§ 8-08-060. Specific requirements.

Specific requirements for cross connection control and backflow prevention assemblies are as follows:

(1)

Mandatory cross-connection control by containment. Premises where any of the following conditions or activities exist or occur are deemed to present a sufficient backflow contamination hazard such that cross connection control by containment is required: hospitals and clinics; nursing and convalescent homes; dental offices; laboratories; mortuaries and cemeteries; sewage and storm water pumping and treatment plants; radiator facilities; metal plating industries; veterinary and animal grooming clinics; taxidermists; food and beverage processing plants; premises where inspection is restricted; ready mix concrete, sand and gravel plants; schools and colleges with laboratories; water services dedicated solely to landscape irrigation systems; greenhouses; premises with auxiliary water supplies; water tank trucks or water tanks filled from fire hydrants; buildings with a height greater than thirty (30) feet; and other conditions and or activities as may be deemed by the building code division to constitute similar hazards to those listed above.

(2)

Containment backflow prevention assembly requirements. The type of backflow prevention assembly used for containment shall be required commensurate with the hazard in the premises as follows:

a.

In cases of premises having an auxiliary water supply, the municipal water system shall be protected against back flow from the premises by installing an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure principal backflow prevention assembly.

b.

In cases of premises on which any individual fluids or any other contaminants are handled in such a fashion as to create an actual or potential hazard to the municipal water system, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure backflow prevention assembly. This shall include the handling of process waters and waters originating from the customer's water system that have been subjected to deterioration in quality. Examples of premises where these conditions or activities exist include but are not limited to hospitals and clinics, dental office, laboratories, mortuaries and cemeteries, radiator shops, car washes, plating industries, photographic film processing facilities, commercial laundries, food and beverage processing plants, ready-mix concrete, sand and gravel plants, sewage and storm water treatment plants, veterinary and animal grooming clinics, schools and colleges with laboratories and greenhouses.

c.

In cases of premises having internal cross connection or water piping systems that are impractical or impossible to ascertain whether or not cross connections exist on such systems, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by installing an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure backflow prevention assembly.

d.

In the case of a premises having multiple water services connected at more than one (1) point to the municipal water system and where the services create a looped water system with the customer's water system, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow from these premises by installing an approved backflow prevention assembly (type of backflow prevention assembly to be determined by the city) at each service connection to the municipal water system.

e.

In the case of water services to landscape irrigation systems connected to the municipal water system, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by installing an approved pressure vacuum breaker or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly.

f.

In the case of any premises where there is water or a pollutant that would be objectionable but not hazardous to health if introduced into the municipal water system, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by an approved double check valve assembly. In cases of nursing homes and buildings taller than thirty (30) feet not having a contamination hazard, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by an approved double check valve assembly.

g.

In the case of any premises where there are uncontrolled cross connections, either actual or potential, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly.

h.

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 premises cross connection survey, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow from the premises by an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly.

i.

In the case of any premises where an undue health hazard is posed because of the presence of extremely toxic substances, the building code division may require an air-gap at the service connection to protect the municipal water system.

j.

In the case of public fire hydrants approved for drawing water for filling tanks and tank trucks and for temporary irrigation systems, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by an approved air-gap or an approved reduced pressure backflow prevention assembly.

k.

In the case of any premises having existing private wells and the owner desires to connect to the municipal water system, the options are as follows:

1.

Customers shall agree to permanently abandon wells by plugging the wells in accordance with the code administration procedures prior to connection to the municipal water system; or

2.

Customers who choose to maintain their private wells active plumbing system, the property owner will install an approved dual check valve at the water meter. The owner of the premises shall also sign a covenant that runs with the land that the private well shall not be reconnected to the premises plumbing without complying with item 3 of this subsection.

3.

If the customer chooses to maintain the well as a dual application use for the premises and maintain both connections, the municipal water system shall be protected against backflow by an approved air-gap or approved reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device.

l.

Atmospheric vacuum breakers shall not be used for containment applications. Atmospheric vacuum breakers may be used on isolation applications only.

(3)

Fire protection systems. Fire protection systems begin at the service connection and include sprinklers, hose connections, hydrants, reservoirs, tanks, stand pipes, pumps, distribution pipes and other appurtenances within a premises that are owned, operated and maintained by the customer for the purposes of fire suppression. For all fire protection systems, except those described in paragraphs a and b below, an approved backflow prevention assembly is required to be installed at the service connection.

a.

Fire protection systems with no reservoirs, no fire pumper connections, no connections from auxiliary water systems, no antifreeze or other additives, and with all sprinkler drains discharging to atmosphere, constructed with acceptable potable water piping materials (approved listed products certified for conformance with ANSI/NSF standard 60 or 61) except as otherwise required by this article will not require an approved backflow protection assembly other than a double check valve assembly at the service connection.

b.

Fire protection systems with pumps, fire pumper connections, and no antifreeze or other additives, and with all sprinkler drains discharging into the atmosphere, constructed prior to this article with nonpotable water piping materials shall either retrofit with an approved backflow prevention assembly or have the fire protection system sampled annually at the customer's expense. Annual water sampling procedures shall be conducted by collecting first draw water samples and having them analyzed by a laboratory certified by the New Mexico Environment Department or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The requirement shall be established from the implementation date of this article or from the date in which the system described by this subsection was placed in service. If water sample analysis is acceptable, no further action is necessary until the next annual inspection. If the annual water sample analyses are unacceptable, then the customer shall have an approved backflow prevention assembly installed at the service connection. The first draw of water shall be collected before any water runs through the fire protection system and shall be taken from the downstream side of the single check valve. The water samples shall be collected by a compliance water sampler who is certified by the New Mexico Environment Department Certification Office. Laboratory results shall be sent directly to the Building Code Division as soon as the laboratory results are available. The water samples shall be analyzed for concentrations of iron, lead, copper, cadmium, and chromium and for the presence/absence of total coliform bacteria and for density of heterotopic bacteria. Water sample analysis results are acceptable if no total coliform are present, the number of colonies per milliliter is less than five hundred (500) in the heterotopic plate count analysis and concentrations of iron, lead, copper, cadmium and chromium do not exceed the maximum containment levels as established by the New Mexico Drinking Water Regulations. The laboratory shall use approved methods for testing water samples in accordance with one (1) of the methods cited in the 16th or most current edition of the Standard Methods for the examination of water and wastewater. The Building Code Division shall maintain an inventory of customers opting to have fire protection systems sampled annually and shall notify customers that are out of compliance.

c.

Where backflow protection is required on an industrial domestic service that is located on the same premises, backflow protection shall be provided on the fire service connection. The industrial domestic system and the fire protection systems shall both require an approved backflow prevention assembly at the service connections.

d.

Fire protection systems that are connected at more than one (1) point to the municipal water system shall contain approved backflow prevention assemblies at each service connection.

(Ord. No. 1068, 12-14-99; Ord. No. 1321, § 42, 2-12-08)