HALLOWELL WATER DISTRICT
I . Purpose
Cross-connections between water supplies and non-potable sources of contamination
represent one of the most significant threats to health in the water supply
industry. This program is therefore designed to maintain the safety and
potability of the water in the supplier's system by preventing the introduction
of any foreign liquids, gases or other substances, other than water from
the intended source.
II. Authority
This program derives its enforce ability from Title 22, MRSA, C 601, sub-chapter
2, Sec. 2612(5) Maine Department of Human Services, Cross- Connection Rules
10-144ACMR226. In addition, authority rises from the Rules and Regulations
as published by the Hallowell Water District and as approved by the Public
Utilities Commission of the State of Maine and from provisions of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act, and from provisions of the State Plumbing Code Part
0 10-144A CMR 238.
III. Definitions
A. Backflow The flow of water or other foreign
liquids gases or other substances into the distribution system
of a public water supply from any source other than the intended
B.
Backflow Preventer "A device to prevent backflow "
1. Air Gap A physical separation sufficient to
prevent backflow between the free-flowing discharge end
of the potable water system and any other system.
2. Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker A device which prevents
back-siphonage by creating an atmospheric
vent where there is either a negative pressure or sub-atmospheric pressure
in a water system.
3. Backflow Preventer with Intermediate Atmospheric
Vent A device having two check valves separated
by an atmospheric vent.
4. Double Check Valve A device having two, weight
or spring loaded, bronze faced with soft rubber
disc check valves, with shutoff valves and test cocks for periodic testing.
5. Hose Bibb Vacuum Breaker A device which is permanently
attached to a hose bibb and which acts as
an atmospheric vacuum breaker.
6. Pressure Vacuum Breaker A device containing
a spring loaded check valve and a spring loaded
atmospheric vent. which opens when pressure approaches atmospheric. It
contains valves and fittings
which allow the device to be tested.
7. Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Preventer
An assembly of check valves and a reduced pressure
zone which spills water to the atmosphere In event of the failure of the
check valves. It has valves and
fittings which allow the device to be tested.
C. Back-siphonage Backflow resulting from negative or less than atmospheric pressure in the water system.
D. Back-pressure A condition in which the owner's system pressure is greater than the supplier's system pressure.
E.
Containment A method of backflow prevention which requires a backflow preventer
at the water service
entrance.
F.
Cross-connection Any physical connection or arrangement between two otherwise
separate piping systems, one
of which contains potable water and the other water or other substances
of unknown or questionable safety,
whereby water or other substances may flow from one system to the other,
the direction of flow depending on
the pressure differential between the two systems.
G. Department State of Maine Department of Human Services.
H.
Fixture Isolation A method of backflow prevention in which a backflow preventer
is located to correct a
cross-connection at an in-plant unit rather than at the water service entrance.
I.
Owner Any person who has a legal title to, or license to operate or habitats
in, a property upon which a
cross-connection inspection is to be made or upon which a cross-connection
is present. J. Permit A document
issued by the Department with the approval of the supplier which requires
the use of a backflow preventer.
K.
Person 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.
L.
Supplier Hallowell Water District or any person who controls, owns, or
generally manages a system of pipes,
structures and facilities through which water is delivered for human consumption.
M.
Water Service Entrance That point in the owner's water system beyond the
sanitary control of the supplier. This
will ordinarily be the outlet end of the meter and will always be before
any unprotected branch.
IV. Administration
A. The Supplier shall develop and operate a cross
-connection control program, Including keeping necessary
records, which fulfills the requirements of the Department's Cross-Connection
Rules and is approved by the
Department.
B.
The Owner shall allow his property to be inspected for possible cross-connections
and shall follow the provisions
of the Supplier's program or the Department's Cross- Connection Rules if
a cross-connection is permitted.
C.
If the Supplier requires that the public supply be protected by containment,
the Owner shall be responsible for
water quality beyond the outlet end of the containment device.
D. Both the Supplier and the Owner shall attempt to eliminate all cross-connections.
V. Responsibility
A. Supplier's Responsibility
1. The Supplier's inspections for cross- connections
or potential cross -connections shall be made during
normal working hours unless otherwise arranged with the owner.
2. The Supplier will, after the initial inspection
of plans or premises, inform the owner by letter of any
correction deemed necessary, the method of making the correction, and a
maximum of thirty (30) days to
make the correction.
3. The Supplier will not allow any cross-connection
to remain unless it is protected by an approved
backflow preventer, for which a permit has been issued and which is regularly
tested and operates
satisfactorily. Certain fixtures are exempted from this provision and are
listed in Section VIII.
4. The Supplier shall inform the Owner by letter
of any failure to comply by the time of the first
re-inspection.
The Supplier will allow fifteen (15) additional days for the correction
If there is a failure to comply by the
time of the second re-inspection, the Supplier shall inform the Owner by
letter that water service to the
Owner's premises will be terminated. The termination procedure shall be
that specified in the Supplier's
rules and regulations for non-payment.
5. If the Supplier determines at any time that
a serious threat to the public health exists, service shall be
terminated immediately.
6. Re-establishment of service before the installation
of a backflow preventer may be allowed by the
Supplier after an agreement has been made between the Supplier, the Department
and the Owner
indicating the intention of the Owner to comply with the provisions of
the agreement.
7. The Supplier shall maintain an inspection program
which covers all industrial customers every three years
and all commercial customers every five years.
8. The Supplier will make sure that new water service
areas and all new construction, including residential,
complies with the Cross- Connection Program and with the Maine State Plumbing
Code. A copy of the
Plumbing Inspector's Certificate of Completion should be obtained by the
Supplier.
9. The Supplier shall inspect dwellings with more
that four apartments and require that they comply with the
Cross-Connection Program.
10. The Supplier should encourage Owners of dwellings with
four or less apartments to install backflow
preventers on hose bibbs and shall warn them of the possible hazards of
devices such as siphon type
pesticide or fertilizer sprayers, water operated sump pumps, etc. The Owner
may be required to Install a
backflow preventer at the service entrance, If deemed necessary. (Note:
This section does not exclude
the use of a single check valve at the service entrance.)
11. A backfiow prevention device will be required on all projects,
whereby the company is required to
remove and re-install a meter. This will include inside plumbing projects
and renewal of service of existing
customers.
B.
Owner's Responsibilities
1. The Owner, after being Informed by a letter
from the Supplier, shall at his expense Install, maintain and
test, or have tested, any backflow presenter on his premises.
2. The Owner shall correct any malfunction of the
backflow preventer which Is revealed by periodic testing.
This shall include the replacement of parts or the replacement of the backflow
presenter if deemed
necessary by the Supplier.
3. The Owner shall inform the Supplier of any new
proposer or modified cross-connection and also any
existing cross-connection which the Owner is aware of but has not been
found by the Supplier.
4. 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 Supplier's system, and permission to cross-connect
may be denied by the
Supplier. The Owner may be required to have a backflow preventer at the
service entrance if a private
water source is maintained, even if it Is not cross-connected to the Supplier's
system.
5. The Owner shall not install a by-pass around
any backflow preventer unless there is a backflow
prevented on the by-pass. Owners who cannot shut down operation for testing
must supply the
additional devices necessary to allow testing to take place
6. The Owner shall only install backflow preventers listed or approved by the Supplier and the Department.
7. The Owner shall install the backflow preventer
in a manner approved by the Supplier. Pit installations are
strongly discouraged and must have Department approval before a permit
will be issued.
8. If the Owner installs plumbing to provide potable
water for domestic purposes which Is on the Supplier's
side of the backflow preventer, such plumbing must have its own backflow
preventer.
VI. Degree of Hazard
The Supplier recognizes the difference in the threat to the public water
system arising from different types of
connection. These can be classified as follows:
A.
Class I - Low Degree of Hazard If backflow were to occur, the resulting
health significance would be limited to
minor changes in the esthetic quality such as taste, odor or color. The
foreign substance must be non-toxic and
non-bacterial in nature and have no significant health effect.
B.
Class II - Moderate Degree of Hazard If backflow were to occur, the resulting
effect on the water supply would
be significant changes In esthetic qualities. The foreign substance must
be non-toxic to humans and non-bacterial
in nature.
C.
Class III - High Degree of Hazard If backflow were to occur, the resulting
effect on the water supply could
cause illness or death if consumed by humans. The foreign substance may
be toxic to humans either chemically,
bacteriologically or radiologically. Toxicity may result from either short
or long term exposure.
Class III hazards can be protected against by containment of fixture isolation.
1. Examples of establishments which will be controlled
by containment are:
a. Wastewater installations
i. Treatment plants
ii. Pump stations including storm water pump stations
iii. Industrial waste treatment plants
b. Industries where a health hazard exists.
c. Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, etc.
d. Vessel watering points or fixtures.
e. Tank trucks, street sweepers, and other similar
units which receive water at the Supplier's shop
or any of its hydrants.
2. Examples of establishments which the Supplier
may cause to be controlled by either containment or
fixture isolation are:
a. Laboratories
b. Mortuaries or Funeral Homes
c. High pressure boilers \
d. Chemically treated low pressure boilers
e. Lawn irrigation systems
f. Swimming pools
g. Car wash facilities
h. Farms where water is used for other than domestic
purposes
i. Commercial installations with very small
industrial functions.
VII. Permits
A. Permits will be issued by the Department upon
recommendation of the Supplier for any backflow situation
except those listed as exemptions in Section VIII, Part C.
B. Permits will only be issued if the cross-connection is deemed necessary and cannot be eliminated.
C. The degree of hazard will be stated on the permit.
D. The frequency of testing of the backflow presenter will stated of the permit.
E.
The type, model and make of the backflow preventer will be listed on the
permit. If more than one device Is
used to protect a single cross-connection, it shall be listed on the permit.
F. Any exemption will be listed on the permit. G. Permits shall be non-transferrable.
H. Permits shall be renewed every five years.
VII. Exemptions
A. Any cross-connection protected against backflow,
at the time this program goes into effect, may continue with
that same protection unless:
1. The existing protection is grossly inadequate.
2. The Department notifies the Supplier, In writing, that a change must be made.
B.
The exemption will be expired at any time the backflow presenter must be
replaced and the replacement
backflow presenter must be that required by the degree of hazard involved.
C.
Certain fixtures which constitute cross-connections may be controlled by
non-testable backfiow preventers and
will not require a permit. Examples of these fixtures are as follows:
1. Hose bibbs which are only potential cross-connections.
2. Below the rim outlets which can be replaced by a gooseneck device.
3. Toilets with anti-siphon ballcock.
4. Any fixture with a built-in atmospheric vacuum breaker which cannot be bypassed.
5. Others as listed in Appendix A of the State regulations.
IX. Periodic Testing
It is recognized that any backflow preventer can fail and any method of
protection can be subverted; thus, periodic
testing and inspection is necessary. This includes air gap protection.
A.
Periodic testing shall be performed by the Owner and In the presence of
either the Supplier or the Supplier's
agent.
B.
The time interval for testing a backflow preventer be stated on the permit
and shall be determined by the
Supplier.
C.
Any backflow preventer which fails during test will be immediately repaired.
The Supplier shall require that
repair parts be ordered within 24 hours and that shipment be by the fastest
means possible. Any extended delay
(more than seven days) shall require discontinuance of service or other
means to insure protection of the public
water system.
D.
Certain Class III degree of hazard situations will not be allowed to continue
unprotected if the backflow
preventer fails the test and cannot be immediately repaired. Owner will
be the person responsible for the
provision of spare parts and should have a supply on hand.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR CROSS CONNECTION PROTECTION
2-4unit - dual checkBuilding complex single owner
5-9 units - testable double checks
10 or more units - RPZ
REVISED 5/3/992-4 units - dual checkBuilding complex multi owners
5 or more units - RPZCommercial preparation of food requires a testable double check.
Oil and gas service requires a testable double check.
Businesses that utilize petroleum products require a RPZ.
Funeral Homes require a RPZ.
Farm require a testable RPZ.
Schools require a testable double check.