[Amended 6-12-1978]
The Town recognizes the responsibility to provide its customers at the service connection with water that is safe under all foreseeable circumstances. Thus, in the exercise of this responsibility, the Town must take reasonable precautions to protect its distribution system from the hazards originating on the premises of its customers that may degrade the water in the distribution system.
[Amended 6-12-1978; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
The Town shall not install or maintain a water service connection to any premises where cross-connections which could cause contamination of the water distribution system may exist, unless such cross-connections are abated or controlled to the satisfaction of the Town. The type of protection required to protect the water distribution system from contamination by backflow or cross-connection will depend on the degree of hazard that exists or may exist. All new construction must conform to the ICC International Plumbing Code.
A. 
Prohibited; exception. Cross-connections shall not be permitted unless adequately protected by a backflow prevention device. Interchangeable or changeover devices shall only be permitted as a temporary and continuously supervised arrangement and shall not be used where back pressure may occur, the auxiliary supply is not an approved source or the Town's line pressure is less than 20 psi.
B. 
Inspections; correction of cross-connections found.
(1) 
Commercial and industrial services shall be inspected by Town personnel as required, but at no greater interval than one year. Consumers shall grant Town personnel access to perform these inspections within five days of written notice.
(2) 
Owners or occupants of dwellings wishing to have their premises inspected must contact the Town office. After filling out a consent form and mailing the same to the Town office, an appointment will be set up for inspection.
(3) 
Town inspection personnel shall inspect all new connections or reconnections to the system for potential cross-connections prior to service.
(4) 
Cross-connections found shall be promptly corrected by the consumer. Positive action shall be taken immediately to insure that the Town's water system is protected.
[Amended 6-12-1978; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
A. 
General requirements. An approved backflow prevention device shall be installed on each service line to a consumer's water system where, in the judgment of the Town, a health, pollution or system hazard to the waterworks exists, and as a minimum, but not limited to, where the following conditions exist:
(1) 
Premises having an auxiliary water system, unless such auxiliary system is accepted as an additional source by the Town and the source is approved by the Office of Drinking Water, Virginia Department of Health.
(2) 
Premises on which any substance is handled in such a manner as to create an actual or potential hazard to a waterworks.
(3) 
Premises having internal cross-connections that, in the judgment of the Town, may not be easily correctable or intricate plumbing arrangements which make it impracticable to determine whether or not cross-connections exist.
(4) 
Premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete cross-connection survey.
(5) 
Premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or reestablished.
B. 
Required installations. Backflow prevention devices shall be required for the following:
(1) 
Hospitals, mortuaries, clinics, nursing homes, medical buildings, sanitariums and autopsy facilities.
(2) 
Laboratories.
(3) 
Waterfront facilities and industries.
(4) 
Sewage and storm drain facilities.
(5) 
Food and beverage processing plants.
(6) 
Chemical plants, dyeing plants, laundries.
(7) 
Metal plating, manufacturing, cleaning, processing and fabricating plants.
(8) 
Petroleum processing storage and transmission facilities.
(9) 
Radioactive materials processing plants or nuclear reactors.
(10) 
Car washes.
(11) 
Lawn sprinkler systems, irrigation systems.
(12) 
Fire service systems, except as noted in § 210-36.
(13) 
Slaughterhouses and poultry processing plants.
(14) 
Farms where the water is used for other than household purposes.
(15) 
Auxiliary water systems.
(16) 
High rise hotels and apartment buildings.
(17) 
Cold storage facilities.
(18) 
Paper plants.
(19) 
Restricted or classified facilities or facilities closed for inspection.
C. 
List of approved devices; devices not appearing on list. The owner will have available a list of approved backflow prevention devices upon request. Devices not appearing on the list will be considered by the Town, provided that the device has been tested by a recognized testing laboratory or evaluation agency, is of satisfactory materials and conforms to AWWA Standard C506.
D. 
Installation.
(1) 
Backflow prevention devices shall be installed in a manner to facilitate easy access for testing, maintenance, repair and replacement.
(2) 
Reduced pressure principle type backflow preventers shall not be installed in pits or areas subject to flooding or freezing.
(3) 
Double gate-double check valve assemblies shall not be installed in areas subject to flooding. If installed in pits, the pits must have gravity drains or a sump pump.
E. 
Test, inspections and maintenance.
(1) 
As a minimum, operational test shall be made annually of backflow prevention devices which are required and installed. Testing shall be performed by the user in the presence of Town personnel and shall be in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions as approved by the Town.
(2) 
Inspections of backflow prevention devices shall be made by Town personnel when required, but at an interval not to exceed one year. The consumer shall grant Town personnel access to the devices in order to perform inspections within five days of written notice.
(3) 
Backflow prevention devices found to be defective shall be promptly repaired by the consumer. Positive action shall be taken immediately to insure that the Town's water system is protected.
(4) 
Backflow prevention devices shall be overhauled at an interval not to exceed five years.
[Amended 7-12-1978]
A. 
Classification. For cross-connection control, fire protection systems may be classified on the basis of water source and arrangement of supplies as follows:
(1) 
Class 1. Direct connections from public water mains only: no pumps, tanks or reservoirs; no physical connection from other water supplies; no antifreeze or other additives of any kind; all sprinkler drains discharging to atmosphere, dry wells or other safe outlets.
(2) 
Class 2. Same as Class 1, except that booster pumps may be installed in the connections from the street mains. (Booster pumps do not affect the potability of the system; it is necessary, however, to avoid drafting so much water that pressure in the water main is reduced below 10 psi.)
(3) 
Class 3. Direct connection from public water supply mains plus one or more of the following: Elevated storage tanks; fire pumps taking suction from aboveground covered reservoirs or tanks; and pressure tanks. (All storage facilities are filled or connected to public water only, the water in the tanks to be maintained in a potable condition; otherwise, Class 3 systems are the same as Class 1.)
(4) 
Class 4. Directly supplied from public mains similar to Classes 1 and 2, and with an auxiliary water supply on or available to the premises; or an auxiliary supply may be located within 2,000 feet of the pumper connection.
(5) 
Class 5. Directly supplied from public mains and interconnected with auxiliary supplies, such as pumps taking suction from reservoirs exposed to contamination, or rivers and ponds; driven wells; mills or other industrial water system; or where antifreeze or other additives are used.
(6) 
Class 6. Combined industrial and fire protection systems supplied from the public water mains only, with or without gravity storage or pump suction tanks.
B. 
Protection required.
(1) 
Generally, fire protection systems of Classes 1 and 2 will not require backflow protection at the service connection. Pumper connections of automotive Fire Department equipment to street hydrants are not ordinarily health hazards.
(2) 
Class 3 systems will generally require minimum protection (approved double-check valves) to prevent stagnant waters from backflowing into the public potable water systems.
(3) 
Class 4 systems will normally require backflow protection at the service connection. The type (air gap, reduced pressure or double-check valves) will generally depend on the quality of the auxiliary supply.
(4) 
Classes 4 and 5 systems normally would need maximum protection (air gap or reduced pressure) to protect the public potable water system.
(5) 
Class 6 system protection would depend on the requirements of both industry and fire protection and could only be determined by a survey of the premises.
(6) 
A detector check meter, Hersey or approved equal, will be installed on all fire service lines, but will not be permitted as a part of a backflow protection device. An exception may be made, however, if the meter and the backflow prevention device are specifically designed for that purpose.
[Amended 6-12-1978; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
A. 
Plan review. Plans must be submitted to the Town in triplicate for review and approval of all fire service connections, lawn or irrigation systems or connections requiring backflow prevention devices. An approved set will be returned to the owner, and one set will be forwarded to the Office of Drinking Water, Virginia Department of Health. If disapproved, the Town will make a determination of what will be approved and will so note and return a set to the owner. Revised plans must be submitted for approval.
B. 
Records. Records of all inspections and tests shall be kept on Town forms for 10 years and shall be available for inspection in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
C. 
Enforcement. Water service will be denied or discontinued to a consumer if the required backflow prevention device is not installed or it is found that the device has been removed or bypassed; if a cross-connection not adequately protected exists on the premises; or if the pressure in the Town's lines is reduced below 20 psi. Water service to the consumer shall not be restored until all deficiencies have been corrected or eliminated in accordance with this article.