Chapter 6-6
CROSS-CONNECTION CONTROL AND BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICES Revised 3/23
Sections:
6-6-01 Purpose and responsibility.
6-6-03 Where protection is required.
6-6-04 Consumer’s responsibility. Revised 3/23
6-6-05 No water service without required devices.
6-6-06 Systems open to inspections.
6-6-07 Locations of backflow prevention devices.
6-6-08 Types of protection required.
6-6-09 Guidelines to determine protection required.
6-6-10 Inspections of backflow prevention devices. Revised 3/23
6-6-11 Regulation of booster pumps.
6-6-12 Enforcement. Revised 3/23
6-6-01 Purpose and responsibility.
The purpose of this chapter is to protect the City’s water supply against actual or potential cross-connections by isolating within the premises contamination or pollution that may occur because of a cross-connection on the premises. It is the intent of this chapter to recognize that there are varying degrees of hazard and to apply the principle that the degree of protection should be commensurate with the degree of hazard.
The City 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 contaminants or pollutants through the water service connection. If, in the judgment of the City, an approved backflow prevention device is required at the City’s water service connection to any customer, the City or a designated agent shall give notice in writing to such customer to install such an approved prevention device at each service connection to his premises. The customer shall immediately install such approved device or devices at his own expense. The failure, refusal, or inability on the part of the customer to install such device or devices immediately shall constitute grounds for discontinuing service to the premises until such device or devices have been properly installed.
6-6-02 Definitions.
Words or phrases used in this chapter shall have the meanings ascribed to them in Title 17 of the California Administrative Code, unless a different meaning is obvious from the use of such term or condition in this chapter. If the definitions in the California Administrative Code are different from the definitions in this section, the definitions in this section shall take precedence.
(a) Approved airgap separation. “Approved airgap separation” shall mean a physical break between a supply pipe and a receiving vessel and approved by the City. The physical break shall be at least double the diameter of the supply pipe, measured vertically above the top rim of the vessel, and in all cases shall be at least one inch.
(b) Airgap. “Airgap” shall mean the unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet conveying water or waste to a tank, plumbing fixture receptor, or other device and the flood level rim of the receptacle.
(c) Approved backflow prevention device. “Approved backflow prevention device” shall mean a device tested and approved by the Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research at the University of Southern California and acceptable to the City. To be approved, a device shall be readily accessible for maintenance and testing. “Approved backflow prevention device” shall include an approved double check valve assembly and an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device.
(d) Approved double check valve assembly. “Approved double check valve assembly” shall mean an approved backflow device consisting of at least two (2) independently acting check valves, including tightly closing shut-off valves on each side of the check valve assembly and suitable leak detector drains, plus connections available for testing the water tightness of each valve.
(e) Approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device. “Approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device” shall mean an approved backflow device which incorporates two (2) or more check valves and an automatically operating differential relief valve located between the two (2) checks, two (2) shut-off valves, and equipped with necessary appurtenances for testing. A reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be installed aboveground.
(f) Approved water supply. “Approved water supply” shall mean under the supervision of the Public Health Agency of the State, including water supplied by the City.
(g) Auxiliary water supply. “Auxiliary water supply” shall mean any water supply on or available to the premises, other than the City’s public potable water supply. Such auxiliary waters may include water from another purveyor’s public potable water supply or any natural source such as a well, spring, river, stream, or the like, or “used water” or “industrial fluids.” These waters may be polluted or contaminated or they may be objectionable and constitute an unacceptable water source over which the City does not have sanitary control.
(h) Cross-connection. “Cross-connection” shall mean any real or optional unprotected connection between any portion of a potable water supply and any other source or system containing water or substances that might cause a health system or pollution hazard if it entered the City’s water supply facilities.
(i) Backflow. “Backflow” shall mean the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any source other than its intended source (see back siphonage).
(j) Back siphonage. “Back siphonage” shall mean the flowing back of used, contaminated, or polluted water from a plumbing fixture or vessel into a water supply pipe due to a negative pressure in such pipe (see backflow).
(k) Backflow preventer. “Backflow preventer” shall mean a device or means to prevent backflow into the potable water system.
(l) Water service connection. “Water service connection” shall mean the terminal end of a service connection from the public potable water system, i.e., where the City loses jurisdiction and sanitary control over the water at its point of delivery to the customer’s water system. If a meter is installed at the end of the service connection, then the service connection shall mean the downstream end of the meter. There shall be no unprotected takeoff from the service line ahead of any meter or backflow prevention device located at the point of delivery to the customer’s water system. “Service connection” shall also include a water service connection from a fire hydrant and all other temporary emergency water service connections from the City’s water system. Two (2) or more service connections from different water main locations, tied together, but not under the jurisdiction of the City, will be protected by an approved backflow device.
(m) Used water. “Used water” shall mean any water supplied by the City from its public potable water system to a consumer’s water system after it has passed through the point of delivery and is no longer under the sanitary control of the City.
(n) Health hazard. “Health hazard” shall mean an actual or potential threat of degradation of the City’s water supply to a degree or intensity that there is or may be a danger to health.
(o) Pollution hazard. “Pollution hazard” shall mean an actual or potential threat to the potability of the public water supply or of physical damage to the City’s water supply facilities which would not constitute a health or system hazard.
(p) Contamination. “Contamination” shall mean an impairment of the quality of the potable water by sewage, industrial fluids, compounds, or other materials to a degree which creates an actual hazard to the public health through poisoning or through the spread of disease.
(q) System hazard. “System hazard” shall mean an actual or potential threat of physical damage to the City’s water supply facilities which would have a protracted effect on the quality of water in the system.
(r) Certified tester. “Certified tester” shall mean a person who has met the requirements of, and has been certified by, the CA-NV Section of the American Water Works Association as qualified to inspect and maintain backflow prevention devices. A certified tester shall also be acceptable to the City, and annually maintain and provide an annual calibration certificate for each backflow test kit to the City. The City may maintain and make available a list of persons qualified to inspect and maintain backflow prevention devices. CA-NV Section of the American Water Works Association certification shall be kept current by the certified tester.
(1209-CS, Amended, 06/25/2015)
6-6-03 Where protection is required.
(a) Cross-connections. Each service connection to premises where a cross-connection may exist shall be protected by an approved backflow device, unless the auxiliary water supply is accepted as an approved water supply.
(b) Internal abatement. An approved backflow prevention device need not be installed on service connections where cross-connections are abated to the satisfaction of the City.
(c) Backflow devices: Alternates. Where backflow devices are required, and the interruption of services cannot be tolerated, parallel services or an approved bypass may be used.
(d) Backflow devices for water transportation vehicles. City-approved backflow devices shall be required on all water transportation vehicles.
6-6-04 Consumer’s responsibility. Revised 3/23
The responsibility to provide, test, and maintain protective devices as required by this chapter shall rest with the property owner and/or water user.
(Ord. 1297-CS, Amended, 01/24/2023)
6-6-05 No water service without required devices.
No water service connection to any premises shall be installed or maintained by the City unless the water supply is protected as required by State laws and regulations and the City. The service of water to any premises shall be discontinued by the City if the backflow prevention device required by this chapter is not installed, tested, and maintained, or if it is found that a backflow prevention device has been removed or by-passed, or if an unprotected cross-connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected.
6-6-06 Systems open to inspections.
The customer’s system should be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the Water Department to determine whether cross-connections or other structural or sanitary hazards, including violations of this chapter, exist. When such a condition becomes known, the City shall deny or immediately discontinue service to the premises by providing for a physical break in the service on line until the customer has corrected the conditions in conformance with State and City statutes relating to plumbing and water supplies and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
6-6-07 Locations of backflow prevention devices.
An approved backflow prevention device shall also be installed on each service line to a customer’s water system at or near the property line or immediately inside the building being served but, in all cases, before the first branch line leading off the service line wherever the following conditions exist:
(a) In the case of premises having an auxiliary water supply which is not or may not be of safe bacteriological or chemical quality and which is not acceptable as an additional source by the City, the public water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line appropriate to the degree of hazard;
(b) In the case of premises on which any industrial fluid or other objectionable substance is handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line appropriate to the degree of hazard. This shall include the handling of process waters and waters originating from the utility system which have been subject to deterioration in quality;
(c) In the case of premises having (1) internal cross-connections that cannot be permanently corrected and controlled or (2) intricate plumbing and piping arrangements, or where entry to all portions of the premises is not readily accessible for inspection purposes, making it impracticable or impossible to ascertain whether or not dangerous cross-connections exist, the public water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing a backflow prevention device in the service line; and
(d) In the case of premises having two (2) or more service connections from different water main locations tied together.
6-6-08 Types of protection required.
The type of approved backflow prevention device shall depend upon the degree of hazard. The decision as to which device shall be used shall rest in the discretion of the City and shall depend upon the facts for each particular situation. In determining the degree of hazard and the type of approved backflow device required, the following criteria shall be used:
(a) Health or system hazards. An approved airgap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be used where there is an existing or potential health or system hazard. In cases when the existing or potential health or system hazard is determined by the City to be very remote, the City may allow other protection.
(b) Pollution hazards. A double check valve assembly may be used where there is an existing or potential pollution hazard.
6-6-09 Guidelines to determine protection required.
The following guidelines are established to implement the criteria set forth in this chapter:
(a) Structures of three or more stories. At the service connection to premises where there are structures of three (3) stories or more in height, the City water supply shall be protected by an approved backflow prevention device.
(b) Recirculating water. At the service connection to premises containing recirculating water systems (hot or cold), the City’s water supply shall be protected by an approved backflow prevention device.
(c) Health or system hazards from auxiliary water supplies. At the service connection to any premises where there is an auxiliary water supply which may constitute a health or system hazard, an approved airgap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be installed.
(d) Sewer facilities and storm water pumping stations. At the service connection to any sewerage treatment plant, sewerage pumping station, or storm water pumping station, the City’s water supply shall be protected by an approved airgap separation. The airgap separation shall be located as close as practicable to the meter, and all piping between the meter and the receiving tank shall be entirely visible. If, in the opinion of the City, an airgap separation provides insufficient protection, the City may require the installation of additional approved backflow prevention devices.
(e) Hospitals, mortuaries, and the like. At the service connection to hospitals, medical buildings, mortuaries, and other premises where special hazards exist, the City’s water supply shall be protected by an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device.
(f) Commercial and industrial buildings. At the service connection to premises containing commercial or industrial buildings subject to varying and unknown uses because of changes in tenancy, the City’s water supply shall be protected by an approved backflow prevention device.
(g) Landscaping. Back siphonage protection shall be required where automatic or manual control sprinkler or bubbler systems are used in landscaping. (See Chapter 10 of the Uniform Plumbing Code.)
(h) Cross-connection reference. The Manual of Cross-Connection Control, Fifth Edition, Section No. 5 (or future editions), published by the University of Southern California, shall be used for information necessary for proper cross-connection control.
6-6-10 Inspections of backflow prevention devices. Revised 3/23
(a) Annual inspections by certified testers. Backflow prevention devices shall be inspected and certified operational at least once a year. All inspections shall be conducted by a certified tester who shall prepare a report and certificate of operational readiness.
(b) Duties of property owners and/or water users. The property owner and/or water user shall cause annual inspections to be made at the expense of the property owner and/or water user. Defective devices shall be repaired, overhauled, or replaced at the expense of the property owner and/or water user.
(c) Reports. Reports of inspections and corrective measures shall be submitted to the City within ten (10) days after the inspection by the certified tester along with his certificate of operational readiness.
(d) More frequent inspections. Where successive annual reports indicate the defective operation of a backflow prevention device, the City may require more frequent inspections and may require the replacement of the device.
(e) Duties of testers. The certified tester shall be responsible for the competency of inspections, corrective actions, and the accuracy of reports required by this section.
(f) Optional City inspections. Upon the request of the water user and subject to the approval of the Public Works Superintendent, the City may perform inspections and corrective actions. The water user shall pay the City for such services at the rate of the actual cost, plus overhead.
(Ord. 1297-CS, Amended, 01/24/2023)
6-6-11 Regulation of booster pumps.
When it becomes necessary, on account of low pressure or special operating conditions, to install a booster pump on the service to any premises, such pump shall be equipped with a low pressure cut-off switch designed to shut off the pump when the pressure on the inlet side is twenty-five (25) p.s.i.g. or lower. It shall be the duty of the consumer to maintain the cut-off device in proper working order and to certify to the City at least once a year that the device is operable. Low pressure cut-off device certification shall be by a person deemed competent by the City.
6-6-12 Enforcement. Revised 3/23
(a) New service connections. No new service connection shall be completed until the provisions of this chapter have been complied with to the satisfaction of the City.
(b) Termination of water services. If the City determines a failure to install or adequately maintain a backflow prevention assembly constitutes a threat to the potable water supply, the City may order that water services to the noncomplying property owner and/or water user be discontinued. The City shall notify the property owner and/or water user at least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed termination of water service; provided, however, if the threat to the potable water supply is so immediate that a delay in terminating water service may threaten the public health and safety, the City may terminate service without prior written notice in which case the City shall provide written notice of such action as soon as is practicable.
(c) Restoration of water services. Water services shall not be restored until such hazard is eliminated or until such violations of this chapter have been corrected to the satisfaction of the City; nor shall water services be restored until the City has received reimbursement for any cost incurred in termination and an advance payment for the cost of service restoration.
(Ord. 1297-CS, Amended, 01/24/2023)