CROSS REFERENCES
Cross connection prohibition — See 25 Pa. Code
§ 109.71.
Backflow prevention — See 25 Pa. Code § 109.73.
Air gap alternative — See 25 Pa. Code § 109.74.
Interconnections — See S.U. & P.S. 939.11(n).
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974]
(a)
There is established, within the Bureau of Water, a Cross Connection
Control Division to implement regulations, ordinances and procedures
as outlined herein, with full cooperation of all related City agencies;
namely, Health, Water, Utilities, Plumbing, Council, and also related
agencies of County, State and Federal governments.
(b)
The Division shall protect the potable water supply of the City of
Erie from the possibility of contaminants or pollutants entering the
potable water supply by:
(1)
Isolating within its customers' private water systems such
contaminants or pollutants which could under adverse conditions flow
uncontrolled through cross connections into the public water supply;
(2)
Eliminating or controlling existing cross connections actual
or potential in the potable water system;
(3)
Providing for the maintenance of a continuing cross connection
program for systematically and effectively controlling all actual
potential cross connections which may be installed in the future.
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974]
The following words and terms shall have the following meanings,
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a)
AIR GAP — The unobstructed vertical distance through the free
atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying
water to a tank, plumbing fixture or other device and the flood level
rim of the receptacle.
(b)
BACKFLOW — The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or
substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water
from any sources other than the approved source.
(c)
BYPASS — A piping arrangement whereby water may be diverted
around any feature of the treatment process of a water supply.
(d)
CROSS CONNECTION — Any physical connection or arrangements
between two otherwise separate piping systems, one of which contains
potable water and other steam, gas, a chemical or water of unknown
or questionable safety, whereby there may be a flow from one system
to the other, the direction depending on the pressure differential
between the two systems.
(e)
DEPARTMENT — The Department of Environmental Resources of the
Commonwealth.
(f)
GROUND WATER — The accumulation of water which exists in the
ground and is used as a source of water supply through openings such
as wells, springs and infiltration galleries.
(g)
INTERCONNECTION — The connection of two or more water supplies,
each approved by the Department.
(h)
WATER SUPPLY — A source or sources of water, as well as any
and all water treatment, storage, transmission and distribution facilities.
(i)
HAZARD — An actual or potential threat or contamination or
pollution of a toxic nature or physical nature to a public potable
water system or consumer's potable water system as to be dangerous
to health.
(j)
CONTAMINATION — The impairment of the quality of water to a
degree that creates a hazard to public health through poisoning or
spread of disease.
(k)
POLLUTION — The impairment of the quality of water to a degree
not creating a hazard to public health, but does adversely affect
such waters for domestic use.
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974]
(b)
Interconnections; approved by inspection. Interconnections shall
be permitted by the Department only after they have been approved
by inspection.
(c)
Backflow prevention.
(1)
Backflow shall be prohibited.
(2)
A water supply pipe shall be considered as protected against
backflow from any plumbing fixture or other piece of equipment or
appliance capable of affecting the quality of the water in the public
water supply if an air gap of at least twice the diameter of the water
supply pipe has been provided.
(3)
Where it is not practicable to provide this minimum air gap,
the connection to the fixture, equipment or appliance shall be equipped
with a backflow preventer assembly of a type and in a location approved
by the Department.
(4)
The Department may require that a backflow preventer assembly
of a type and location approved by the Department be installed at
any fixed water outlet to which a hose may be connected and used in
contact with liquids or other substances.
(d)
Air gap alternative. Where it is impracticable to provide the required
minimum air gap, a "swing-joint" swivel device or a four-way, four
port valve of a design such that the distribution piping may be fed
by either water supply individually, but not simultaneously, may be
considered by the Department for approval.
(e)
Emergency intakes. No water supply shall have emergency connections
or intakes where water from an unapproved source may be admitted to
the water supply.
(f)
Bypasses. Bypasses around any treatment facility shall be approved
by the Department.
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974; Ord. 35-1988 § 1, passed 4-27-1988; Ord. 17-1990 § 1, passed 4-11-1990]
(a)
The obligation of adhering to the Cross Connection Control Article
is the responsibility of any person engaged in the installation of
public potable water facilities.
(b)
The Plumbing Inspection Department of the City shall insure proper
installation of consumer's building plumbing including the connection
line to the public potable water supply.
(c)
The water purveyor shall exercise reasonable vigilance to insure
that the consumer has taken proper steps to protect the potable water
supply system against pollution or contamination through cross connections
in new installments as well as in existing facilities.
(d)
All plumbing, pipes and fixtures using water that is supplied by
the City Bureau of Water, shall conform to the rules and regulations
set forth in this article.
(e)
No plumbing, pipes or fixtures shall be installed which in any way
shall be an actual or potential impairment of the quality of water
supplied by the Bureau of Water.
(f)
Connections or extensions to the public potable water supply which
are questionable must have the approval of the Cross Connection Division
or the Bureau of Water before they are installed.
(g)
The consumer of Erie potable water supply has the primary responsibility
for preventing pollutants and contaminants from entering the public
potable water supply system.
(h)
The Cross Connection Control Division shall make inspections of the
potable water supply system and insure proper installation of backflow
prevention devices herein outlined.
(i)
The expense and maintenance of all backflow prevention will be the
sole responsibility of the customer being supplied with water.
(j)
The Cross Connection Control Division will make periodic checks to
test capability and operational effectiveness of the backflow prevention
devices.
(k)
All testing and maintenance will be conducted by a certified backflow
prevention device tester.
(l)
When employed by the consumer to test backflow prevention, a backflow
prevention device tester will:
(1)
Be responsible for making all tests and report of the results
of such tests to the consumer on forms approved by the agency having
jurisdiction.
(2)
Be equipped with and be competent to use all the necessary tools,
gauges and testing equipment necessary to properly test backflow prevention
devices.
(3)
Perform the work and be responsible for the competency and accuracy
of all tests and reports.
(m)
A certified backflow prevention device tester who is a licensed plumber
is also certified to repair backflow prevention devices. In repairing
backflow prevention devices he will:
(n)
All work performed by an assistant shall be performed in the presence
of the backflow prevention device tester and under his jurisdiction.
(o)
To be a certified backflow prevention device tester, a person must
complete a school and pass an examination for this.
(p)
Renewal of the back flow prevention license shall be after December
1, but before December 31 of each year.
(q)
Annual renewal cost of the back flow prevention license shall be
$10. Checks shall be made payable to the Bureau of Water, City of
Erie.
(r)
Testing of back flow preventers is the responsibility of the property
owner and shall be done every year within the month of the anniversary
date of the valve installation. The back flow preventer valves shall
be rebuilt and tested at the five year anniversary date. Results of
tests and rebuilding shall be logged by the tester and kept in a neat
readable ledger and a copy of the test results furnished to the property
owner and the Cross Connection Control Department within 10 days of
the date of the test and signature of the tester noted on the tag
attached to the valve. The tag shall be furnished and attached to
the back flow preventer by the Cross Connection Department.
(s)
The cost of testing and maintaining the back flow preventers shall
be incurred by the property owner.
(t)
All businesses involved with handling radioactive materials shall
have their back flow preventers tested more often as required by the
Cross Connection Control Department.
(u)
All residential water services one inch or larger shall have an approved
back flow preventer installed inside of the building down stream of
the water meter. The type of containment required will depend on the
degree of hazard and shall be approved by the Cross Connection Control
Department.
(v)
All commercial and nonresidential water services shall have an approved
back flow preventer installed inside of the building down stream of
the water meter. The type of containment required will depend on the
degree of hazard and shall be approved by the Cross Connection Control
Department.
(w)
All buildings with three or more dwelling units shall have an approved
back flow preventer installed inside of the building down stream of
the water meter. The type of containment required will depend on the
degree of hazard and shall be approved by the Cross Connection Control
Department.
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974]
(a)
Waterworks ordinance. Reserved rights to enter upon or into any premises
where City water is taken, for the purpose of inspection of pipes
and fixtures, setting, reading and repairing meters, turning water
off and on and enforcing rules generally. Each and every denial of
this right will render the offending party liable to penalties prescribed
for violation of the rules, i, e. water turn off or fine.
(1)
The definition of a cross connection, as based upon the U. S.
Department of Health, Education and Public Welfare's Public Health
Service Publication No. 525, is any physical connection or arrangement
of pipes between two otherwise separate water supply systems, one
of which contains potable water and the other water of unknown or
questionable safety, whereby water may flow from one system to the
other, the direction of flow depending on pressure differential between
the two systems.
(2)
No cross connection shall be permitted to be made between any
system of piping supplied by water from the mains of the Water Bureau
and any other source of supply, either public or private; or any secondary
supplies known to be unsafe for drinking water, such as shallow wells,
reused industrial supplies, raw surface water or swimming pools.
(3)
Where City water is used as an auxiliary supply to a roof or
suction tank, which is also supplied by water from any other source,
such tank shall not be of the pressure type but open. The delivery
of City water shall be above the tank flow line and controlled by
some type of automatic valve.
(4)
It shall be unlawful, also, to maintain storage tanks supplied
only with City water, unless the tanks are satisfactorily built, and
covered so as to prevent the entrance of contamination. They shall
also be subject to periodical inspection by the Water Bureau and maintained
in a manner wholly satisfactory to the standards and requirements
of the State Department of Health. Pumps taking suction from the City
supply, serving such building storage, shall be installed or operated
only upon permit from the Water Bureau subject to their approval as
to size, capacity and valving arrangements.
(5)
It shall be unlawful for anyone to interconnect private supplies,
including deep well systems, with the waterworks system except as
hereinafter provided:
A.
Correction and maintenance, in a manner satisfactory to the
State Department of Health and the City Water Bureau of all existing
sanitary defects in and around the private supply system.
B.
Provisions to be made for complete bacteriological analysis
by the Water Bureau of the supply involved, in accordance with the
standard methods of water analysis of the American Public Health Association.
This requirement means not less than four years analyses, conducted
each month on two standard samples or more often if the analysis warrants.
C.
Provision by the owner of the private system involved to pay
an equitable pro rata part of the cost of all inspections and testing
herein required. The rates and method of paying for the same shall
be determined by the Water Bureau subject to the approval of Council.
(6)
Should any system supplied by City water be operated in violation
of any provisions of this article, it shall be the duty of the Water
Bureau to completely disconnect all service lines serving such system
until this section is properly complied with. Any cost of such disconnection
and the estimated cost of reconnection must be paid by the consumer
before service shall be restored.
(b)
Plumbing code; protection of potable water supply.
(1)
Cross connections. Potable and nonpotable water supplies shall
be distributed through systems entirely independent of each other,
and any cross connection between such supplies is prohibited. Further,
no connections shall be made between pipes containing City water and
any other pipes, whether or not such other pipes contain water considered
potable.
(2)
Back-flow. Each fixture supply pipe shall be protected from
back-flow by having all outlets from which potable water flows spaced
a sufficient distance above the flood level rim of the receptacle
into which the water flows to provide a "minimum required air gap"
except that where it is not possible to provide a minimum air gap,
the fixture shall be equipped with an accessibly located back-flow
preventer (see Cross Connection Information Hand Book) installed beyond
the manual control valve. Vacuum breakers on aspirators shall be at
least 12 inches above waste materials; in funeral homes 18 inches
above top of table. The distance for the vacuum breaker on a bed pan
sterilizer shall be 24 inches above overflow rim of the fixture. A
vacuum breaker shall be installed on all yard hydrants within 50 feet
of a swimming pool or any hydrants used for purposes of filling or
cleaning pools.
On certain installations such as hospitals, clinics, plating
shops, chemical plants, embalming establishments and multi-storied
buildings or other buildings or other buildings discharging hazardous
materials, back-flow preventors, of a type approved by the Cross Connection
Control Chief and the Water Bureau, shall be installed on the building
side of the meter.
(c)
Color coding. In building or industrial plants where multiple piping
systems are used for water, extreme care should be taken not to interconnect
the systems. If water from the potable system is used to service systems
of lesser quality such as fire protection, plumbing, fixtures, vats,
tanks, boilers, sewer ejectors, pumps and numerous other hazardous
items, the potable water system must be separated or protected from
these dangerous cross connections by an air gap, vacuum breakers,
reduced pressure back-flow preventors or double check valves.
Where controlled cross connections are permitted, pipes should
be labeled to identify their contents. Each outlet on the nonpotable
water line, which may be inadvertently used for drinking water should
be posted "Danger Unsafe Water". Other pipes should be painted or
banded at appropriate intervals and stenciled to identify their contents
and direction of flow. A system that could be used:
|
Color
|
Stenciled
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
(1)
|
Potable water
|
Green
|
"Potable Water"
|
|
(2)
|
Nonpotable water
|
Brown
|
"Nonpotable Water"
|
|
(3)
|
Fire protection
|
Red
|
"Fire"
|
|
(4)
|
Chemical
|
Orange
|
"Chemical"
|
|
(5)
|
Gas
|
Black
|
"Gas"
|
|
Colored plastic bands could be used instead of paint i.e., Dymo
Tape with legends, so long as labels or bands are permanently fastened
to pipes and checked periodically to see that they are not removed.
|
(d)
OSHA: Federal Safety and Health Act of 1970. There shall be no cross
connection between a potable and nonpotable source of water within
the premises or plant which can be a potential hazard to employees.
(e)
Enforcement. Any customer not complying with the Authority's
request to install and maintain back-flow prevention devices will
be subject to immediate termination of water service by the Water
Authority. In addition to Erie's Water Authority regulations
on cross connection control, all customers are required to conform
to all definitions hereinafter mentioned.
[Ord. 86-1974, passed 11-6-1974]
Persons making any connections to the public potable water supply
system which do not comply with this article are subject to a fine
of $500 and the cost of removing the violation.
