[Adopted 4-11-1989 by Doc. 59]
The purpose of this article is to:
A.
Protect the public potable water supply served by
the Haverhill Massachusetts Water Department from the possibility
of contamination or pollution by isolating, within its customers'
internal distribution system, such contaminants or pollutants which
could backflow or back siphon into the public water system.
B.
Promote the elimination or control of existing cross-connection,
actual or potential, between its customers' in-plant potable water
system and nonpotable systems.
C.
Provide for the maintenance of the continuing program
of cross-connection control which will effectively prevent the contamination
or pollution of all potable water systems by cross-connection.
A.
Under the provisions of the Federal Safe Drinking
Water Act of 1974 and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Engineering Cross-Connection Regulations 310 CMR 22.22, the water
purveyor has the primary responsibility for preventing water from
unapproved sources or any other substances from entering the public
potable water system.
B.
Haverhill Water Department, Rules and Regulations.
The Water Superintendent shall be responsible
for the protection of the public potable water distribution system
from contamination or pollution due to the backflow or back siphonage
of contamination or pollutants through the water service connection.
If, in the judgment of the Water Superintendent, an approved backflow
device is required at the City's water service connection to any customer's
premises, the Superintendent or his delegated agent shall give notice,
in writing, to said customer to install an approved backflow prevention
device at each service connection to his premises. The customer shall,
within 90 days, install such approved device or devices at his own
expense. Failure or refusal or inability on the part of the customer
to install said device or devices within 90 days shall constitute
a ground for discontinuing water service to the premises until such
devices have been properly installed.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Accepted by the Superintendent as meeting an applicable specification
stated or cited in this regulation or as suitable for the proposed
use.
Any water supply on or available to the premises other than
the purveyor's approved public potable water supply.
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 other than its intended source.
A device or means designed to prevent backflow or back siphonage,
most commonly categorized as "air gap," "reduced pressure principle
device," "double check valve assembly," "pressure vacuum breaker,"
"atmospheric vacuum breaker," "hose bibb vacuum breaker," a "residential
dual check," "double check valve with intermediate atmospheric vent"
and "barometric loop":
AIR GAPA physical separation sufficient to prevent backflow between the free-flowing discharge end of the potable water system and any other system. Physically defined as a distance equal to twice the diameter of the supply side pipe diameter but never less than one inch.
ATMOSPHERIC VACUUM BREAKERA device which prevents back siphonage by creating an atmospheric vent when there is either a negative pressure or subatmospheric pressure in a water system.
BAROMETRIC LOOPA fabricated piping arrangement rising at least 35 feet in the air having a U bend at the top and returning to the initial elevation. It is utilized in water supply systems to protect only against back siphonage.
DOUBLE CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLYAn assembly of two independently operating spring loaded check valves with tightly closed shutoff valves on each side of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of each check valve.
DOUBLE CHECK VALVE WITH INTERMEDIATE ATMOSPHERIC VENTA device having two spring-loaded check valves separated by an atmospheric vent chamber.
HOSE BIBB VACUUM BREAKERA device which is permanently attached to a hose bibb and which acts as an atmospheric vacuum breaker.
PRESSURE VACUUM BREAKERA device containing one or two independently operated springloaded check valves and an independently operated spring-loaded air inlet valve located on the discharge side of the check or checks. The device includes tightly closing shutoff valves on each side of the check valves and properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valve(s).
REDUCED PRESSURE PRINCIPLE BACKFLOW PREVENTERAn assembly consisting of two independently operating approved check valves with an automatically operating differential relief valve located between the two check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valves and the relief valve.
RESIDENTIAL AND DUAL CHECKAn assembly of two spring-loaded, independently operating check valves without tightly closing shutoff valves and test cocks. It is generally employed immediately downstream of the water meter to act as a containment device.
A condition in which the owner's system pressure is greater
than the supplier's system pressure.
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distribution pipes of a potable water supply system from
any source other than its intended source, caused by the sudden reduction
of pressure in the potable water supply system.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Quality Engineering.
A method of backflow prevention which requires a backflow
prevention device at the water service entrance.
A substance that will impair the quality of the water to
such a degree that it creates a serious health hazard to the public
leading to poisoning or the spread of disease.
Any actual or potential connection between the public water
supply and a source of contamination or pollution.
City of Haverhill Water Department.
A method of backflow prevention in which a backflow preventer
is located to correct a cross-connection at an in-plant location rather
than at a water service entrance.
Any person who has legal title to or license to operate or
inhabit a property upon which a cross-connection is prevent.
A document issued by the Plumbing Inspector which allows
the use of a backflow preventer.
Any individual, partnership, company, public or private corporation,
political subdivision or agency of the State Department, agency or
instrumentality of the United States or any other legal entity
A foreign substance that, if permitted to get into the public
water system, will degrade its quality so as to constitute a moderate
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 water for domestic use.
That point in the owner's water system beyond the sanitary
control of the District, generally considered to be the outlet end
of the water meter and always before any unprotected branch.
The Superintendent or his delegated representative in charge
of the Haverhill Water Department, invested with the authority and
responsibility for the implementation of a cross-connection control
program and for the enforcement of the provisions of this article.
A.
The Department will operate a cross-connection control
program, to include the keeping of necessary records, which fulfills
the requirements of the Commission's Cross-Connection Regulations
and is approved by the Commission.
B.
The owner shall allow his property to be inspected
at reasonable times for possible cross-connection and shall follow
the provisions of the Department's program and the Massachusetts Department
of Environmental Quality Engineering Cross-Connection Regulations
if a cross-connection is permitted.
C.
The Department requires that the public supply be
protected by containment and the owner shall be responsible for water
quality beyond the outlet end of the containment device and should
utilize fixture outlet protection for that purpose. He may utilize
public health officials or personnel from the Department or their
delegated representatives, to assist him in the survey of his facilities
and to assist him in the selection of proper fixture outlet devices
and the proper installation of these devices.
A.
Department.
(1)
On new installations, the Department will provide
on-site evaluation and/or inspection of plans in order to determine
the type of backflow preventer, if any, that will be required. The
Department will perform inspections and testing.
(2)
For premises existing prior to the start of this program,
the Department will perform evaluations and inspections of plans and/or
premises and inform the owner by letter of any corrective action deemed
necessary, the method of achieving the correction and the time allowed
for the correction to be made. Ordinarily, 90 days will be allowed;
however, this time period may be shortened depending upon the degree
of hazard involved and the history of the device(s) in question.
(3)
No cross-connection shall remain unless it is protected
by an approved backflow preventer for which a permit has been issued
and which will be regularly tested to ensure satisfactory operation.
(4)
The Department shall inform the owner, by letter,
of any failure to comply by the time of the first reinspection. The
Department will allow an additional 15 days for the correction in
the event that the owner fails to comply with the necessary correction
by the time of the second reinspection. In the event of noncompliance,
the Department will inform the owner, by letter, that the water service
to the owner's premises will be terminated within a period not to
exceed five days. In the event that the owner informs the Department
of extenuating circumstances as to why the correction has not been
made, a time extension may be granted by the Department, but in no
case will it exceed an additional 30 days.
(5)
If the Department determines at any time that a serious
threat to the public health exists, the water service will be terminated
immediately.
(6)
The Department shall have on its staff or shall have
a delegated representative who is a certified backflow device tester
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
(7)
The Department will initiate premises inspections
to determine the nature of existing or potential hazards, following
the approval of this program by the Commission, during the calendar
year 1989. Initial focus will be on high-hazard industries and commercial
premises.
B.
Owner.
(1)
The owner shall be responsible for the elimination
or protection of all cross-connections on his premises.
(2)
The owner, after having been informed by a letter
from the Department, shall, at his expense, install, maintain and
test or have tested any and all backflow preventers on his premises.
(3)
The owner shall correct any malfunction of the backflow
preventer which is revealed by periodic testing.
(4)
The owner shall inform the Department of any proposed
or modified cross-connections and also any existing cross-connections
of which the owner is aware but which have not been found by the Department.
(5)
The owner shall not install a bypass around any backflow preventer unless there is a backflow preventer of the same type on the bypass. Owners who cannot shut down operation for testing of the device(s) must supply additional devices necessary to allow testing to take place. (Reference Figure 1.[1])
[1]
Editor's Note: Figure 1 is included at the end of this chapter.
(7)
The owner shall install only backflow preventers approved
by the Department or the Commission.
(8)
Any owner having a private well or other private water
source must have a permit if the well or source is cross-connected
to the Department's system. Permission to cross-connect may be denied
by the Department. The owner may be required to install a backflow
preventer at the service entrance if a private water source is maintained,
even if it is not cross-connected to the Department's system.
(9)
In the event that the owner installs plumbing to provide
potable water for domestic purposes which is on the Department's side
of the backflow preventer, such plumbing must have its own backflow
preventer installed.
(10)
The owner shall be responsible for the payment of
all fees for permits, annual or semiannual device testing, retesting
in the case that the device fails to operate correctly and second
reinspections for noncompliance with Department requirements.
The Department recognizes the threat to the
public water system arising from cross-connections. All threats will
be classified as to hazard and will require the installation of approved
reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention devices or testable
double check valves.
A.
No cross-connection shall be permitted within the
public water supply system unless it is considered necessary and cannot
be eliminated.
B.
Cross-connection permits that are required for each
backflow device are obtained from the Plumbing Inspector. There is
a fee for the initial permit and no fee thereafter.
C.
Permits become immediately revoked if the owner should
so change the type of cross-connection or degree of hazard associated
with the service.
D.
A permit is not required when fixture isolation is
achieved with the utilization of nontestable backflow preventer.
Any existing backflow preventer shall be allowed
by the Department to continue in service unless the degree of hazard
is such as to supersede the effectiveness of the prevent backflow
preventer or result in an unreasonable risk to the public health.
Where the degree of hazard has increased, as in the case of a residential
installation converting to a business establishment, any existing
backflow preventer must be upgraded to a reduced-pressure principle
device or a reduced-pressure principle must be installed in the event
that no backflow device was prevent.
A.
Reduced-pressure principle backflow devices shall
be tested and inspected at least semiannually by the Department and
once a year by the owner.
B.
Periodic testing shall be performed by the Department's
certified tester or his delegated representative.
C.
The testing shall be conducted during the Department's
regular business hours. Exceptions to this, when at the request of
the owner, may require additional charges to cover the increased costs
to the Department.
D.
Any backflow preventer which fails during a periodic test will be repaired or replaced. When repairs are necessary, upon completion of the repair, the device will be retested at the owner's expense to ensure correct operation. High-hazard situations will not be allowed to continue unprotected if the backflow preventer fails the test and cannot be repaired immediately. In other situations, a compliance date of not more than 30 days after the test date will be established. The owner is responsible for spare parts, repair tools or replacement devices. Parallel installation of two devices is an effective means of the owner ensuring uninterrupted water service during testing or repair of devices and is strongly recommended when the owner desires such continuity. (Reference Figure 1.[1])
[1]
Editor's Note: Figure 1 is included at the end of this chapter.
E.
Backflow prevention devices will be tested more frequently than specified in Subsection A above in cases where there is a history of test failures and the Department feels that, due to the degree of hazard involved, additional testing is warranted. Cost of the additional tests will be borne by the owner.
[Amended 4-16-1996 by Doc. 61; 8-11-1998 by Doc. 97; 9-16-2003 by Doc. 125; 7-10-2007 by Doc. 76; 1-13-2009 by Doc. 140/08]
A.
Schedule.
|
Task
|
Rate
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Backflow initial test, commercial
|
$85
| |
|
Backflow initial test, residential
|
$35; $10 for second device at same location
| |
|
Backflow service call
|
Time and materials basis as defined in § 250-2
$55 per hour laborer charge
No cartage
$65 per hour equipment rate plus materials
| |
|
Backflow test, commercial
|
$85
| |
|
Backflow test, residential
|
$35; $10 for second device at same location
|
[Amended 9-10-1991 by Doc. 134]
A.
Residential dual check. Effective the date of the
acceptance of this Cross-Connection Control Program for the City of
Haverhill, Massachusetts, all new residential buildings and those
residential buildings being rehabilitated that require a new water
service will be required to install a residential dual check device
immediately downstream of the water meter (See Reference Figures 6
and 7[1]). This device will be provided by the homeowner. The owner
must be aware that installation of a residential dual check valve
results in a potential closed plumbing system within his residence.
As such, provisions may have to be made by the owner to provide for
thermal expansion within his closed loop system, i.e., the installation
of thermal expansion devices and/or pressure relief valves.
[1]
Editor's Note: Figures 6 and 7 are included
at the end of this chapter.
B.
Strainers. The Department strongly recommends that
all new retrofit installations of reduced pressure principle devices
and double check valve backflow preventers on potable water systems
include the installation of strainers located immediately upstream
of the backflow device. The installation of strainers will preclude
the fouling of backflow devices due to both foreseen and unforeseen
circumstances occurring to the water supply system, such as water
main repairs, water main breaks, fires, periodic cleaning and flushing
of mains, etc. These occurrences may stir up debris installed without
the benefit of strainers. Under no circumstances should strainers
be installed upstream of backflow devices utilized on fire lines.
