Backflow and Cross Connection Control are key to maintaining a clean water system for the community and healthy lifestyle for the community and residents.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
The following words and phrases have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this article.
(a) “Agency” means the City of Goddard, with the authority and responsibility for the enactment and enforcement of this article.
(b) “Airgap” means 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 devise and the flood-level rim of the receptacle.
(c) “Approved” means accepted by the agency as meeting an applicable specification stated or cited in this article, or as suitable for the proposed use.
(d) “Auxiliary Supply” means any water source or system other than the potable water supply that may be available in the building or premises.
(e) “Backflow” means the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any source or sources other than its intended source. Backsiphonage is one type of backflow.
(f) “Backpressure” means downstream pressure that is greater than the upstream or supply pressure in a public water system or consumer’s potable water system. Backpressure can result from an increase in downstream pressure, a reduction in the potable water supply pressure, or a combination of both.
(g) “Backflow preventer” means a device or means to prevent backflow.
(h) “Backsiphonage” means backflow resulting from negative pressures in the distributing pipes of a potable water supply.
(i) “Barometric loop” means a loop of pipe rising at least 35 feet, at its topmost point, above the highest fixture it supplies.
(j) “Check valve” a self-closing device, which is designed to permit the flow of fluids in one direction and to close if there is a reversal of flow.
(k) “Contamination” See Pollution.
(l) “Cross-connection” any physical connection between a potable water supply and any waste pipe, soil pipe, sewer, drain, or any unapproved source or system. Furthermore, it is any potable water supply outlet, which is submerged or can be submerged in wastewater and/or any other source of contamination. See Backflow and Backsiphonage.
(m) “Double check valve” means an assembly that protects water from substances that may pollute but not contaminate the water. For instance, non-health hazard applications require these devices. They are normally installed near the meter in an underground box.
(n) “Drain” means any pipe that carries wastewater or waterborne wastes in a building drainage system.
(o) “Fixture, Plumbing” means installed receptacles, devices, or appliances supplied with water or that receive or discharge liquids or liquid-borne wastes.
(p) “Flood-level rim” means the edge of the receptacle from which water overflows.
(q) “Hazard, Health” means any conditions, devices, or practices in the water supply system, and its operation, which create, or, in the judgment of the City, may create, a danger to the health and well-being of the water consumer. An example of a health hazard is a structural defect in the water supply system, whether of location, design, or construction, that regularly or occasionally may prevent satisfactory purification of the water supply or cause it to be polluted from extraneous sources.
(r) “Hazard, Plumbing” means any arrangement of plumbing including piping and fixtures whereby a cross-connection is created.
(s) “Hydropneumatic tank” means a pressure vessel in which air pressure acts upon the surface of the water contained within the vessel pressurizing the water distribution piping connected to the vessel.
(t) “Inlet” means the open end of the water supply pipe through which the water is discharged into the plumbing fixture.
(u) “Plumbing system” includes the water supply and distribution pipes, plumbing fixtures, and traps; soil, waste, and vent pipes; building drains and building sewers including their respective connections, devices, and appurtenances within the property lines of the premises; and water treating or water-using equipment.
(v) “Pollution” means the presence of any foreign substance (organic, inorganic, radiological, or biological) in water that tends to degrade its quality so as to constitute a hazard or impair the usefulness of the water.
(w) “Reduced pressure principle backflow preventer,” means an assembly of differential valves and check valves including an automatically opened spillage port to the atmosphere designed to prevent backflow.
(x) “Surge tank” means the receiving, non-pressure vessel forming part of the airgap separation between a potable and an auxiliary supply.
(y) “Vacuum” means any pressure less than that exerted by the atmosphere.
(z) “Air Vacuum breaker, non-pressure type” (AVB) means a vacuum breaker designed so as not to be subjected to static line pressure.
(aa) “Pressure Vacuum breaker, pressure type” (PVB) means a vacuum breaker designed to operate under conditions of static line pressure.
(bb) “Water, potable” means water free from impurities in amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects. Its bacteriological and chemical quality shall conform to the requirements of the Federal Drinking Water Standards or to the regulations of the public health authority having jurisdiction.
(cc) “Water, non-potable” means water that is not safe for human consumption or that is of questionable potability.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
The City of Goddard, or the appropriate agency, is hereby authorized to inspect the plumbing in every building or premise in the City, upon reasonable notice, and as frequently as deemed necessary to enforce the terms of this article. The City shall notify or cause to be notified in writing the owner or authorized agent of the owner of any such building or premises, to correct, within a reasonable time set by the City, any plumbing installed or existing contrary to or in violation of this article, and which may, therefore, permit the pollution of the city water supply, or otherwise adversely affect the public health.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
The City, or the City’s designated agent, shall have the right of entry into any building, during reasonable hours, for the purpose of making inspection of the plumbing systems installed in such building or premises provided that .with respect to the inspection of any single family dwelling, consent to such inspection shall first be obtained from a person of suitable age and discretion therein or in control thereof.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
(a) A potable water supply system shall be designed, installed, and maintained in such manner as to prevent contamination from non-potable liquids, solids, or gases from being introduced into the potable water supply through cross-connections or any other piping connections to the system.
(b) Cross-connections between potable water systems and other systems or equipment containing water or other substances of unknown or questionable safety are prohibited except when and where, as approved by the authority having jurisdiction, suitable protective devices such as the reduced pressure zone back flow preventer or equal are installed, tested, and maintained to insure proper operation on a continuing basis.
(c) Interconnection between two or more public water supplies shall be permitted only with the approval of the City.
(d) Cross-Connections between an individual water supply and a potable public supply shall not be made unless specifically approved by the City.
(e) Potable water connections to boilers shall be made through an airgap or provided with an approved backflow preventer.
(f) Connection to the potable water supply system for the following is prohibited unless protected against backflow in accordance with the Uniform Plumbing Code or as set out herein.
(1) Bidets.
(2) Operating, dissection, embalming, and mortuary tables or similar equipment; in such installation the hose used for water supply shall terminate at least twelve (12) inches away from every point of the table or attachments.
(3) Pumps for non-potable water, chemicals, or other substances; priming connections may be made only through an airgap.
(4) Building drainage, sewer, or vent systems.
(5) Yard hydrant.
(6) Any other fixture of similar hazard.
(g) Except where potable water provided for a refrigerator condenser or cooling jacket is entirely outside the piping or tank containing a toxic refrigerant, the inlet connection shall be provided with an approved check valve. Also adjacent to and at the outlet side of the check valve, an approved pressure relief valve set to relieve at 5 psi above the maximum water pressure at the point of installation shall be provided if the refrigeration units contain more than 20 pounds of refrigerants.
(h) A potable water system shall be protected against backflow and backsiphonage by providing and maintaining at each outlet an airgap, as specified hereafter, between the potable water outlet and the flood level rim of the fixture it supplies or between the outlet and any other source or contamination, or backflow preventer. The minimum required airgap shall be measured vertically from the lowest end of the fixture or receptacle into a potable water outlet to the flood rim or line which it discharges. The minimum required airgap shall be twice the effective opening of a potable water outlet, a minimum of no less than two (2) inches. In no case shall the minimum required airgap be less than provided by the Uniform Plumbing Code.
(i) Before any device for the prevention of backflow or backsiphonage is installed, it shall have first been certified by a recognized testing laboratory acceptable to the Director. Devices installed in a building potable water supply distribution system for protection against backflow shall be maintained in good working condition by the person or persons responsible for the maintenance of the system.
(j) Vacuum breakers shall be installed with the critical level at least six (6) inches above the flood level rim of the fixture they serve and on the discharge side of the last control valve to the fixture. For closed equipment or vessels such as pressure sterilizers the top of the vessel shall be treated as the flood level rim but a check valve shall be installed on the discharge side of the vacuum breaker. A reduced pressure principle type backflow preventer may be installed subject to full static pressure.
(k) Where a potable water outlet terminates below the rim of a tank or vat and the tank or vat has an overflow of a diameter not less than provided by the Uniform Plumbing Code, the overflow pipe shall be provided with an airgap as close to the tank as possible. The potable water outlet to the tank or vat shall terminate a distance not less than two times the height to which water can rise in the tank above the top of the ever flow. This level shall be established at the maximum flow rate of the supply to the tank or vat and with all outlets except the airgap overflow outlet closed.
(l) Approved devices to protect against backflow and backsiphonage shall be installed at all fixtures and equipment where backflow and/or backsiphonage may occur and where a minimum airgap cannot be provided between the water outlet to the fixture or equipment and its floodlevel rim. Where a water connection is not subject to backpressure, a vacuum breaker shall be installed on the discharge side of the last valve on the line serving the fixture or equipment. Conditions requiring protective devices of this kind and method of installation are as provided by the Uniform Plumbing Code. Where a potable water connection is made to a line, fixture, tank, vat, pump, or other equipment with a hazard of backflow or backsiphonage where the water connection is subject to back pressure, and an airgap cannot be installed, the City may require the use of an approved reduced pressure principle backflow preventer.
(m) Water connections, where an actual or potential backsiphonage hazard exists, may, in lieu of devices specified by the Uniform Plumbing Code, be provided with a barometric loop. Barometric loops shall precede the point of connection.
(n) The City may authorize installation of approved, double check double gate valve assemblies with test cocks as protective devices against backflow in connection between a potable water system and ether fluid systems which present no significant health hazard in the judgment of the City.
(o) When a booster pump is used on a water pressure booster system and the possibility exists that a positive pressure of 10 psi or less may occur on the suction side of the pump, there shall be installed a low pressure cutoff on the booster pump to prevent the creation of a vacuum or negative pressure on the suction side of the pump, thus cutting off water to ether outlets.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
It shall be the responsibility of building and premise owners to maintain all backflow preventers and vacuum breakers within the building or on the premises in good working order and to make no piping or other arrangements for the purpose of bypassing or removing backflow devices.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
It shall be the responsibility of building and premise owners to have each backflow preventer device tested and inspected immediately after initial installation to assure the device has been installed properly and that debris resulting from the installation has not interfered with the functioning of the device. Thereafter, it shall be the responsibility of building and premise owners to have each backflow preventer device tested and inspected annually, any overhaul or repairs made, and a backflow device test report filed with the City of Goddard, Kansas before the first day of December of each year. The inspection and testing shall be by a tester/repair technician certified by the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department and testing procedures shall be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and nationally accepted practices. Devices must be rebuilt or overhauled every five (5) years. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in a fine of up to $200 dollars in addition to the cost of any necessary remediation on the part of the City.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779; Ord. 862)
The City shall notify the owner, or authorized agent of the owner, of the building or premises in which there is found a violation of this article, of such violation. The City shall set a reasonable time for the owner to have the violation removed or corrected. Upon failure of the owner to have the defect corrected with the stated period, or, if in the City’s judgment, the violation causes an imminent health hazard, the City may terminate the water service to the building or premises, and condition the resupply of water on repair of the condition and remediating any harm caused thereby. The termination of the water service shall be in addition to any fine or penalty imposed by this article.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)
The owner or authorized agent of the owner responsible for the maintenance of the plumbing systems in the building who knowingly permits a violation to remain uncorrected after the expiration of time set by the City in a Notification of Violation shall be required to pay a fine of not more than $100.00 for each violation. Each day of failure to comply with the requirements of this article, after the expiration of time set by the City in a Notification of Violation shall constitute a separate violation. If the violations are not remediated within the specified time frame the City may disconnect water service until all violations are corrected and fees paid, including those to reconnect to City services.
(Ord. 541, Code 2012, Secs. 15-127:130; Ord. 779)