"Approved"means accepted by the City as meeting an applicable specification stated or cited in this chapter, other applicable State law or regulation, or as suitable for the proposed use.
Auxiliary Water Supply.Any water supply on or available to the customer's premises other than the City's approved public water supply will be considered as an "auxiliary water supply." These auxiliary waters may include water from another City's public potable water supply or any natural source such as a well, spring, river, stream, harbor, etc., or "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 City does not have sanitary control.
"Backflow"means the reversal of the normal flow of water caused by either backpressure or backsiphonage.
"Backflow preventer"means an assembly or means designed to prevent backflow. Acceptable backflow preventers include:
1. Air-Gap (AG). 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 said vessel. An approved air-gap shall be at least double the diameter of the supply pipe, measured vertically, above the overflow rim of the vessel; and in no case less than one (1) inch.
Reduced Pressure Principle (RPP) Assembly. An assembly of two (2) independently acting approved check valves together with a hydraulically operating, mechanically independent differential pressure relief valve located between the check valves and at the same time below the first check valve. The unit shall include properly located test cocks and tightly closing shut-off valves at each end of the assembly. The entire assembly shall meet the design and performance specifications as determined by a laboratory and a field evaluation program resulting in an approval by a recognized and City approved testing agency for backflow prevention assemblies. The assembly shall operate to maintain the pressure in the zone between the two (2) check valves at an acceptable level less than the pressure on the public water supply side of the assembly. At cessation of a normal flow the pressure between the two (2) check valves shall be less than the pressure on the public water supply side of the device. In case of leakage of either of the check valves the differential relief valve shall operate to maintain the reduced pressure in the zone between the check valves by discharging to the atmosphere. When the inlet pressure is two (2) pounds per square inch or less, the relief valve shall open to the atmosphere. To be approved these assemblies must be readily accessible for in-line testing and maintenance and be installed in location where no part of the assembly will be submerged.
Double Check Valve Assembly (DC). An assembly of two (2) independently operating approved check valves with tightly closing shut-off valves on each end of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of each check valve. The entire assembly shall meet the design and performance specifications as determined by a laboratory and field evaluation program resulting in an approval by recognized and City approved testing agency for backflow prevention assemblies. To be approved these assemblies must be readily accessible for in-line testing and maintenance.
Double Check-Detector Check (DCDC). A complete integral unit consisting of a main-line double check valve assembly, and a low flow by-pass line double check valve assembly complete with a low flow registration meter. The main-line and the by-pass line double check valve assembly shall each consist of two (2) independently operating approved check valves with tightly closing, rising stem, shut-off valves on each side of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of each check valve. The entire unit shall meet the design and performance specifications and approval of a recognized and City approved testing agency for backflow prevention devices. To be approved these devices must be readily accessible for in-line maintenance and testing.
Reduced Pressure Detector Check (RPDC). A complete integral unit consisting of a main-line reduced pressure check valve assembly, and a low flow by-pass line reduced pressure check valve assembly, and a low flow registration meter. The main-line and the by-pass line reduced pressure valve assembly shall each consist of two (2) independently acting approved check valves together with a hydraulically operating, mechanically independent differential pressure relief valve located between the check valves and at the same time below the first check valve. The unit shall include properly located test cocks and tightly closing shut-off valves at each end of the assembly. The entire assembly shall meet the design and performance specifications as determined by a laboratory and a field evaluation program resulting in an approval by a recognized and City approved testing agency for backflow prevention assemblies. The assembly shall operate to maintain the pressure in the zone between the two (2) check valves at an acceptable level less than the pressure on the public water supply side of the assembly. At cessation of a normal flow the pressure between the two (2) check valves shall be less than the pressure on the public water supply side of the device. In case of leakage of either of the check valves the differential relief valve shall operate to maintain the reduced pressure in the zone between the check valves by discharging to the atmosphere. When the inlet pressure is two (2) pounds per square inch or less, the relief valve shall open to the atmosphere. To be approved these assemblies must be readily accessible for in-line testing and maintenance and be installed in a location where no part of the assembly will be submerged.
Residential Fire Sprinkler System Check Valve (RFSSCV). A check valve installed in the supply line to a fire sprinkler system installed in a one (1) or two (2) family dwelling, located downstream of the service connection and normally integrated into the sprinkler system located within the dwelling.
"Backpressure"means the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances under pressure into the distribution pipes of a potable water supply system from any source or sources other than the intended source.
"Backsiphonage"means the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances into the distribution pipes of a potable water supply from any source other than its intended source caused by the reduction of pressure in the potable water supply system.
City or Its Designated Agent.The City or its designated agent in charge of the cross-connection program is invested 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.
"Contamination"means an impairment of the quality of potable water by sewage, industrial fluids, waste liquids, compounds or any other materials to a degree which creates an actual or potential hazard to the public health.
"Cross-connection"means any physical connection or arrangement of piping or fixtures between two (2) otherwise separate piping systems, one (1) of which contains potable water and the other nonpotable or industrial fluids of questionable safety, through which, or because of which, backflow may occur into the potable water system. This would include any temporary connections, such as swing connections, removable sections, four (4) way plug valves, spools, dummy sections of pipe, swivel or change-over devices or sliding multiport tubes.
"Cross-connection control by containment"means the installation of an approved backflow prevention assembly at the water service connection to any customer's premises where it is physically and economically infeasible to find and permanently eliminate or control all actual or potential cross-connections within the customer's water system.
"Cross-connections – controlled"means 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"means the term is derived from an evaluation of the potential risk to public health and the adverse effect of the hazard upon the potable water system.
1. Hazard – Health. Any condition, device, or practice in the water supply system and its operation which could create, or, in the judgment of the City or its designated agent, may create a danger to the health and well-being of the water consumer.
Hazard – Plumbing. A plumbing type cross-connection in a consumer's potable water system that has not been properly protected by an approved air-gap or approved backflow prevention assembly.
Hazard – Pollutional. An actual or potential threat to the physical properties or to the potability of the public or the consumer'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.
Hazard – System. An 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 which would have a protracted effect on the quality of the potable water in the system.
"Industrial fluids system"means any system containing a fluid or solution which 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; all types of process waters and "used waters" originating from the public potable water system which may have deteriorated in sanitary quality; chemicals in fluid form; plating acids and alkalis; circulating cooling waters connected to an open cooling tower or cooling towers that are chemically or biologically treated or stabilized with toxic substances; contaminated natural waters such as from wells, springs, streams, rivers, bays, harbors, seas, irrigation canals or systems, etc.; oils, gases, glycerin, paraffins, caustic and acid solutions and other liquid and gaseous fluids used in industrial or other purposes or for fire-fighting purposes.
"Pollution"means 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 or quality 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.
"Service connection"generally means the pipe, valves and other facilities by which water is conveyed from the water main to the premises, and includes the tap, corporation stop or shut-off valve and may include meter or service box depending on the type of service.
"Water – nonpotable"means any water which is not safe for human consumption or which is of questionable potability.
"Water – potable"means any water which, according to recognized standards, is safe for human consumption.
"Water – used"means any water supplied by a City from a public potable water system to a consumer's water system after it has passed through the service connection and is no longer under the sanitary control of the City.
(Ord. 14-008 § 1)