The purposes of this Article are as follows:
A. To protect the public potable water supply served
by the Oswego 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 backsiphon
into the public water system.
B. To promote the elimination or control of existing
cross-connections, actual or potential, between its customers' in-plant
potable water system and nonpotable systems.
C. To provide for the maintenance of a continuing program
of cross-connection control which will effectively prevent the contamination
or pollution of all potable water systems by cross-connection.
[Amended 10-28-1996 by L.L. No. 4-1996]
Authority for the adoption of this chapter is
derived from the following:
A. In accordance with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and the statutes of the State of New York, Chapter 879 Article
II, Section 1100, which state that 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. The Oswego Water Department, Rules and Regulations,
as adopted.
The Superintendent of Water shall be responsible
for the protection of the public potable water distribution system
from contamination or pollution due to the backflow or backsiphonage
of contaminants or pollutants through the water service connection.
If, in the judgment of the Superintendent of Water, an approved backflow
device is required at the city's water service connection to any customer's
premises, the Superintendent of Water, 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 ninety (90) days, install such approved device
or devices, at his own expense, and failure or refusal or inability
on the part of the customer to install said device or devices within
ninety (90) days shall constitute a ground for discontinuing water
service to the premises until such device or devices have been properly
installed or by fines of up to five hundred dollars ($500.) per month.
As used in this chapter, the following words
shall have the meanings indicated:
APPROVED
Accepted by the Superintendent of Water as meeting an applicable
specification stated or cited in this regulation, or as suitable for
the proposed use.
AUXILIARY WATER SUPPLY
Any water supply on or available to the premises other than
the purveyor's approved public potable water supply.
BACKFLOW
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
under positive or reduced pressure in the distribution pipes of a
potable water supply from any source other than its intended source.
BACKFLOW PREVENTER
A device or means designed to prevent backflow or backsiphonage.
Most commonly categorized as any of the following:
A.
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 (1) inch.
B.
ATMOSPHERIC VACUUM BREAKERA device which prevents backsiphonage by creating an atmospheric vent when there is either a negative pressure or subatmospheric pressure in a water system.
C.
BAROMETRIC LOOPA fabricated piping arrangement rising at least thirty five (35) feet at its topmost point above the highest fixture it supplies. It is utilized in water supply systems to protect against backsiphonage.
D.
DOUBLE-CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLYAn assembly of two (2) independently operating spring-loaded check valves with tightly closing shut off valves on each side of the check valves, plus properly located test cocks for the testing of each check valve.
G.
PRESSURE VACUUM BREAKERA device containing one (1) or two (2) independently operated spring-loaded check valves and an independently operated spring-loaded air inlet valve located on the discharge side of the check or checks. Device includes tightly closing shut-off valves on each side of the check valves and properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valve(s).
H.
REDUCED PRESSURE PRINCIPLE BACKFLOW PREVENTERAn assembly consisting of two (2) independently operating approved check valves with an automatically operating differential relief valve located between the two (2) check valves, tightly closing shut-off valves on each side of the check valves plus properly located test cocks for the testing of the check valves and the relief valve.
I.
RESIDENTIAL DUAL CHECKAn assembly of two (2) spring-loaded, independently operating check valves without tightly closing shut-off valves and test cocks. Generally employed immediately downstream of the water meter to act as a containment device.
BACKPRESSURE
A condition in which the owners system pressure is greater
than the suppliers system pressure.
BACKSIPHONAGE
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.
COMMISSION
The State of New York Water Supply and Pollution Control
Commission.
CONTAINMENT
A method of backflow prevention which requires a backflow
prevention preventer at the water service entrance.
CONTAMINANT
A substance that will impair the quality of the water to
a degree that it creates a serious health hazard to the public leading
to poisoning or the spread of disease.
CROSS-CONNECTION
Any actual or potential connection between the public water
supply and a source of contamination or pollution.
FIXTURE ISOLATION
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.
OWNER
Any person who has legal title to or license to operate or
habitat in a property upon which a cross-connection inspection is
to be made or upon which a cross-connection is present.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, company, public or private corporation,
political subdivision or agency of the State Department, agency or
instrumentality or the United States or any other legal entity.
PERMIT
A document issued by the Department which allows the use
of a backflow preventer.
POLLUTANT
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.
WATER SERVICE ENTRANCE
That point in the owners water system beyond the sanitary
control of the City; generally considered to be the outlet end of
the water meter and always before any unprotected branch.
SUPERINTENDENT OF WATER
The Superintended, or his delegated representative in charge
of the Oswego Department of Water, is invested with the authority
and responsibility for the implementation of a cross-connection control
program and for the enforcement of the provisions of the ordinance.
The Department recognizes the threat to the
public water system arising from cross-connections. All threats will
be classified by degree of hazard and will require the installation
of approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention devices
or double-check valves.
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 present backflow
preventer or will 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 device must be installed in
the event that no backflow device was present.
The Department will publish a list of fees or
charges for the following services or permits:
D. Charges for after-hours inspections or tests.