Backflow Prevention
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ELEMENTS OF ORDINANCE & SERVICE CONTRACT
- Written Legal Authority containing:
- the purpose of ordinance or contract
- a description of the public water system's and the premise owners' responsibilities
- appropriate definitions
- a policy requiring premise owners' water systems to be open for inspection to the public water system
- a policy specifying which service connections shall be equipped with premises-isolating backflow preventers
and specifying exactly where in the service pipe these backflow preventers shall be located
- a policy specifying the types of premises-isolating backflow preventers that shall be used in different cases
- a policy defining approved backflow preventers and requiring that all premises-isolating backflow preventers
installed after a certain date be approved backflow preventers
- a policy specifying that all required premises-isolating backflow preventers shall be tested at least annually
by competent backflow preventer testers approved by the public water system and shall be repaired when necessary,
and
- penalties for non-compliance with the ordinance or contract.
- A written schedule and written procedures for surveying and retrofitting existing facilities
- Written procedures for plan review and inspection of all new construction
- Written schedule and procedures for at least annual testing of backflow-prevention assemblies and for repair
when necessary
- Written procedures for approving competent backflow preventer testers and insuring that required premises-isolating
backflow preventers are tested only by approved, competent backflow preventer testers
- Written procedures for keeping installation, testing, and repair records for each required premises-isolating
backflow preventer (these records shall be kept for not less than 10 years)
- Written procedures for educating premise owners about (a) the need to have registered professional engineers
or certified fire-protection system contractors check the hydraulics of existing fire-protection systems when premises-isolating
backflow preventers are added at existing service connections to which existing fire-protection systems are in
turn connected and (b) the need to install thermal expansion devices and/or pressure relief valves within closed-loop
plumbing systems created by the installation of premises-isolating backflow preventers, and
- Written procedures for handling backflow complaints and emergencies
- A program manual containing all of the above mentioned written material.
Recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee for Rule 62-555.360 F.A.C.