3389; 4-16-2009 by Ord. No.
MC-4460]
The purpose of this article is:
A. To protect the public water supply of the City of Camden from the
possibility of contamination or pollution by isolating within the
customer's internal distribution system(s) or the customer's private
water system(s) such contaminants or pollutants that could backflow
into the public water system.
B. To promote the elimination or control of existing cross-connections,
actual or potential, between the customer's in-plant water system(s)
and nonpotable water system(s), plumbing fixtures and industrial piping
systems.
C. To provide for the maintenance of a continuing program of cross-connection
control that will systematically and effectively prevent the contamination
or pollution of all potable water systems.
The Director of Public Works for the City of Camden shall be
responsible for the protection of the public potable water distribution
system from contamination or pollution due to the backflow of contaminants
or pollution through the water service connection. If, in the judgment
of the Director of Public Works, an approved backflow assembly is
required (at the customer's water service connection or within the
customer's private water system) for the safety of the water system,
the Director of Public Works or his/her designated agent shall give
notice, in writing, to said customer to install such an approved backflow
prevention assembly(ies) at a specific location(s) on his/her premises.
The customer shall immediately install such approved assembly(ies)
at his/her own expense, and failure, refusal or inability on the part
of the customer to install, have tested and maintain said assembly(ies)
shall constitute grounds for the discontinuing of water service and/or
the assessment of a fine to the premises until such requirements have
been satisfactorily met.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have meanings
indicated:
APPROVED
Accepted by the Department of Public Works as meeting an
applicable specification stated or cited in this article or as suitable
for the proposed use.
AUXILIARY WATER SUPPLY
Any water supply on or available to the premises other than
the purveyor's approved water supply. These auxiliary waters may include
water from another purveyor's public water supply or any natural source(s),
such as a well, spring, river, stream, harbor and so forth; used waters;
or industrial fluids. These waters may be contaminated or polluted
or they may be objectionable and constitute an unacceptable water
source over which the water purveyor does not have sanitary control.
BACKFLOW
The undesirable reversal of flow in a potable water distribution
system as a result of a cross-connection.
BACKFLOW PREVENTER
An assembly or means designed to prevent backflow.
A.
AIR GAPThe 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 rim of the receptacle. These vertical, physical separations must be at least twice the diameter of the water supply outlet but never less than one inch (25 millimeters).
B.
DOUBLE CHECK-VALVE ASSEMBLYThe approved double check-valve assembly consists of two internally loaded resilient-seated check-valves constructed and installed as a unit between two tightly closing, resilient-seated shutoff valves and fittings with property located resilient-seated test cocks. This assembly shall only be used to protect against a nonhealth hazard (that is, a pollutant).
C.
REDUCED-PRESSURE BACKFLOW PREVENTION ASSEMBLYThe approved reduced-pressure-principle backflow prevention assembly consists of two 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 tightly closing, resilient-seated check-valves as an assembly and equipped with properly located resilient-seated test cocks.
BACKPRESSURE
A pressure higher than the supply pressure caused by a pump,
elevated tank, boiler or any other means that may cause backflow.
BACKSIPHONAGE
Backflow caused by negative or reduced pressure in the supply
piping.
CONTAMINATION
An impairment of a potable water supply by the introduction
or admission of any foreign substance that degrades the quality and
creates a health hazard.
CROSS-CONNECTION
A connection or potential connection between any part of
a potable water system and any other environment containing other
substances in a manner that under any circumstances would allow such
substances to enter the potable water system. Other substances may
be gases, liquids or solids, such as chemicals, waste products, steam,
water from other sources (potable or nonpotable) or any matter that
may change the color of or add odor to the water.
CROSS-CONNECTION CONTROL BY CONTAINMENT
The installation of an approved backflow prevention assembly
at the water service connection to any customer's premises where it
is physically and economically unfeasible to find and permanently
eliminate or control all actual or potential cross-connections within
the customer's water system, or it shall mean the installation of
an approved backflow prevention assembly on the service line leading
to and supplying a portion of a customer's water system where there
are actual or potential cross-connections that cannot be effectively
eliminated or controlled at the point of the cross-connection.
CROSS-CONNECTION, CONTROLLED
A connection between a potable water system and a nonpotable
water system with an approved backflow prevention assembly properly
installed and maintained so that it will continuously afford the protection
commensurate with the degree of hazard.
HAZARD, DEGREE OF
Derived from an evaluation of the potential risk to public
health and the adverse effect of the hazard upon the potable water
system.
A.
HAZARD, HEALTHA cross-connection or potential cross-connection involving a substance that could, if introduced in the potable water supply, cause death or illness, spread disease or have a high probability of causing such effects.
B.
HAZARD, NONHEALTHA cross-connection or potential cross-connection involving any substance that generally would not be a health hazard but would constitute a nuisance or be aesthetically objectionable if introduced into the potable water supply.
C.
HAZARD, PLUMBINGA plumbing-type cross-connection in a customer's water system that has not been properly protected by an approved air gap or an approved backflow prevention assembly.
D.
HAZARD, SYSTEMAn actual or potential threat of severe damage to the physical properties of the public potable water system or the consumer's potable water system or of a pollution or contamination that would have a protracted effect on the quality of the potable water in the system.
INDUSTRIAL FLUIDS SYSTEM
Any system containing a fluid or solution that may be chemically,
biologically or otherwise contaminated or polluted in a form or concentration
such as would constitute a health, system, pollution or plumbing hazard
if introduced into an approved water supply. This may include, but
not be limited to, polluted or contaminated waters and used waters
originating from the public potable water supply that may have deteriorated
in sanitary quality; chemicals in fluid form; plating acids and alkalis;
circulating cooling waters connected to an open cooling tower and/or
cooling towers that are chemically or biologically treated or stabilized
with toxic substances; contaminated natural waters, such as wells,
springs, streams, rivers, bays, harbors, seas, irrigation canals or
systems, and so forth; oils, gases, glycerin, paraffins and caustic
and acid solutions; and other liquid and gaseous fluids used for industrial
or other purposes or fire-fighting purposes.
POLLUTION
The presence of any foreign substance in water that tends
to degrade its quality so as to constitute a nonhealth hazard or impair
the usefulness of the water.
PUBLIC WORKS, DIRECTOR OF
The Director of Public Works in charge of the Department
of Public Works is vested with the authority and responsibility for
the implementation of an effective cross-connection control program
and for the enforcement of the provisions of this article. In the
event that the Director is not the licensed operator of record, then
he shall defer to the licensed operator of record on matters of a
technical nature.
SERVICE CONNECTION
The terminal end of a service connection from the public
potable water system, that is, where the water purveyor loses jurisdiction
and sanitary control over the water at its point of delivery to the
customer's water system. If a meter is installed at the end of the
service connection, then the "service connection" shall mean the downstream
end of the meter. There shall be no unprotected takeoffs from the
service line ahead of any meter or backflow prevention assembly located
at the point of delivery to the customer's water system. "Service
connection" shall also include water service connection from a fire
hydrant and all other temporary or emergency water service connections
from the potable water system.
WATER, NONPOTABLE
Water that is not safe for human consumption or that is of
questionable quality.
WATER, POTABLE
Water that is safe for human consumption as described by
the Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey State Department
of Environmental Protection.
WATER, USED
Any water supplied by a water purveyor from a public water
supply system to a consumer's water system after it has passed through
the point of delivery and is no longer under the sanitary control
of the water purveyor.
The following fees shall be remitted to the Department of Public
Works, Water and Sewer Billing, on or before the 15th of the calendar
month that they are due:
A. Cross-connection permit: $200.
B. Certified backflow technician's license: $100.
The following fees shall be remitted to the Department of Public
Works, Water and Sewer Billing, on or before the 15th of the calendar
month that they are due:
A. Inspections: $35 per hour.
B. Cross-connection device testing: $64 per hour.
After the initial survey or an inspection, the following restrictions
apply:
A. Installation of a new cross-connection control assembly: 30 days.
B. Repair of a cross-connection assembly that can be removed from service
without constituting an uncontrolled cross-connection: 10 days.
C. Repair of a cross-connection assembly in a nonhazardous location
that cannot be removed from service without constituting an uncontrolled
cross-connection: five days.
D. Repair of a cross-connection assembly in a hazardous location that
cannot be removed from service without constituting an uncontrolled
cross-connection: 48 hours.
Any person or entity who or which violates the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine, imprisonment or community service as provided in §
1-15 of the Code of the City of Camden.