§ 52.83. BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICES; WHEN REQUIRED; SPECIFICATIONS.

(A)

No water service connection to any premises shall be installed or maintained by the water purveyor unless the water supply is protected as required by State law and regulation (Florida Administrative Code Rule 17-555) and this subchapter. Service of water to any premises shall be discontinued by the water purveyor if a backflow prevention device required by this subchapter is not installed, tested, and maintained, or if it is found that a backflow prevention device has been removed, bypassed, or if an unprotected cross connection exists on the premises. Service will not be restored until such conditions or defects are corrected.

(B)

The customer's system should be open for inspection at all reasonable times to authorized representatives of the environmental services department to determine whether cross connections or other structural or sanitary hazards, including violations of these regulations, exist. When such a condition becomes known, the Director of Environmental Services shall deny or immediately discontinue service to the premises by providing for a physical break in the service line until the customer has corrected the condition in conformance with State and City laws relating to plumbing and water supplies and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

(C)

An approved backflow prevention device shall 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 and, in all cases, before the first branch line leading off the service line, wherever the following conditions exist:

(1)

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 Director of Environmental Services. 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.

(2)

In the case of premises upon which any industrial fluids or any 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.

(3)

In the case of premises having internal cross connections that cannot be permanently corrected and controlled, 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. The type of protective device required shall depend upon the degree of hazard which exists, as follows:

(a)

In the case of any premises where there is an auxiliary water supply as stated in this Section, the public water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device.

(b)

In the case of any premises where there is water or some substance that would be objectionable but not hazardous to health if introduced into the public water system, the public water system shall be protected by an approved double check valve assembly.

(4)

In the case of any premises where there is any material dangerous to health which is handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the public water system, the public water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device. Examples of premises where these conditions may exist include wastewater treatment plants, wastewater pumping stations, chemical manufacturing plants, hospitals, mortuaries, and metal plating plants.

(5)

In the case of any premises where there are "uncontrolled" cross connections, either actual or potential, the public water system shall be protected by an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device at the service connection.

(6)

In the case of any premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete in-plant cross connection survey, the public water system shall be protected against backflow or back-siphonage from the premises by the installation of a backflow prevention device in the service line. In this case, maximum protection will be required; that is, an approved air-gap separation or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device shall be installed in each service to the premises.

(D)

Any backflow prevention device required herein shall be of a model and size approved by the Director of Environmental Services. The term "approved backflow prevention device" shall mean a device that has been manufactured in full conformance with the standards established by the American Water Works Association and entitled "AWWA C506-69 Standards for Reduced Pressure Principle and Double Check Valve Backflow Prevention Devices" and which has met completely the laboratory and field performance specifications of the Foundation for Cross Connection Control and Hydraulic Research of the University of Southern California established by "Specifications of Backflow Prevention Devices-#69-2 dated March 1969" or the most current issue.

(1)

Said AWWA and FCCC and HR standards and specifications have been adopted by the Director of Environmental Services. Final approval shall be evidenced by a certificate of approval issued by an approved testing laboratory certifying full compliance with said AWWA standards and FCCC and HR specifications.

(2)

It shall be the duty of the customer-user at any premises where backflow prevention devices are installed, to have certified inspections and operational tests made at least once per year. In those instances where the Director deems the hazard to be great enough, he may require certified inspections at more frequent intervals. These inspections and tests shall be at the expense of the customer and shall be performed by the device manufacturer's representative, by the utility personnel, or by a certified tester approved by the Director of Environmental Services. It shall be the duty of the Director to see that these timely tests are made. The customer-user shall notify the Director in advance when the tests are to be undertaken so that he, or his representative, may witness the tests if it is so desired.

(3)

These devices shall be repaired, overhauled, or replaced at the expense of the customer-user whenever said devices are found to be defective. Records of such tests, repairs, and overhauls, shall be kept and made available to the Director of Environmental Services.

(4)

All presently installed backflow prevention devices which do not meet the requirements of this Section but were approved devices for the purposes described herein at the time of installation and which have been properly maintained shall, except for the inspection and maintenance requirements, be excluded from the requirements of these rules so long as the Director of Environmental Services is assured that they will satisfactorily protect the public potable water supply system. Whenever the existing device is moved from the present location or requires more than minimum maintenance, or when the Director of Environmental Services finds that the maintenance constitutes a hazard to health, the unit shall be replaced by a backflow prevention device meeting the requirements of this Section.

(Am. Ord. No. 52-91, passed 8/27/91)

Cross reference

Penalty, § 52.99.