(a) The Utilities Department 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.
(b) If, in the judgment of the Department, an approved backflow prevention device is required at the city’s water service connection to any customer’s premises for the safety of the water system, the director of utilities or his designated agent shall give notice in writing to the customer to install such an approved backflow prevention device at each service connection to his or her 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 a ground for discontinuing water service to the premises until such device or devices have been properly installed.
(c) In the case of installation a copy of the test report and permit shall be furnished by the customer to the city with 60 days of installation, replacement, or relocation of a backflow prevention assembly. The customer and/or his designee shall be responsible for obtaining all applicable permits.
(1) All backflow prevention assemblies and devices on the potable water service shall be installed by a plumbing contractor who is licensed by the State of Florida and/or approved by the city.
(2) All backflow prevention assemblies installed as part of a fire suppression system should be installed by a fire protection contractor I, II or V who is licensed by the State of Florida. (Reference: F.S. §§ 633.021 and 633.541.)
(3) Single check valves and all R.P.(s) on the water service shall be installed by the customer’s contractor, with the appropriate state certification and/or approved by the city, on the type of service installation required.
(d) In the case of testing and maintenance, all backflow test for new potable water services (domestic and fire line) shall be performed by a certified plumbing contractor certified by the State of Florida and/or approved by the city, at the time the service is activated. An additional backflow certification fee will be billed by the city for each test.
(e) In the case of recertification the customer’s responsible for hiring an appropriately licensed, certified backflow prevention assembly tester to test and maintain all of their backflow prevention assemblies on an annual basis after the initial test. All backflow prevention assemblies and devices on the customer’s side of the potable water service shall be tested by a plumbing contractor who is licensed by the State of Florida and/or approved by the city.
(1) The technician performing any repairs must hold a repair certification issued by an American Water Works Association approved course.
(2) A valid backflow prevention assembly recertification must contain, at minimum, the following information:
a. The name and license number of the Plumbing Contractor performing the testing.
b. The address of the tested assembly.
c. The date the assembly was tested.
d. The make, model, size and serial number of the assembly tested.
e. The water meter serial number the assembly is protecting (if applicable).
f. Clearly identified test results as outlined below:
i. RP - the relief valve opening reading, the differential reading across the #1 check valve, the differential reading across the #2 check valve, and if the #2 check valve leaked during the backpressure test.
ii. DC - the differential reading across the #1 check valve and the differential reading across the #2 check valve.
iii. PVB - the air inlet reading, the reading the check valve holds at, and a comment or remark if backpressure was present at the time of testing.
iv. The name of the tester along with the tester’s certification number.
The annual recertification shall be received by the city prior to the expiration of the previous certification. In the event the assembly tested does not perform to manufacturer’s specification, a failing test report shall be submitted to the Department. This will afford the customer additional time to acquire estimates for repair; ordering of parts, and the scheduling of necessary shut-down, for the repair or replacement of the failing assembly.
Upon completion of testing, the tester shall affix to the assembly in a semi-permanent manner a weather-proof tag that identifies the plumbing or fire protection company performing the test and the month and year of the recertification.
The customer shall be notified by the city in writing approximately 60 days prior to the next inspection date of the backflow assembly. If the customer fails to provide the city with a passing backflow preventer test and maintenance report by the due date, the city may assign testing and recertification process to a city authorized certified backflow prevention device technician. See Section 26.2010, Fees and Permits.
(f) In the case of non-compliance, upon discovery that an unapproved cross-connection exists, the city shall immediately disconnect the cross-connection or terminate the customer’s potable water service. By-passing an existing backflow prevention assembly shall be considered an unapproved cross-connection. The customer’s potable water supply will be turned off if the customer fails to adequately maintain the backflow prevention assembly(ies) or provide annual certification to the city.
(Ord. No. 90-51, § 1, 11-7-90; Ord. No. 13-032, § 2, 11-9-13)
