[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Owego
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 9-20-2016 by L.L. No. 6-2016]
A.
The Town of Owego recognizes the need for a backflow/backsiphonage
program to ensure the public's safety and welfare. The residents
and customers of the Town of Owego should be able to rely on clean
and safe drinking water at all times and only a system protected against
backflow and backsiphonage can ensure clean and safe drinking water.
B.
The program will be managed by the Town of Owego Utilities Department
and will have the assistance of the Local Health Department, the Town
of Owego Code Enforcement Office and engineering service, if applicable.
C.
The guidelines set forth by the New York State Health Department
shall be used as the Town of Owego's guidelines and will hold
true for all consumers of the Town's water.
A.
To achieve containment, an acceptable backflow prevention device
must be installed in every service connection to a facility. Three
categories should be considered when determining the degree of hazard
posed by a facility and making the subsequent determination of the
type of protective device required: use, toxicity, and availability
of contaminants; availability of supplementary supply of water; and
firefighting system evaluation. Based on these considerations, it
will be possible to rate a facility as hazardous, aesthetically objectionable
or nonhazardous.
B.
Potential hazards. The following listings will be helpful in determining
the degree of hazard posed by a particular facility based on use and
availability of contaminants. It is not possible to list every circumstance
and facility type that may be encountered by the Town while evaluating
their customers. The Town, while evaluating a facility, also will
rely on good sense and the help of the local Health Department Engineer.
(1)
Hazardous facilities. The following partial listing gives examples
of the types of facilities which would require an acceptable RPZ or
air gap to be installed in the service connection to the public water
distribution system.
|
Type of Facility
|
Potential Hazard
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Sewage and industrial wastewater treatment plants and pumping
stations sewer flushers, etc.
|
Sewage industrial wastewater, contaminated water, toxic chemicals,
etc.
| |
|
Paper manufacturing or processing, dye plants, petroleum processing,
printing plants, chemical manufacturing or processing, industrial
fluid systems, steam generation, rubber processing, tanneries.
|
Toxic chemicals, water conditioning compounds; examples: toxic
dyes, acids, alkalies, solvents, quarternary ammonia compounds, mercury,
chromium, etc.
| |
|
Canneries, breweries, food processing, milk processing, ice
manufacturing, meat packers, poultry processing, rendering companies,
etc.
|
Process water, steam, detergents acids, caustics, refrigeration
lines
| |
|
Hospitals, clinics, laboratories, veterinary hospitals, mortuaries,
embalmers, etc.
|
Bacterial cultures, laboratory solutions, blood and tissue waste,
toxic materials, etc.
| |
|
Shipyards, marinas, etc.
|
Seawater, sewage, contaminated water, etc.
| |
|
Metal-plating, photoprocessing, laundries, commercial car washes,
commercial refrigeration systems.
|
Toxic chemicals, concentrated cleaning agents, solvents, etc.
Examples: dry-cleaning est. etc., cyanides, fluorides, copper, chromium,
caustic & acid solutions.
| |
|
Commercial greenhouses, spraying and irrigation systems using
weedicides herbicides, exterminators.
|
Toxic chemicals. Examples: ammonium salts, phosphates, 2.4 D
sodium arsenate, lindane, malathion.
| |
|
Boiler systems, cooling towers or internal fire fighting systems
using conditioners, inhibitors, corrosion control chemical, etc.
|
Toxic chemicals. Examples: hydrazine, sodium compounds, antifreeze
solutions, etc.
| |
|
Typically: apartment buildings, cooling towers, and warehouses
|
(2)
Aesthetically objectionable facilities. The following partial listing
gives examples of the types of facilities which would require an acceptable
DCV to be installed in the service connection to the public water
distribution system.
|
Type of Facility
|
Potential Hazard
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Customer fire protection Loops, fire storage tanks.
|
Stagnant water, objectionable tastes, odors.
| |
|
High temperature potable water.
|
Objectionable temperatures.
| |
|
Utilization of food grade dyes.
|
Objectionable color.
| |
|
Complex plumbing systems in Commercial buildings typically:
barber shops; beauty salons; churches; apartment buildings; gas stations;
supermarkets; nursing homes; construction sites; carnivals.
|
Plumbing errors, obsolete plumbing equipment, poor plumbing
inspection/correction programs.
|
(3)
Non-hazardous facilities. The containment approach would not apply.
The following partial listing indicates the type of facility that
would probably qualify:
|
Type of Facility
|
Corrective Measures
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Private homes.
|
None; rely on internal plumbing control.
| |
|
"Dry" commercial establishments without complex plumbing systems.
|
C.
Protective devices.
(1)
Nonhazardous facilities should be protected through an internal plumbing
control program to ensure that plumbing cross-connections are adequately
protected or eliminated.
(2)
A hazardous facility must be contained through the use of RPZ or
an air gap.
(3)
An aesthetically objectionable facility must be contained through
the use of a DCV.
A.
All notification of need for installation and inspection of backflow
devices and follow up communication for noncompliance, is the responsibility
of the Town of Owego and will have the authority set forth by the
Part (5) Public Water Supply Sanitary Codes; specifically, section
5-1.31 of the Public Health Law 225, titled Cross Connection Control
and the Public Water Supply Guide for Town Backflow/Backsiphonage
Program. The Town has the option to discontinue water service for
noncompliance with the Town Backflow/Backsiphonage Program.
B.
The testing of backflow devices will be performed by licensed backflow
device testing personnel on an annual basis, at the expense of the
property owner of record.
C.
Repair of the devices will be performed by licensed backflow device
testers only. Licensed backflow device testers must file proof of
insurance at the Town of Owego Utilities Department. Anyone performing
backflow testing must be licensed by the State of New York to perform
repairs and subsequent testing of their work in the Town of Owego.
A.
Containment of private homes will be based on a reasonable determination
of a potential hazard. Examples would include private homes with wells
connected to the public water supply, irrigation systems or other
uses of water such as film developing, etc.
B.
New construction and replacement of services at private residences
may require a backflow device consistent with the degree of hazard.
However, no goals or compliance dates have been established at this
time.
A.
All multi-family accounts will be inspected for degree of hazard.
Individual hardships will be addressed and any necessary extensions
will be set by the Town.
B.
All industrial accounts will be inspected for degree of hazard and
are required to have a backflow device.
C.
All industrial fire service will be inspected for degree of hazard
and are required to have a backflow device.
D.
All commercial accounts will be inspected for degree of hazard and
are required to have a backflow device.
E.
New construction and replacement of services at multi-family, commercial
and industrial accounts will require a backflow device consistent
with the degree of hazard.
F.
Properties must be inspected to determine degree of hazard for both
domestic and fire services.
G.
Initial thoughts and concerns will be addressed with the property
owner.
H.
The property owner must hire an engineer registered in the State
of New York to design the backflow protection.
I.
Application for approval of the device must be submitted to the Town
of Owego Utilities Department with an engineering report, plans and
specifications, in quadruplicate, for review.
J.
Plans are reviewed and if they do not meet requirements they will
be returned to the property owner. If they meet requirements they
are forwarded to the local health department.
K.
Once final approval is made by the local health department, the plans
are returned to the property owner and work may proceed.
L.
When work is completed, the installation must be inspected by the
Engineer that designed the system and a letter sent to the Town of
Owego Utilities Department stating that compliance has been met.
M.
The Town of Owego Utilities Department must inspect the installation
to document that the installation was completed in accordance with
the approved application.
N.
Twelve months from the date of installation and annually thereafter,
the device shall be tested by a New York State licensed backflow device
tester and a test report sent to the Town of Owego Utilities Department.
Before temporary water is turned on, it must have an approved
backflow device installed and tested. The device must be consistent
with the degree of hazard at the site.
An air gap or RPZ device is required for the use of a fire hydrant,
other than the fighting of fires.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
An acceptable air gap, reduced pressure zone device or double
check valve assembly as used to contain potential contamination within
a facility.
Devices or assemblies found to be acceptable for containment
control in New York State in accordance with the Department of Health
requirements as outlined in Section 8.
One in which substances are present, which if introduced
into the public water supply could be a nuisance to other water customers,
but would not adversely affect human health. Typical examples of such
substances are: food-grade dyes, hot water, stagnant water from fire
lines in which no chemical additives are used, etc.
The unobstructed ventricle distance through the free atmosphere
between the lowest plumbing fixture, or other device and the flood
level rim to the receptacle. The differential distance shall be at
least double the diameter (D) of the supply pipe. In no case shall
the air gap be less than one inch.
The resulting backflow of contamination, polluted, or otherwise
unacceptable quality from a plumbing fixture or other property owner
source(s) into public water supply system due to a greater pressure
within the property owner's water system.
The unwanted reversal of flow of water, introduced by a differential
in pressure or back pressure, which causes the flow of water or other
liquids and/or gases into the distribution pipes of a public water
supply from any source other than its intended source.
The backflow of a contaminated or polluted water, or water
of questionable quality from a plumbing fixture or other property
owner source(s), into a public water supply system main, due to a
temporary negative or subatmospheric pressure within the public water
supply system.
Backflow/backsiphonage control which isolates the property
owner's facility from the public water system so as to provide
the protection necessary to prevent contamination of the public water
supply in the event of backflow from the property owner's facility.
The presence in water of a substance that tends to degrade
its quality.
Physical connection through which a water supply could be
contaminated.
Whether a facility is rated as hazardous, aesthetically,
objectionable or nonhazardous.
Two single, independently acting check valves, including
tightly closing shutoff valves located at each end of the assembly
and suitable connections for testing the water tightness of each check
valve.
One in which substances may be present, which if introduced
into the public water supply system, would or may endanger or have
an adverse effect on the health of other water users. Typical examples:
laboratories, sewage treatment plants, chemical plants, medical facilities,
and mortuaries.
A joining of two independently operated public water supply
distribution systems.
The County or Regional Health Department Engineer having
jurisdiction.
One which does not require the installation of an acceptable
backflow device.
The prevention and elimination of cross-connections within
the customer's water system by enforcement of building or plumbing
codes.
A water user served by a public water system and responsible
for complying with this policy.
Any piping used to convey water supplied by a public water
supply system throughout a property owner's facility.
A supplier of water system including the source, treatment
works, transmission mains, distribution system and storage facilities
serving the public.
A minimum of two independently acting check valves, together
with an automatically operated pressure differential relief valve
located between the two check valves. During normal flow and at the
cessation of normal flow, the pressure between these two checks shall
be less than the upstream (supply) pressure. In case of leakage of
either check valve, the differential relief valve, by discharging
to the atmosphere, shall operate to main pressure at two psi less
than the supply pressure. The unit must include tightly closing shutoff
valves located at each end of the device, and each device shall be
fitted with properly located test cocks.
Any water source or system, other than the public water supply,
which is available within the property owner's facility.
The owner or operator of a public water system.
