Page V, Archived News & Articles.....
Any comments or
questions about this site, can be
The BACKFLOW PREVENTION TECHZONE is a regularly
updated compendium of backflow prevention / drinking water
related resource materials & information links collected from
around the world. Recent to archived news stories' excerpts, and web
site reviews are this collection's focus, for anyone involved or
interested in the safety of potable water distribution systems, and backflow
prevention or cross connection control programs. Backflow
prevention or cross-connection
control education and training, for waterworks personnel,
public health and municipal officials, architects, engineers, contractors,
plumbers, backflow preventer testers, and students of all ages, are the
central point of a series of references and links to basic
through advanced technical information about the appropriate use and
correct installation of drinking water system backflow preventer
devices. Why they are essential to drinking water plumbing safety and
our health will be explored extensively. Historical to current
web page links, information, ideas, and techniques from around the world,
related to backflow prevention and cross connection control between potable
water plumbing, and drainage or non-potable systems, as well as other safe
drinking water supply issues encompass the aim of the Backflow
Prevention TechZone......
Use Of Reverse Osmosis
Increasing In Industrial Sector "Since it was
first introduced in the 1950s, reverse osmosis (RO) has most commonly been used
for purifying water and removing salts and other impurities in order to improve
the color, taste or properties of the fluid for potability. However, RO is
finding increasing uses in industrial applications because of its effectiveness
and cost-efficiency. How it Works... RO involves
separating water from a solution of dissolved solids by forcing water through a
semi- permeable membrane. As pressure is applied to the solution, usually by a
pump, water and other molecules with low molecular weights (less than about 200
grams per mole) pass through micropores in the membrane. Larger molecules are
retained by the membrane. Most RO technology uses a cross flow process to allow
the membrane to continually clean itself. As some of the fluid passes through
the membrane the rest continues downstream, sweeping the rejected species away
from the membrane. RO systems used in industrial and commercial applications,
where large volumes of treated water are required at a high level of purity,
typically operate at pressures between 100 and 1,000 psig, depending on the
membranes chosen and the quality of the water being treated. Most commercial and
industrial systems use multiple membranes in series. The processed water from
the first stage of treatment can be passed through additional membrane modules
to achieve greater levels of treatment for the finished water. The reject water
also can be directed into successive membrane modules for greater efficiency,
though flushing will still be required when concentrations reach a level where
fouling is likely to occur. Industrial Applications... Reverse osmosis systems
can be used to treat boiler feed water, industrial wastewater, process water and
more." Water Online, March 7, 2006
Marion to take steps to prevent backflow
problems "No specific action
was taken Monday, but the Marion City Council is considering options to control
potential backflow problems in the community as mandated by the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency. "There aren't hardly ever any cases reported of
contaminated water at a residence," said Bill Johnston, superintendent of the
city's water treatment plant. "But the potential for danger is always there."
Johnston said as long as there are valves affixed to faucets, there will be
leaks. And those leaks, he said, can lead to backflow water filtering through
the water system. Not many residential water customers in Marion, Johnston said,
will need backflow prevention devices. Only those who own in-ground pools,
irrigation systems, or some other form of filtration system that is directly
connected to the city's water system will be affected. Business owners also will
be affected. ...Mayor Bob Butler said the unfunded state mandate for the
installation of backflow prevention devices would be another added cost for
business owners and some residents, but it is "probably a good thing" as they
will help ensure the long-term health of water users." The Southern, Aug. 1,
2007
Merchants told water is
tainted - Chula Vista center
connected to pipes carrying treated sewage "Shop owners in a Chula Vista business park knew
something was wrong with their water. It tasted bad, smelled funny and had a
yellowish tint. “You would flush the toilet, and it looked like it wasn't
flushed,” said Amy Wise, co-owner of the Candy Bouquet, which sends out candy
arrangements. The Otay Water District assured the merchants that the water was
fine, but the merchants weren't convinced. The park's property manager sent a
water sample to a private lab and got some shocking news Friday. For two years,
occupants of the 17 businesses in Eastlake's Fenton Business Center have been
drinking and washing their hands in treated sewage water. Somehow, the park was
hooked up to a pipe carrying recycled water – treated wastewater intended solely
for irrigation – instead of drinking water. Now the Otay district is dealing
with distraught merchants and the question of how this could have happened.
Signs are now posted on all the businesses warning people not to drink the
water. Two food-related businesses – the Candy Bouquet and Dream Dinners, a
store that provides ingredients for make-and-freeze meals – were closed by the
county Department of Environmental Health. Yesterday, water district
representatives met with the business owners in a hot, empty office at the
business park. About 20 people crammed into the tiny room and peppered officials
with questions. ...Otay General Manager Mark Watton didn't have a lot of
answers, but he did make some promises. The water district would pay for medical
tests for workers, and would compensate the businesses for their losses. “We
want to do whatever we need to do to make things right,” Watton said. Watton
said the water system has been repaired, but the state Department of Public
Health requires more clean samples before the water is deemed safe and the two
food-related businesses can reopen. Watton said he expects that to happen
tomorrow afternoon. Ken August, a spokesman for the state Department of Public
Health, said officials are investigating. “We have learned about the situation
and we are evaluating it,” August said. Recycled water is not tested as
rigorously as drinking water because it is not meant to be consumed. Several
shop owners expressed concerns that they or their employees could be sickened by
the lingering taint of bad water. Watton said this is the first time he has
heard of recycled water being accidentally sent to a drinking tap in the county.
Reports tell of cases elsewhere, including San Antonio in 2002 and Calabasas in
1997. The San Antonio Water System recently paid $19,500 to settle a 2003
lawsuit filed by 13 people who alleged they were sickened by the treated
wastewater. Otay officials say they are still trying to figure out how the
mistake occurred. Watton said when the three buildings of the business park were
constructed in 2002, they apparently were connected to a purple pipe, the color
that usually designates a recycled-water line, instead of a pipe with drinking
water. The business park opened in July 2005, and the water that flowed in was
made up of about four parts drinking water to one part recycled water, Watton
said. In May, the Otay Water District entered into a deal with the city of
San Diego to buy 6 million gallons of recycled water a day from San Diego's two
reclamation plants. Otay began pumping 100 percent recycled water instead of the
blend of recycled and drinking water. That's when the merchants noticed the
funky smell, look and taste. Josh Bristol, the owner of a home-decorating store,
complained to Otay officials in an e-mail July 27. Watton said workers flushed
the system clean and thought the problem was resolved. Wise, who co-owns the
Candy Bouquet with Angela Mason, said she contacted the business park owners a
couple of weeks ago when she noticed the water's yellowish tint. The private
lab's testing showed the presence of total coliform bacteria. The bacteria is
not necessarily harmful, but its presence indicates contamination. The lab
warned that the sample appeared to be recycled water, and said occupants should
be warned not to drink it. Recycling water for irrigation is not the same as the
long-discussed plan in San Diego to send highly treated wastewater back to taps,
a program detractors have dubbed “toilet to tap.” Although most businesses in
the Eastlake park are open, the owners of the Candy Bouquet and Dream Dinners
wait and worry about the damage to their reputations. They said their customers
are not at risk. Wise said her business uses only prepackaged candy. Jennifer
Kober, owner of Dream Dinners, said customers are required to wear gloves when
preparing food and no one drinks the tap water or uses it in food preparation.
Only filtered water was used with the ingredients and in the coffee brewed
there. Wise said she fears she'll lose customers when they see the county's
“closed” notice. “People don't want to know the excuses,” she said. “They just
see the sign on the door.”" San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 22, 2007
Backflow rules
cause backlash "State
regulations now require water systems to guard against backflow -- the process
by which water can be drawn from a customer's system back into the public water
system. There's wide agreement on the need for backflow prevention, and
understanding of the fact that it's a state requirement. But the devil is in the
details, and the differences between the way that two local water systems are
enforcing the rule has some rural pool owners seeing red. Shelbyville
Power, Water and Sewerage System is requiring pool owners to install a very
inexpensive inline backflow device. For pool owners who use an outdoor hose or
spigot to fill their backyard pool, as opposed to a dedicated pool connection, a
hose-bibb vacuum breaker can cost as little as $6 at a home improvement store.
Bedford County Utility District, by comparison, is requiring
all pool owners, as well as customers with cattle-watering equipment, to use a
much more elaborate system, called a Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow
Preventer (RPBP). One customer who e-mailed the Times-Gazette said the RBP would
cost $138, plus installation, plus the cost of a device to keep the RPBP from
freezing in the winter months, for a total cost of $250 to $300. Other estimates
range even higher -- one copy of a cost estimate given to the Times-Gazette
quotes a price of $595 for the backflow preventer plus a cover, not counting
installation. ...Times-Gazette has heard from several BCUD customers who are
upset at the new regulations, specifically at the contrast between what the city
is requiring versus what BCUD is requiring. Davis said he's gotten "a few"
complaints from customers about the regulations. He said BCUD is trying to work
with customers. Some suppliers are having trouble keeping up with demand for the
RPBPs, and he said BCUD is willing to work with customers who are making a good
faith effort to obtain the device. He said some customers have said that they no
longer use their pools, and BCUD is willing to work with them if they are
planning to tear down or remove their pool instead of equipping it with the new
device. Davis said he's not certain what route neighboring rural utility
districts are taking but will try to ask some of his counterparts at a Tennessee
Association of Utility Districts meeting this month." Shelbyville Times-Gazette,
Aug. 21, 2007
An Automated Web-Based
Approach To Backflow Prevention Administration "Using the
Internet as a backbone, backflow prevention inspection reporting can be
streamlined into a simple, efficient business process, thereby saving time and
money. This article outlines a proposed system based on such an approach, which
we'll call Backflow Web. ...Test inspectors fax or
mail their testing reports, which are hand written or printed on their own
specific forms, into municipalities to be data-entered or filed. If
municipalities data enter the reports, they are likely to make errors, given
that the forms are all different (depending on the inspector who performed the
test) and may have been illegibly completed (if by hand). Furthermore, data
entry is time consuming. The more devices that are to be inspected in the field,
the higher the strain on municipality staff. Costs for staff are directly
proportional to the number of backflow devices requiring record keeping.
Municipalities spend considerable time calling customers and inspectors in order
to determine why municipality staffs haven’t received test reports. This takes
up a very high percentage of backflow administration time and money.
Municipality staffs often must call parties three or more times before a
satisfactory answer is received. Until an administrator gets on the phone and
reaches the appropriate party, they do not know where the bottleneck lies. It
could be that the customer hasn’t gotten around to hiring an inspector, or that
the inspector just hasn’t sent in the test report yet. Mailing customer notices,
repeat notices, and shutoff letters is labor intensive. And administration of
surveys incurs similar data entry labor as well as customer communication
issues." Water Online, Aug. 6, 2007
Utility advises residents to boil water "The Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority
advises residents of Jones Road, Pinto Lane and Grim Lane in Horry County to
vigorously boil their water for at least one full minute prior to drinking or
cooking until further notice from the GSWSA, according to a news release from
the utility company. A cross connection on Jones Road caused the drinking water
system to be contaminated, the news release said. It has been eliminated, and
GSWSA is currently flushing lines to correct the problem. Residents are advised
to flush each faucet inside and outside for five minutes, and to flush water
heaters, the release said. In addition, any ice made from water that has not
been boiled should not be used for drinking..." MyrtleBeachOnline.com, Aug. 14,
2007
Some Elected Officials Take Lead in Resolving Backflow
Controversy "For several
elected officials, controversial backflow prevention valves no longer are on the
back burner. In recent days, two Florida legislators, at least one
Hillsborough County commissioner and county attorneys have taken up resolution
of multiple issues raised by residents resisting a county mandate to install the
expensive, disputed equipment. Last week, Rep. Seth McKeel, whose District 63 in
the Florida House covers Sun City Center, and Sen. Ronda Storms, representing
Florida Senate District 10 and parts of the South County, outlined a menu of
options in letters to Hillsborough’s top governmental leaders. This week,
Commissioner Al Higginbotham, whose fourth district encompasses a large part of
East Hillsborough including Sun City Center, initiated problem-solving efforts
involving both state and local levels. At the same time, county attorneys
are collecting recommendations for revision of the Hillsborough ordinance which,
when enforced, angered citizens and set in motion a backflow backlash. ...This
matter of cross connection contamination, the subject of county ordinance 03-6
first drafted in 1997 and updated in 2003, became an issue about three months
ago when county building services staff began enforcing the ordinance in South
County neighborhoods. Hillsborough’s ordinance requires that property owners
with both county potable water lines and auxiliary water pumping capacity for
irrigation purposes from a pond or shallow well prove that cross connection of
the two systems does not exist. The ordinance further mandates that, once
the proof is provided, a backflow prevention valve costing hundreds of dollars
be installed at property owner expense to ensure what has been proved impossible
does not then occur. The county code calls for fines or jail for failure
to comply with its provisions. South County residents, particularly in Sun City
Center and Apollo Beach, strenuously objected both to the methods used by county
personnel and to attempted forced installation of the equipment. ...Some of
their grievances were detailed in a July article in The Observer (Backflow Valve Controversy Raining Unanswered
Questions). Among their complaints: inspectors seeking neighborhoods
to target based on location adjacent to a lake, for example; purchase of valves
from plumbers at prices in the $500-$700 range; county personnel sending
plumbers to suspect properties without consulting owners, and required
subsequent annual inspections by plumbers at rates set by the
craftsmen. ...McKeel and Storms noted that fact in their letters to
Hillsborough’s commissioners and county administrator. The two
legislators, members of the Hillsborough delegation, offered five possible
options to meet citizen-requested “relief from the cost associated with the
installation of the backflow preventions…” They suggested that compliance with
the ordinance might be delayed until “the next non-emergency plumbing permit was
pulled for that property,” and/or that homeowners be allowed to amortize the
cost of valve installation over a period of time or assume only a portion of the
charge if the county is unable to take on full cost of each valve placement,
and/or that the county assume responsibility for maintenance, inspections and
testings after valve installations. McKeel and Storms went on to recommend the
county might consider capping the valve installation and permit cost at a
maximum of $300, with charges for bad valve components not to exceed $100
and annual inspection fees set at no more than $20. And, finally, the two state
lawmakers noted that since Hillsborough is in the process of “currently
replacing older water meters with newer meters that combine the double-check
valve with the meter as a test program”, age-restricted communities might be
designated as the test sites. Higginbotham’s office responded almost
immediately. The district four commissioner told The Observer this week “we’re
on it”, adding he wants to examine the matter from the state perspective as well
as on the local level. Because the county ordinance, while locally drafted,
necessarily is related to state regulations, he said he’s set a meeting with the
county’s lobbyist in the legislature, Edie Stewart, for Monday (August 13) to
discuss the state vantage point. He’s also, he added, requested county
staff cooperation with a field test to evaluate under completely realistic
conditions whether the functions of a backflow valve can be subverted in the
manner and as easily as Brown contends. When advised of the field test
possibility, Brown pointed out an “ideal test site exists in Sun City
Center,” on a county-owned parcel hosting a backflow valve. Such a field
demonstration, Brown said, would be done with harmless, colored water sufficient
to show how readily some equipment can overcome the public water system
pressure. As such details are being worked out, county attorneys continue
to gather information pertinent to the ordinance at the center of the
controversy. Assistant County Attorney Sheri Murphy told The
Observer early in the week she expects” recommendations and input” related to
ordinance revision from members of the county’s Cross Connection, Backflow and
Back Siphonage Control Board when it meets Tuesday, August 21.
The board consists largely of county staff, area plumbers and irrigation
contractors. The session, slated for 2:30 PM at NetPark on East Hillsborough
Avenue, is open to the public. Asked if public comment regarding the
ordinance, its implementation and enforcement, would be part of the proceedings,
Murphy replied “if the board wants to open it up to the audience.” And, back in
Higginbotham’s office, the commissioner’s senior aide, Jess Johnson, said this
week he’s going through the 37 pages compiled by Brown and containing what Brown
calls “a compendium of questions and concerns” provided by area citizens.
Johnson said he’s organizing the 250 questions and statements for replies from
the most pertinent sections of county government with the dual purpose of
obtaining responses and educating himself in the intricacies of the backflow
controversy." The Observer, Aug. 9, 2007
Charles Town behind on ordinance "An audit by the West Virginia Department of
Health shows that Charles Town needs to make some changes to its public water
system that will cost city residents in coming years. According to City Manager
Jane Arnett, Charles Town has not yet implemented a state backflow prevention
ordinance as cited in an annual sanitary survey. “We were notified through an
audit by the health department,” Arnett said after the Charles Town City Council
meeting held Monday. “That was our only violation, that we had not implemented
the backflow prevention ordinance.” All residences, new and old, will have to
install backflow preventers, along with industrial and commercial areas.
Backflow preventers “prevent contamination from a unit back into the public
water system,” according to Arnett. The industrial areas in Charles Town will
need to install the preventers right away, Arnett said. Commercial areas will
make changes at the discretion of the superintendent of the water treatment
plant, and new residential areas will come into compliance." The Journal, Aug.
8, 2007
Recyclers Siding with Criminals "On behalf of BOMA
San Diego, I would like to thank you for including a blog item about the rampant copper theft occurring in San
Diego County. I should note that SDG&E and construction sites are not the
only victims of this pervasive and insidious crime. In fact, the Building Owners
and Managers Association of San Diego (BOMA) has been working on this issue for
some time on behalf of our members who own and manage commercial real estate in
San Diego and have experienced these thefts firsthand. What's being stolen from
our member's property are backflow
prevention devices. Commercial property owners in most jurisdictions are
required to have back flow prevention devices installed to prevent irrigation
water from "back-flowing" into a property's potable water source. While the
scrap metal value of these stolen preventers is about $200, building owners and
managers have spent from $3,000 to $6,000 to replace these items and purchase
additional security and locks. We have encouraged our members to take preventive
measures to avoid the loss of their preventers. However, it is clear to us that
the central problem with these thefts is how easy it is to sell salvage copper
and brass to recyclers in the San Diego and Southern California region. In order
to address this matter, BOMA supported
AB 844 by Assemblyman Berryhill which would have created a statewide law
applicable to all jurisdictions to enhance enforcement efforts by local law
enforcement. Unfortunately, the recycling lobby in Sacramento was able to kill
this legislation citing government mandates and a desire to prevent local
agencies from adopting their own ordinances. So instead of
working it out, the recyclers sided with the criminals and will ultimately make
the job of law enforcement more difficult. This is a sad statement about both
the indirect complicity the recycling industry has with the criminals stealing
these materials and the state of politics in Sacramento where legislation that
was supported by property owners, police, prosecutors and local government would
be killed by an industry that turns a blind eye to criminals making a few bucks
at the expense of thousands to the victims. We hope you will
continue to report on this important topic and hold people who stop common sense
measures like that of Assemblyman Berryhill accountable for their decisions to
back criminals and not the victims of these property crimes." Voice of San Diego
Org, Aug. 6, 2007
Mix up sparks new procedures for reclaimed water service
installation "After discovering
that two of 458 residential reclaimed water service boxes had been inadvertently
switched with drinking water boxes, the Town of Cary will now conduct tests of
household drinking water before a certificate of occupancy is issued for any new
home that also has reclaimed water service. ...In both cases, the switch
occurred after town inspectors had certified that the two types of water systems
in both locations had been properly separated and marked. The town is continuing
to try to determine exactly who made the switch and caused the services to be
crossed. ...In 2000, the Town of Cary became the first municipality in North
Carolina to offer reclaimed water, a popular service that has received national
attention for its environmental benefits." The News & Observer. July 30,
2007 For more on the Town of Cary ’s reclaimed water program, visit
www.townofcary.org.
Cary Water Mix-up Causes Real Stink (Includes a video report) "Water woes caused a real stink for
some Cary residents. A cross-connection had some people hooked up to the town's
reclaimed water system. The mix-up meant treated wastewater was pouring out of
faucets inside homes and drinking water was used to irrigate lawns. After five
months, the Town of Cary crews were out Wednesday morning finishing repairs at
Vinay Jain's home. "Definitely there was a very big smell in the water. Mostly
chlorine I'm assuming. But it was like, it was not good to taste," said Jain.
Mike Bajorek with the Cary Public Works Department told NBC 17 they don't know
how the mix-up happened. "We are looking into that right now, to see what, who
relocated the boxes that identify which pipe is which," said Bajorek. Cary
officials first became aware of the cross connection Monday when the Jain's
called them after their water was accidentally shut off. ...They also say the
Jain's home isn't the only home affected by the pipe switch-a-roo. A similar
problem was also discovered at a home on Spencer Crest Drive. "We went through a
similar process of cutting off the reclaimed water and going to ensure that all
the homes had service. and that's when we discovered this other residence," said
Bajorek. ...Cary officials say they've checked all the homes of their 500
reclaimed water customers and assure NBC 17 that their water is safe to
drink." www.nbc17.com , July 25, 2007
Backflow Valve Controversy Raining Unanswered
Questions " When it comes to
Hillsborough County’s forced installation of expensive backflow prevention
valves on some Southshore properties, the questions are raining but answers are
in a drought. Queries are spilling into the email inboxes of elected officials
and being tossed from neighbor to neighbor and directed to local news
media. Responses, though, are in short supply as many among the elected
representatives and employed staff simply do not reply. Amid the resounding silence, however, early
this week a small drop hinting at possible reconsideration of the “onerous”
county ordinance behind a ham-handed enforcement effort issued from county
attorneys. ...Controversy over the county’s mandated installation
of backflow preventer valves on certain South County residential properties
began to gather steam about a month ago. Apollo Beach and Sun City Center
residents complained inspectors from Hillsborough’s building services department
targeted them for notices of violation because their properties included
capacity to pump from a pond or shallow well for irrigation purposes. Such
auxiliary water systems constitute potential for cross connection contamination
of the potable water supply, the county has alleged. Satisfying the
county’s unproved allegations initially can cost the homeowner $700 or more.
Hillsborough’s mandated use of backflow preventer valves has been supported by a
county ordinance dating back to 1997 and last revised in 2003. It calls for
citing homeowners first with a 48-hour notice requiring they engage a certified
plumber to prove no cross connection exists. Upon compliance, a second
notice of violation requires property owners then to pay plumbers to install the
valves within 21 days. And following installation, homeowners are
ordered to pay for annual inspection of the devices at rates set by the
plumbers. Water customers who do not comply can lose their potable water
connection, be fined up to $500 and spend up to 60 days in jail. ...All of it,
however, is being questioned with increasing vigor as residents scrutinize the
rules, particularly so as officials have been unresponsive. Marilyn
Balkany, longtime Sun City Center
resident and activist, for example, points to the county ordinance and citation
concept which demands homeowners with auxiliary watering systems prove no cross
connection exists and then requires the expensive backflow valve
installation to deal with a contamination proved not to exist. “It (opposition
to the questionable logic) is just a matter of common sense,” she
asserted this week. Balkany said she’s directed an inquiry to Brian Blair, an
at-large county commissioner... ...Jerry Tootle, a Hill neighbor, resisted
the heavy-handed modus operandi of the county personnel. He was cited with
both the 48-hour notice to prove no cross connection and with the 21-day mandate
to install the valve, he said. But, rather then capitulate to the demands,
he removed the pump which had pulled irrigating water from the pond and capped
the irrigation water line. When the county inspector returned to ascertain that
no cross connection could exist, he then demanded that a pipe on an adjoining
property be removed, Tootle said. “I told him I wasn’t touching that pipe;
it wasn’t on my property.” Tootle, a former automated systems designer for such
mass communications giants as Verizon, said he considers the Hillsborough
enforcement effort “opportunistic,” based on looking for opportunities to issue
violation notices. In Hillsborough County, he added, the enforcement effort has deviated from the state’s intent
to preserve a safe water supply and is operating outside guidelines established
to attain that goal. ...While many public officials have not
responded to inquiries from The Observer or from concerned residents,
three elected leaders have offered opinions on at least some of the
issues. ...Lastly, an encouraging sign of pending change that may
positively affect Hillsborough County citizens came in an email this week to
Brown from Assistant County Attorney Sheri Murphy. Murphy verified that
revisions to the county ordinance
governing backflow valves now are under review." The Observer News, July
19, 2007
BCUD requires
backflow prevention ""Water,
water everywhere," begins a Lewis Carroll poem from the famed book "Alice In
Wonderland," in which the character makes the all-important statement, "but not
a drop to drink." Thanks to the efforts of the employees of the Bedford County
Utility District (BCUD), the county's water system is safe and ready to drink.
"We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the county's water," said
General Manager Marty Davis. "In that regard, our Board of Directors voted last
week to require Reduction Pressure Backflow Preventer (RPBP) devices for county
homes." (Ed. note: We sure hope they're
addressing the thermal expansion issues this creates) ...According
to Davis, county homes with in-ground or above-ground pools, hot tubs, or even
livestock troughs that are filled by water hose connections must have a RPBP
device attached to the water line. The device fits between the water meter and
the first branch line of the water line to the home. "If someone is watering a
garden, they only need a hose bib," said Davis. "But if they are actively
filling a trough, a pool or a hot tub with a hose connected to the water line,
they must have the device to protect the county's water system due to the
potential of back-flow contamination." ...Davis commented the state's
Division of Water Quality and Supply began implementing changes in the way water
is used several years ago for the protection of the water systems. At first only
businesses, broiler barns, hog barns and livestock watering systems were
required to have an RPBP device. ..."We have been required to phase in the
installation of the RPBP," said Davis. "Now is the time to install them at homes
in the county." Reading material provided to BCUD customers explains the
reasoning behind the need for the RPBP installation. The entry of pollutants or
contaminants into the drinking water supply or backflow occurs when either back
siphonage or back pressure is created when the water supply is ended or when the
source overcomes the pressure in the water system. The water coming from the
hose runs back into the water source, sucking back into the originating system
the chemicals and other pollutants in the receiving container the water was
filling. "No one would want to turn on their water in the house and find the
chemicals from their neighbor's pool in their glass of water," said Davis. "The
RPBP prevents this from happening because it stops the back flow and reduces
pressure which causes the problem."" Shelbyville Times-Gazette, June 21,
2007
Connections prove costly "The City of Greater Bendigo council will spend almost
$200,000 more than they expected on connecting the CBD’s sports grounds, parks
and gardens to the recycled pipeline. In April the Bendigo Weekly reported the
council and Coliban Water were in a dispute about the level and quality of
connections needed to let recycled water flow between the pipe and the reserves.
Council’s Presentation and Assets director Jos Duivenvoorden said it would be a
"more costly experience than we anticipated". That cost was last week put at
$180,000. ...Complex heavy-duty valves, backflow prevention and
"cross-contamination avoidance infrastructure" will also be required at all
sites, according to council’s Parks and Natural environment co-ordinator Mitch
Kemp. "We were a bit unaware of what was required going into this project in
terms of connection," he said. "Only after we embarked on it we realised how
complicated those connections need to be." Mr Kemp said the minimum cost for
each of the 10 connections was about $30,000. "They are very expensive, but it
is an investment that is very worthwhile," he said. The overall cost of
connecting the facilities is expected to be $550,000." Bendigo Weekly, July 13,
2007
Birth-control pills poison everyone? Environmentalists
silent on threat from water tainted with estrogen "While environmentalists are usually vocal about perceived
threats ranging from pesticides to global warming, there is a silence when it
comes to one threat already harming the water supply: hormones from
birth-control pills. According to the National Catholic Register, EPA-funded
scientists at the University of Colorado studied fish in a mountain stream near
Boulder, Colo., two years ago. When they netted 123 trout and other fish
downstream from the city's sewer plant, they found 101 were female, 12 were
male, and 10 were strange "intersex" fish with male and female features. It's
"the first thing that I've seen as a scientist that really scared me,"
university biologist John Woodling told the Denver Post. The main culprits were
found to be estrogens and other steroid hormones from birth-control pills and
patches that ultimately ended up in the creek after being excreted in urine into
the city's sewers. The Register says Woodling, University of Colorado physiology
professor David Norris, and the EPA team were among the first scientists in the
U.S. to learn a cocktail of hormones, antibiotics, caffeine and steroids is
flowing through the nation's waterways, threatening fish and contaminating
drinking water. ...The problem is not just limited to Boulder. Similar
stories have been reported from coast to coast. ...Two years after the Boulder
findings, there has been no effort among environmentalists to stop the estrogen
pollution of Boulder Creek. ...In New Jersey, traces of birth-control
hormones and other prescription drugs were found in municipal tap water in 2003,
and scientists were just beginning to look into the issue of impact on the human
body. Rebecca Goldburg, a New Jersey biologist working with Environmental
Defense, told the North Jersey News: "I'm not sure I want even low levels of
birth control pills in my daughter's drinking water." ...The issue is beginning
to be talked about in some online blogs. In ThePolitic.com, Shane Edwards writes, "To give this
publicity would pit nature against consequence-free sex, and that just won't
happen. But what disturbs me about this even more than the environmental impact
(and the reality that this will NEVER be dealt with because of its political
ramifications) is what this is doing to us. I mean, if these effects are
happening with fish and frogs, what is happening to us?"" www.worldnetdaily.com, July 12,
2007
Water Safety & Flow Control / Learn About
Educational Resources to Keep You Informed (These DVDs are FREE for the asking) "The Watts
Backflow Prevention Set DVD includes informative videos on backflow prevention
including: Spotlight On Backflow
Prevention This video provides an overview of the concepts of protection
and conservation of safe drinking water, selection of backflow devices and Watts
manufacturing process. -- Backflow
Prevention Maintenanceand Repair - Small Diameter The video spotlights
the repair and maintenance of small diameter backflow preventers, such as the
Watts 007 and 009. -- Backflow
Prevention Maintenanceand Repair - Large Diameter The video
spotlights the repair and maintenance of large diameter backflow preventers,
such as the Watts 009, 909, 990 and 992."
Designed to prevent pollution "Parksville is preparing for new provincial
water regulations and it’s eventually going to mean a hit in the pocket book for
many residents. Mandatory installation of back flow prevention devices costs
several hundred dollars with installation, depending on the size of the piping,
said the city’s manager of engineering, Mike Squire. “Those costs would increase
for larger industrial users.” The Ministry of Health requires every large water
purveyor to develop and implement a cross connection control program. The idea
is to provide protection from contaminants entering the water distribution
system by eliminating the possibility of cross connections with non-potable
water sources. ...“We’re targeting high risk users first ... that could include
things like photo labs or veterinary clinics.” Surveys will be done to identify
where the program should be implemented first. Initially industrial, commercial
and institutional users are the focus. Following that, a letter will be sent,
explaining the requirements, if any for cross connection control. “First we need
the teeth and that is the bylaw that will be passed by council,” said Squire.
“The device could require installation in the mechanical room or at the property
line,” he said. “Eventually we’ll be able to knock off a lot with public
information. There’ll be a grace period of a year.” Regular inspection of the
devices, once installed, will also be a part of the city’s requirements. “It’s
being done for the same reason as when you go to the dentist you put on a mask,”
said Squire, noting a couple of instances that increase the risk of back flow
water entering into the potable water system. “Don’t put a submerged hose in the
laundry or the bathtub.”" The News, July 3, 2007
Water Safety_Secure Section Updates "The secure
section of our web site contains critical water security and hydrant security
data including funding and grant information, specification change information,
documented contamination events, Military articles and references, Governmental
recognition of the vunerability to water disribution systems and many other
articles and references. Although we feel it is crucial that the general public
be made aware of this vulnerability that threatens the water supply flowing into
our homes, we require registration in order to explore the contents of this web
site... "...The site contains a wealth of information regarding the
vulnerability of accidental or intentional backflow thru a fire hydrant and also
links to funding opportunities... ...These are some of the new items you can
find by logging into the secure section of our site: *Davidson Valve Protects Communities AND Firefighters
- Including the Davidson ATV in new and existing fire hydrants,
firefighters – stalwart defenders of safety in our communities - are also
provided an additional level of protection. **14
Features of an Active and Effective Security Program - Systems should
develop and promote an explicit, visible, and easily communicated commitment to
security. This commitment must go beyond a few simple sentences in your system's
mission statement and personalized t-shirts. In this day and age security should
be an important factor in all that you do. ***Medical Field Trains for Water Terrorism - A new medical
website has been launched to assist healthcare providers and public health
personnel recognize and manage waterborne disease and the health effects of
water pollution resulting from either natural OR intentional contamination of
water. ****"South Carolina Man Threatens Water
Supply" A man was charged Wednesday with threatening to poison the capital
city's water system with hydrochloric acid illegally buried in a hole in his
backyard, police said." June 28, 2007 www.defendyourh2o.com
Puzzling case of the plumber, woman "Until now, the plumber who slashes your
throat in the driveway as a prelude to robbery ranked low on the list of
suburban worries. But 12 days ago, Marilou Johnson disappeared from the
prosperous Washington Township subdivision where she lived. By Sunday, Macomb
County Sheriff Mark Hackel was holding up David J. Wright, 37, as a plumber who
slit Johnson's throat in the driveway of her home, in pursuit of her diamond
necklace. Wright was charged on Monday with murder, while the sheriff described
the motive as money, "plain and simple." I tried to imagine the circumstances
under which you call a plumber and become a victim of a brutal crime in a manner
this strange and inexplicable: The plumber arrives, offers an estimate for
plumbing services, slits your throat -- and then removes the necklace from your
throat. Check out (the) plumbing business. Few crimes make sense, and even fewer
murders do. But plumbers are historically a well-paid and prideful group. Is the
plumbing business so bad right now that a skilled tradesman would be suddenly
overcome by the glitter of a client's necklace, and abandon decades of honest
labor to pursue a life of crime? While Wright may be innocent of Marilou
Johnson's murder, his street-crime portfolio is heftier than his plumber creds.
...The state division that licenses plumbers has no record of Wright being
licensed "or registered as an apprentice, journeyman or master plumber or
contractor," so far as Bob Konyndyk, the chief of the state plumbing division,
can tell. He also said his staff was unable to find advertisements in which
Wright even sought work as a plumber. ...There's more to this story than
plumber gone wrong. Even so, the next time the faucet leaks, you might want to
be careful about whom you choose to call." Detroit News, June 26,
2007
Protection and Conservation
of Safe Drinking Water "Consumers turn
their faucets on and what they believe to be "safe drinking water" is
immediately available, pure and plentiful. They assume the water is safe simply
because no one has warned them otherwise. "Safe drinking water" is Federally
mandated and regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. As a professional
body, and under these mandates, the water utility is responsible for ensuring
overall protection of safe drinking water under all foreseeable circumstances.
However, despite these strict regulations, extremely dangerous situations
continue to occur when backflow contaminants are inadvertently allowed to enter
our safe drinking water supplies! The purpose of this booklet is to provide an
understanding of how far-reaching and critical backflow contamination problems
are and to urge the development of the most effective backflow prevention
programs possible. To illustrate this, we have compiled a number of case
histories - true accounts of hazardous, even fatal, situations when ineffective
backflow prevention techniques were employed. Backflow prevention is a long-term
investment with ongoing requirements." www.wattsreg.com
Underground issue threat to tap water "A search is about to begin for a little-known
threat to local water supplies. Although the quarry has an unexciting name,
backflow preventers can make a world of difference in what comes out of a tap.
Backflow preventers stop contaminated water from flowing back into water supply
lines. A city program, spurred by state requirements is now taking shape to
check on systems that should have preventers to make sure they are working and
have been tested. Kevin Wolpert, city water quality specialist, said the initial
focus will be on underground sprinkler systems. Other structures that may need
backflow preventers are pools, decorative ponds and auxiliary water supplies,
such as private water wells. One way an irrigation system could contaminate a
water line would be a sudden or temporary loss of pressure in a water line,
Wolpert said. This could cause water pooled around a sprinkler head to be
siphoned into the system, carrying pesticides, herbicides and any other
contaminants with it. A backflow preventer stops that from happening.
...The next step will be to send letters to the owners who haven't already been
notified advising them that state law requires backflow preventers to be in
place and tested annually. The annual testing issue may be the ``biggest
hurdle'' for some irrigation system owners and others to accept, Wolpert said.
``The customer will have to pay for that and they have to know the state
requires backflow preventers to be tested once a year,'' he said. ``I'm not
trying to hunt (irrigators) down, and the city isn't trying to burden people,''
Wolpert said. ``If people knew the potential for harm (from contamination), they
would want this.''" Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.comm June 11,
2007
Anti-backflow devices not fitted, official
says "Many of West Feliciana
Parish’s commercial water customers have not complied with a state law requiring
backflow prevention devices, the parish’s water system manager said. The devices
are designed to prevent water from flowing back, or being siphoned, into the
public water system and possibly contaminating the water supply. The state
plumbing code requires the devices, water system manager John Hashagen said. The
parish’s water system employees are installing the devices on the smaller water
meters that serve residential customers, but the plumbing code requires that a
licensed plumber install them on larger meters, Hashagen told the Police Jury on
Thursday. “I’m letting the jury know that we have a lot of people who are not in
compliance,” he said. Hashagen said the code also requires a separate
backflow-prevention valve at residences that have lawn sprinkler systems, to
prevent the contamination of a household’s water. Those devices must be
installed by a licensed plumber and calibrated annually, he said. ...Hashagen
said Dr. Jimmy Guidry, the state health officer, is advising water companies
that they have an obligation to discontinue service to customers who do not
comply with the code." 2theadvocate.com, June 9, 2007
Oregon Student Finds School's Toilet Water Cleaner Than
Fountain's "Middle School student Kyleray Katherman had a hunch
something was amiss with the school's drinking fountain water. And right he was.
For an English assignment, he tested the bacteria content at four water
fountains and one toilet to challenge a ban on students from bringing bottled
water to class. It seems some were using it to sneak in alcohol. Guess which was
cleaner? It wasn't the water fountains. ...Katherman, 13, used Q-tips and petri
dishes, swabbing the spigots of four fountains and sampling one toilet, dunking
the cotton in the bowl's center and then dragging it around the rim for a
complete sample. He took the results to the school lab put them under a light to
speed up the bacteria's growth. The petri dishes with fountain water were
swarming with bacteria. The sample from the toilet was clean, probably because
the toilets are doused with cleansing chemicals daily. "I wanted to see the
looks on their faces," Katherman said. Either allow water bottles back,
Katherman urged, or install "down-pour" systems used in office water coolers. He
took his results to the North Bend School Board with an eye-opening PowerPoint
presentation. Administrators quickly replaced the spigots and casing at three of
the water fountains and custodians gave them all a thorough cleaning. More
teachers are providing water in classrooms now, but the ban on water bottles
remains. "It was a great lesson. We don't always see things in and about the
school that are in need of repair," said Scott Edmondson, the school's
principal, adding, "You'd be surprised how clean the water is in a toilet.""
FOXNews.com, June 11, 2007
Cross-connection is an issue for lawn
care "The next time you turn on
your faucet, thank local water providers and their cross-connection systems for
the safety of the water that flows from the pipe. Wayne Cook of the Shelbyville
Power, Water and Sewerage System is a member of the cross-connection department,
a division that could just save lives. "Our primary focus is keeping the water
safe for customers," he said. "That means inspecting different areas, testing
systems and planning improvements for the years ahead." Presently the company is
strategically working towards backflow prevention. The company's customers
received via mail a flyer outlining two types of backflow prevention vacuum
breakers for water hoses or hard pipe connections. ...While these flyers were
directed primarily to citizens with in-ground or above ground pools, anyone
using a garden hose this summer should have a vacuum breaker. "The devices,
regardless of whether they are for hard-piped plumbing needs or for hoses
attached to the outdoor faucet, are necessary to prevent water from siphoning
back into the main water line," Cook said. "Folks don't think about the
suctioning power a hose can have. This could be a potential harm to the water
system." Diagrams explain the process of backflowing water as similar to sipping
from a straw. The inhalation of the liquid in the straw causes a flow in the
opposite direction than normal flow. ..."These pieces can protect our entire
community's water," he said, explaining that the small pieces cost an average of
$5 at most plumbing retail stores. "There are also frost preventative
attachments," he said. "These have a back ring that can be pulled over the
connection to prevent freezing possibilities in the winter. These are a little
more expensive, but they still average only $15." According to state and federal
codes, all citizens with equipment like pools or lawn irrigation systems are
required to have a backflow prevention system attached to water sources. ... "A
vacuum breaker, these small but necessary devices, can literally save
communities," Cook said." Shelbyville Times-Gazette, June 9,
2007
The Evolution of Backflow Test Kits "Backflow test
kits have been around for about 30 years. Before we think about how test kits
will change in the future it is
interesting to look at where they have been. Prior to 1970, backflow prevention assemblies were tested
with devices that probably didn’t
qualify as "test kits" by today’s
standards. One such device was a mercury manometer. This device required a 30-inch mercury manometer to achieve the 15 PSID range required for testing
backflow prevention assemblies. It also
required mercury "catch pots" to protect
the water supply from the mercury in the manometer. A second device consisted of two pressure gauges and some valves mounted on a plywood board. A
third device, which is still in use
today, is the old reliable sight tube.
The differential pressure gauge (DP)
test kit was developed around 1970."
Plumbing Standards, Oct. - Dec.
2000
Internal Check Valves: Essential to Proper Backflow
Prevention "It’s easy to take
water for granted. Many consumers think there’s an endless supply of drinking
water, and it’s available at their fingertips. Just turn on the faucet and, like
magic, there it is! Perhaps Samuel Taylor Coleridge had it right when he wrote
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in the late 1700s: “Water, water, everywhere,
nor any drop to drink.” The fact is, around the globe, scientists are
discovering our water supply may seem abundant, but our drinkable water supply
is in high demand and short supply. That is why the plumbing industry has
dedicated considerable efforts to protecting what drinkable water we have
through devices and technologies that have evolved over the last century.
...Backflow and cross contamination are some of the most common risks to our
water supply. Backflow prevention first drew attention in the late
1800s when a textile mill caught fire and river water was used to put
it out. During this event, contamination of the supply water ensued, thus
raising awareness of the need to protect our water supply. ... As a result of
the textile mill incident in the late 1800s, external check valves were
introduced in order to protect the water supply. Initially, a single check valve
was installed alongside the discharge outlet and used to prevent backflow,
but they were proven unreliable, so a device with two checks was eventually
developed in the early 1900s. However, even these valves were not foolproof. The
first valves were prone to fouling, due to foreign matter within the plumbing
system or even buildup of mineral deposits.... ...A backflow prevention valve is
only useful if it works properly. Even the slightest leak has the potential to
contaminate the drinking water supply, thus putting many people at risk.
...Technology has advanced, as has the reliability of most engineered
products—including check valves. With recent innovations, the plumbing industry
has the advantage of a wider selection of solutions when it comes to protecting
the water supply." PMengineer, May 14, 2007
Backflow Industry- Think Spring "...I suggest it is time to take a look around our homes and
look at our water system and be sure we are not polluting or contaminating our
systems by what we do to make our lawn and gardens grow, as well as keeping our
clothes and dishes clean. ...Those of you who know me have heard me refer to the
family home as the most dangerous building connected to the public water system.
I believe that there are more cross connections per foot of water piping in the
average house than in any other building. Is this because the owners have a
death wish or hate their neighbors? Is this because the owners are stupid or
just don’t care? Of course not, the answer is definitely no on all counts! I do
not believe that any homeowner thinks to himself "if I hook this up to my
plumbing system, I may make the whole neighborhood sick". Why, then, are cross
connections so prevalent in the family home? Most owners just don’t know because
they have never been taught. The owner may be a "Rocket Scientist", but he
doesn’t know that a major fire two blocks away could cause all the water in his
pipes to be sucked out..." Plumbing Standards,
Spring 2007
Bin Laden’s next target? "Augusta (Georgia) is spending millions to guard its fire
hydrants from terrorists. Whatever it takes to protect our precious bodily
fluids. Have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?
Have
you never wondered why I drink only distilled water, or rain water, and only
pure grain alcohol? It’s incredibly obvious, isn’t it? A foreign substance is
introduced into our precious bodily fluids… That’s the way your hardcore Commie
works. — General Jack D.
Ripper, in “Dr. Strangelove” Fear is a growth market. And you’re the buyer.
Americans, seized by paranoia, will throw money at anything that promises to
protect us from harm. That’s why nobody blinked last week when the Augusta Commission approved a plan to spend $3.2 million over six years to
defend the city’s fire hydrants from terrorist attack. Seriously. Two new
employees will be hired exclusively to retrofit the hydrants with something
called the Davidson Anti-Terrorism
Valve, designed to keep foreign
substances — anthrax, bubonic plague, cyanide, tennis balls — from entering the
water supply. ...Water supplies have
always been vulnerable. Confederate troops slowed Sherman’s march, though
obviously not enough, by fouling the water with slaughtered animals. Since the
U.S. invasion, Iraqi insurgents have routinely sabotaged Baghdad’s
infrastructure, including water pipes. After 9/11, when anthrax was still going
through the mail, American cities began guarding their reservoirs. A December
2001 Wall Street Journal
report highlighted another
vulnerability, well-known to plumbers: backflow. That’s when the water reverses course in the pipes
because of a change in pressure. Backflow is why, when you wash your car, you’re
not supposed to leave the hose in a bucket of soapy water — or botulism toxin.
Backflow can occur just about anywhere on a water system. But Mainline contends
that fire hydrants are the system’s greatest weakness. “Every time a pesticide
truck hooks up to a fire hydrant to flush out, it could just as easily be
pumping something
in,” says Green. Augusta requires
that new buildings install backflow-prevention devices. Many existing buildings
have yet to be retrofitted. That means any home or office could be as great a
potential threat to national security as a fire hydrant. You read that right. No
place is safe. ...(But) Seriously. On the scale of potential terrorist threats,
what is the risk of a chemical or biological attack on the water supply of
Augusta, Ga., through its fire hydrants? “I would say it’s immeasurably low. You
can’t go below zero, right? It’s preposterously low,” says John Mueller of the Mershon Center for International
Security Studies at Ohio State University. Mueller is the author of “Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry
Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them.” ...Total security is a pipe dream. “The problem is
that there are simply an infinite number of targets,” Mueller says. You can’t
guard them all. And by focusing efforts on one — say, fire hydrants — “you’re
just very slightly inconveniencing the terrorists.” Congress asked the Homeland
Security Department to draw up a list of potential terrorist targets. From salad
bars to subways, the next ground zero could be literally anywhere." Metro
Spirit, May 23, 2007
Water Security Initiative "The Water Security (WS) initiative is a U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) program that addresses the risk of intentional
contamination of drinking water distribution systems. EPA established this
initiative in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9, under
which the Agency must “develop robust, comprehensive, and
fully coordinated surveillance and monitoring systems, including international
information, for…water quality that provides early detection and awareness of
disease, pest, or poisonous agents.” EPA is implementing the WS
initiative in three phases: (Phase I) develop the conceptual design of a system
for timely detection and appropriate response to drinking water contamination
incidents to mitigate public health and economic impacts; (Phase II) test and
demonstrate contamination warning systems through pilots at drinking water
utilities and municipalities and make refinements to the design as needed based
upon pilot results; and (Phase III) develop practical guidance and outreach to
promote voluntary national adoption of effective and sustainable drinking water
contamination warning systems..." U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Is
The Nation's Water Supply Safe? "Biological warfare, unprotected national borders, and
threats at sea … all are on the hit list for those who seek to strike
terror in the hearts of Americans. Even with the extraordinary security measures
our government leaders are establishing, we live in an era of continual threat.
Most citizens don’t realize that one of the most easily accessible and
dangerous vulnerabilities that terrorists could exploit remains largely
unchecked – America’s fire hydrants." www.defendyourh2o.com
Water Declared Safe, But Residents Are
Wary "Although city officials
told Southeast Queens residents last week that their drinking water does not
pose a health threat, residents remain skeptical and many are drinking only
bottled water. Last Thursday, the Department of Environmental Protection
alerted 12,000 residences in St. Albans, Cambria Heights and Hollis that
above-normal levels of tetrachloroethylene, commonly known as PERC, were found
in monthly samples taken on May 1. The health effects of PERC, which
is most often used by dry cleaners and in auto repair shops, are unclear,
particularly in low doses. Chronic exposure to elevated levels can lead to
dizziness, confusion and nausea. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems
it a probable carcinogen. ...The city agency also assured them the water
did not pose a risk. But many in the neighborhood are not taking
their chances. Earl Hall, a Cambria Heights resident since 1990, said even
before the announcement, he didn’t drink the local water. “I never trust the tap
water for drinking,” he said as he stood next to two gallon jugs of water and a
package of 24 bottles in his kitchen on Monday. Some of his neighbors
are unsure about when they will start drinking tap water again — if ever.
Timothy Smith, who lives around the corner from Hall, said he plans on drinking
bottled water indefinitely. He was already suspicious of the water last week, a
day before officials announced the contamination. “Before they
notified us, I thought, ‘That water doesn’t taste right.’ It tastes like it
wasn’t fresh,” he said. DEP responded to the threat by flushing fire
hydrants throughout the affected area, thereby drawing fresh supplies into the
system. ...The source of the toxin remains unclear. Ian Michaels, a
Department of Environmental Protection spokesman, said Cambria Car Wash, at
208-15 Linden Blvd., was being investigated after an illegal connection to the
water system was discovered. In addition to the hook-up, there was no back valve
installed, meaning used water could reverse flow into the
system. Michaels said his agency isn’t sure if the car wash is the
source, and other businesses in the area are being examined..." Queens
Chronicle, May 21, 2007
Thousands of Buildings Lack Required Water Valve, New York
Records Show "As many as 85,000
large residential and commercial buildings in New York City lack special valves
on their water connections that could prevent hazardous substances from being
sucked into the public water system, according to city records. In investigating
the presence of a chemical, tetrachloroethylene, in the drinking water supply in
parts of Queens last week, city officials identified a car wash as having
contributed to the contamination at least partly because it did not have the
valve installed on one of its water supply lines. The amount of the contaminant
was considered too low to pose a serious health problem. The records also show
that about 26,000 buildings in the city represent an especially high risk
because factories, gasoline stations or businesses that handle hazardous
materials housed in those buildings have not installed the device, called a
backflow prevention valve. State law has required that the device be installed
on certain categories of buildings since 1981. Critics say the city’s lax
enforcement of the rules on backflow valves endangers the water system and
encourages owners to ignore the law. They also say the city does little to
ensure that owners have the valves tested once a year to make sure they are not
clogged, as required in the state sanitary code. Last year, only 2,085 such
tests on the valves were conducted in the city, according to a 2006 report by
the Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the city’s water
system. But fewer than 2,000 violations were issued for the thousands of
property owners who failed to conduct the tests, according to the report. City
officials admit that compliance goals set by a city industry task force in 2000
have not been met. But they insist that the city’s water supply is safe. The
backflow prevention valves are generally located near water meters inside
commercial, industrial and large residential buildings. They are attached to
water lines completely separate from wastewater lines that run to the sewers,
and are designed to prevent contaminated water within a building’s systems from
being drawn back into the water mains. ...Stewart O’Brien, executive director of
the Plumbing Foundation City of New York, an industry group, said the city’s
failure to rigorously enforce the rules put thousands of New Yorkers at risk.
“These valves are like sprinkler systems in buildings,” Mr. O’Brien said. “If
you don’t have a fire, it’s not an issue. In this case, nobody worries about it
unless there’s an incident.” Some businesses object to the high cost of
installing the valves, which can be $8,000 to $16,000. For their part, licensed
plumbers have a financial interest in seeing the law enforced because they
install the valves and perform the yearly inspections. Emily Lloyd, commissioner
of the Department of Environmental Protection, said that historically, the
backflow valve program had not been as high a priority for the department for
assuring water quality as its testing and monitoring program. “But testing is
really the way we assure the public of water quality,” she said. ...Still, Ms.
Lloyd said, the law requires that the drinking water system be adequately
protected from backflow episodes. And following the recent contamination in
Queens, she said, the department will try to increase the number of inspections
it does to determine whether buildings are properly equipped. The Real
Estate Board of New York, which represents the owners of many of the largest
buildings in the city, has criticized the law requiring the devices as being
cumbersome and confusing. ...The chance of contaminated water flowing back into
water mains is considered relatively small, though potentially serious. ...But
the contamination in Queens this month, detected during routine water testing,
underscored the potential danger. Tetrachloroethylene is known to cause liver
problems and an increased risk of cancer if consumed over a long period. The
city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene did not consider the contamination
an immediate health threat because the amount of the chemical found in the water
was minute, and the contamination was expected to last only a few days. Still,
officials told people who were concerned to use bottled water for cooking and
drinking until the problem cleared up. ...After inspecting hundreds of buildings
in the area, officials are focusing on the Cambria Car Wash on Linden Boulevard,
which they suspect was at least a partial source of the contamination. Ms. Lloyd
said that the car wash drew water from a contaminated well and from two
connections to the city water system, one legal and the other illegal. Somehow,
the tainted well water crossed over into the illegal connection, which did not
have a backflow preventer, and seeped into the water mains. The level of
tetrachloroethylene in the well was considered low, however, and officials
believe some other source, still unidentified, also contributed to the
contamination. Ms. Lloyd said her department was authorized to issue violations
and eventually terminate water service to buildings without a backflow
prevention device. But records show that in the past 25 years, the city has shut
off the water to only three commercial buildings that did not have the valve
installed." New York Times, May 19, 2007
Keep better tabs on tap danger, city told "Testing of valves that keep pesticides, E.
coli from water falls behind... You may think twice the next time you drink tap
water in Denver. For several years, the city's Parks and Recreation Department
has failed to test hundreds of devices that prevent pesticides and other
dangerous substances from slipping into the treated water system and into
residents' pipes. Last month, Denver Water threatened to shut off the city's
water service and get the state involved if the parks department didn't get its
act together. "Noncompliance must be dealt with not only as an ethical
responsibility to the public, but in order for Denver Water to be in compliance
with state regulations," wrote Robert Stevens, a Denver Water supervisor. "This
means that Denver Water must ultimately deal with noncompliance by discontinuing
water service." The devices are designed to permit water to flow one way. They
contain two valves that snap shut if negative water pressure threatens to
reverse the flow. They primarily are used in sprinkler systems. If the backflow
devices fail, Stevens warned, drinking water can be contaminated with
herbicides, pesticides, E. coli and other potential hazards. Marlena Fernández
Berkowitz, a spokeswoman for Mayor John Hickenlooper, said the testing lapses
are the result of staff reductions because of budget cuts and "staff turnover
that limited the number of certified individuals who could perform the tests."
Berkowitz said there haven't been any reports of contaminated water or devices
failing, which Denver Water confirmed. ...The mayor's office downplayed the
seriousness of the issue. Under normal circumstances, Berkowitz said, between 5
percent and 10 percent of the devices fail an initial test. They must be
repaired and retested. Of those, fewer than 5 percent were actually in
disrepair, she said. "When we needed to adjust for budget cuts, we were
confident that there was little chance of a public health issue," she said.
Berkowitz said the city's Purchasing Department will seek bids from private
contractors to help conduct the tests. By state law, the parks department is
supposed to test its 800 backflow devices annually. Last year, it tested 125.
Denver Water has issued a third and final notice on more than half of all the
devices. "It's absolutely concerning," McGuire- Collier said. "But we understand
the challenges that they face in trying to test 800 backflow preventers given
the problems they've had in keeping staff and the fact that their budgets have
been so severely cut." ...Denver's Parks and Recreation Department has
failed to complete required annual tests on 800 backflow devices. Records show a
steady decline in the number tested each year after 2003:
2002 -- 444; 2003 -- 472;
2004 -- 350; 2005 -- 159; 2006 -- 125" Rocky Mountain
News, May 17, 2007
Backflow Device Manufacturer Profiles "To make it easier for our readers to use the various
backflow prevention and cross-connection control related devices on the market,
we are happy to provide the following contact information of manufacturers that
produce such devices." (article also provides a list of all 22 ASSE Backflow Prevention & Cross-Connection Control
Standards)... Plumbing Standards, Jan.-March 2003
Water checkup - City requiring some homeowners to check
water backflow "Using your
sprinklers just got a little pricier - or maybe not. Either way, city residents
may not know about the extra cost. The city of Twin Falls is sending out
thousands of letters to water users reminding them to have backflow checks or
risk losing water service. However, what appears to be a routine checkup for
homeowners might be anything but. In response to federal and state requirements,
the city passed ordinances nearly a decade ago to require all users of city
water to annually have their water systems - mostly sprinkler systems -
inspected by certified testers. But notices have been mailed to residents for
only about three years, Twin Falls Public Works Director Lance Bates said. City
code does not specify a notification schedule. As a result, some residents have
received notices two years in a row, others none at all. About 400 notices were
sent out this week, according to a city employee. The notices are staggered,
Bates said. New homeowners automatically receive notices. But Bates said he did
not know other details, including how many notices have been mailed, which
residents are prioritized to receive them first or how many are scheduled to be
mailed. Mayor Lance Clow said the program has been phased in since the city
passed the law in 2000 and that it is excessive for the state or federal
government to expect every home to be checked yearly. "We are following what we
believe is the intent of the law - if they (state officials) don't like it, they
can tell us they don't like it," he said. "It's an unreasonable enforcement
requirement and the only other way we could do it is saying 'We're going to come
around and charge (everyone) $50 for testing.'" Violators ultimately could see
their water service shut down, according to city code, but officials said such
action has never been taken. In addition to the reminder, the city included
phone numbers for 14 backflow testers, most of which charge between about $30
and $90." Times-News, May 5, 2007
Nicor sitdown with workers little help "Company meets with former employees over water
contamination -- but no progress is reported as officials deny there was a
problem. And state agencies do nothing to help.... For the first time
since local legislators asked for an investigation into possibly contaminated
drinking water, former Nicor employees sat down with representatives from the
gas company to discuss their concerns. But it's unclear whether the April 5
session will have any effect on the ex-workers' claims that their chronic illnesses were caused by drinking
contaminated water at an Aurora Nicor building. According to a legal document
filed in 2004, dozens of current and former employees say their health problems
-- including joint pain, memory loss and loss of bowel control -- are connected
to the improper backflow protection in the building at 408 S. River St.
in Aurora. A city inspection found the building was missing a device which would
have prevented chemically treated water in the boiler from mixing with the
drinking supply. In October 2003, a letter from the city of Aurora warned that
"this type of connection poses a threat to the quality of potable water for both
the employees in the building and the city's water main." Nicor has denied
vigorously that any workers ever were exposed to dangerous water. The company
has said repeatedly the issue of improper backflow was investigated in 2003 by
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "Nicor has continually acted
in good faith in regard to meeting with employees about the Aurora facility,"
Nicor spokesman Annette Martinez said last week. "While we are sympathetic to
any health challenges these individuals may face, the allegations made regarding
the water at our Aurora facility are unfounded and inaccurate. Concerns raised
with respect to the potable water supply at the Aurora facility have been fully
and completely reviewed and investigated by Nicor Gas and by federal, state and
local government entities." According to OSHA records, two tests on water from
the River Street facility showed methylene chloride -- a chemical used to strip
paint and decrease chemical buildup in pipes -- was present at three times the
limits allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. When a third test came in
well below the limits, OSHA closed the complaint, although the findings were not
retracted. "I can turn on my faucet, it runs brown, and after you let it run for
20 minutes, now it's fine," said Rick Daniels, a Waukegan attorney working with
the sick Nicor employees. "The presumption with absent backflow should be that
the water was contaminated..." Beacon News, May 6, 2007
City to require sprinkler system permits - Bad plumbing
might lead to bad water "After continued poor water samples, Electric City has
decided residents will need a permit to put in automatic sprinkler
systems. City maintenance director Ken Dexter advised the
council April 24 that only about 10 percent of sprinkler systems he has
inspected have been installed correctly. There are about 100 automatic sprinkler
systems in the city. A water sample showing 15 parts
per billion of arsenic has attracted interest from the Department of Health. The
agency is requiring the city to advise residents of the sampling once every
three months until the readings come into line. The city has experienced a
number of poor readings this past year.
Dexter said that he is
suspicious that sprinkler systems have partially been to blame. He said
inspections show that most sprinkler systems do not have approved backflow
assemblies. The council decided to require permits before
sprinkler systems can be installed so the problem can be solved before
installation. The city charges $10 for
the inspection. The city sent out 105 "notice of
survey of premises" notices to residents Feb. 28. Dexter, who is certified to
make the inspections, is checking each resident's plumbing system. Those who are
in violation will be given ample time to correct the problem.
Dexter said when residents use
high pressure air to blow out their irrigation systems as they go into winter,
contamination could occur if the system doesn't have proper backflow
protection...." The Star - Online, May 2,
2007
Copper Becoming A Hot Stolen
Commodity (online video report, short commercial seen first)
"Police say capers are targeting
something called back-flow devices from businesses, parks, even schools..."
CBS13.com, March 21, 2007
Metal thieves targeting Tustin water
valves "A valve (RPBP backflow preventer) that supplies most of the
water to Tustin Hospital was recovered by police at a local scrap recycling
plant just hours after it was stolen Thursday, the latest in a wave of metal and
copper thefts to hit the city over the past few weeks. The distinctive red
valve, which weighs about 50 pounds, was yanked from a set of yellow pipes that
provide Tustin Hospital with water around 4 a.m. A twin valve next to it, which
provides backup water supply, was left behind, officer Mark Turner said. It's
the third valve in two weeks to disappear from Tustin, including one that
supplied water to a church, Turner said. With the price of copper and other
metals hovering around record highs, thieves are also cutting the power to
commercial buildings and ripping thick copper wires from the outside walls,
Turner said. Business owners show up in the morning to find they have no power;
thieves take the stolen wire and turn it into a couple of hundred dollars worth
of profit, he said. ...Figuring the thief would try to sell the valve for scrap,
Turner took a picture of the matching valve and showed it to nearby scrap
dealers. A few hours later, Turner's phone rang. A man was at Global Metal
Recycling in Santa Ana with the stolen valve. Anthony John Delgado Sr., a
45-year-old transient, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.
Officers found plumbing wrenches and materials along with crack pipes and
needles in the car Delgado was living in, Turner said. The stolen valve was
reinstalled and was up and running Thursday afternoon." OCRegister.com, April
26, 2007
Employer wins
lawsuit from plumber's 'drive-by testing' City's
water supply was at risk from backflow (subscription
required, but accessible via Google for
now, see this article's listing here, at
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=backflow&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&tab=wn&sa=N&start=10 ) "It's a situation you don't see every day in the
world of employment relations. A 12-person jury last week found a local
journeyman plumber guilty of fraud and awarded $2,270 to his former employer,
Astoria Plumbing and Tile, to cover the costs of redoing some of his work and
for wages paid for some of his jobs. "It's rare for employers to sue employees,
because their typical remedy when an employee has done something wrong is to
fire them," said Kenneth Dobson, Astoria Plumbing and Tile's attorney. He said
he couldn't think of another case like it. At the bottom of the dispute lies the
city's sewer and water distribution system. Plumber Theodore "Ted" Hettervig
worked for Astoria Plumbing and Tile from October 1997 through August 2004. He
was later accused of falsifying city-reviewed reports of tests on at least one
type of backflow device. The state revoked his certification to perform those
tests in April 2005, after finding the charges were likely true. Fit tightly,
backflow devices prevent water pumped from irrigation, fire suppression and
other systems from flowing back into the main waterlines, ultimately shielding
drinking supplies from contaminants or pollutants and protecting public health.
...as early as 2001, city workers began noticing anomalies in some of
Hettervig's test results, said Wesley. At first, the pressure readings reported
were higher than expected. They were "mechanical or hydraulic long-shots,"
Wesley said. "It led me to believe there was something wrong there." The
readings later fell back to normal levels, he said, "But this time, all the
readings were nearly identical; there was almost no variation. That revealed
something else strange." Dobson, who specializes in environmental and business
law, said that would indicate the test results were fabricated, something those
in the industry refer to as "drive-by testing." It's a term "used for somebody
who goes up to a place where they're supposed to test and either doesn't get out
of the truck and just writes down numbers, or just looks at (the system) and
doesn't perform the test but writes down numbers to save time," he said. ..."I
think most of the people testing these backflow preventers take their jobs very
seriously and perform as expected," he said. "I don't have any reason to believe
this is a widespread problem at all." Neither does Astoria Plumbing and Tile
owner Ann Samuelson, who is also a Clatsop County commissioner and member of the
Jewell School Board. Still, she wanted the issue on the record to prevent
similar cases from happening in the future. She said the lawsuit wasn't about
the cash award, but about plumbing principles. "I wanted to get something down
that shows if you behave this way, there are consequences," said Samuelson.
"This was about integrity and accountability." ...In a verdict filed March 29, a
Clatsop County jury found he had committed fraud, resulting in $2,270 in
economic damages to Samuelson's business. Her attorney said there has been "no
evidence anybody got sick" as a result. But Samuelson had to notify about 30
customers whose backflow preventers may have been tested improperly, or not
tested at all. That included clients ranging from homes with irrigation systems
or boilers to apartment buildings with fire-suppression systems, to hotels with
ice machines, Dobson said. "It was a relatively modest verdict, but it sends a
signal to plumbers in this community that drive-by testing and falsified
backflow results aren't going to be tolerated," he said." The Daily Astorian,
April 5, 2007
Groups Launch Backflow Assist Program "The Backflow Prevention Manufacturers
Association, in conjunction with the International Association of Plumbing and
Mechanical Officials Backflow Prevention Institute, has created a program called
Backflow Assist to help individuals and entities that do not have the resources
to install needed backflow assemblies. The program installs backflow preventers. At this time the
program is limited to testable assemblies 2 in. and smaller in size.
Both associations say they are
committed to assisting the people in their communities who choose to help those
in need. The first installation of a proper backflow device through the Backflow
Assist program is to be installed at St. Phillips Lutheran Church and School in
Milwaukee, according to IAPMO. A backflow protection device will be installed on
the church’s boiler and mop sink. IAPMO will tag the plumbing to show what is
safe and unsafe in the water lines. These improvements will bring the church up
to plumbing code for the city of Milwaukee. “The whole process was very
easy,” said Barb Allard, spokeswoman for St. Phillips Church. “All I had to do
was fill out a short application and everything was done via e-mail. This will
benefit the church greatly; who knows what something like this would have cost?"
Contractormag.com, April 24, 2007
Deficiencies discovered in state inspection of
Bristol-Bluff City water facilities "Until recently, a loss of
pressure in the water lines serving the Bristol-Bluff City Utility District
could have resulted in water from the Bristol sewage treatment plant flowing
back into the system’s lines. If that had occurred, it potentially could have
contaminated the drinking water that more than 3,000 Sullivan County and Bristol
residents rely on every day. That deficiency and more than a dozen others were
discovered in a state inspection of the water utility and its records. The
inspection, issued last month, resulted in a score of 61 out of a possible 100
points and put the Bristol-Bluff City Utility District on a short list of
unapproved water systems in Tennessee. Safeguards have since been put in place
to prevent backflow from the sewage plant... ...The inspection looks beyond
water quality to ensure proper testing is conducted, proper procedures are
followed and extensive records are kept. Irwin said the district lost
significant points for failing to maintain appropriate records and specifically
spell out important operating procedures. ...The potential for backflow from the
sewage treatment plant was also inexcusable, Irwin said. The state requires
industries that produce dangerous water – the wastewater treatment plant, for
example – to install a backflow prevention valve at their water meter. Such a
valve keeps water from gushing back down the water supply pipes if a water main
breaks or other catastrophe causes those supply pipes to lose their pressure and
become an enormous vacuum. For more than three years, officials at the utility
district knew of the danger and took no action, according to Irwin’s report.
“The system has been aware of this issue since at least 2003,” the report reads
in part. “The wastewater plant has never had a (backflow prevention valve) in
place, potentially placing the health of the public at considerable risk.”
Within days of receiving the report, the problem was rectified, but Irwin said
she never got a satisfactory explanation of why such an important piece of
equipment wasn’t installed decades ago. “I said, ‘I don’t know what your reason
was, and it doesn’t matter. You put one on and you put it on yesterday,’” Irwin
said of her reaction to finding no backflow valve in place.
COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS Donna Lawson, who has managed the district’s water
filtration plant for years and was appointed utility manager in November, said
communications breakdowns led to the lack of a backflow prevention valve. “From
what I can tell, it’s basically, communication wasn’t as good between the
district and the water treatment plant as it should have been,” Lawson said.
Bill Sorah, Bristol Tennessee’s deputy city manager for operations, said that
until the TDEC report, he and the contractor who operates the city’s sewage
treatment plant were under the impression that they were in compliance with
state regulations. A number of individual elements at the plant had their own
backflow prevention valves, there just wasn’t one on the main water line into
the facility, he said. “The utility district had found the protection to be
adequate, but TDEC didn’t think so,” Sorah said." TriCities.com, April 22,
2007
Plumbing mix-up prompts health
scare "A MAJOR plumbing blunder has
prompted a health scare at South Barwon Football Club. It was yesterday
revealed untreated water had been connected to the clubrooms' internal water
supply for the past two months. The City of Greater Geelong said intensive tests
were being carried out on the water at McDonald Reserve in Belmont after the
mishap was discovered. City of Greater Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood said the
City's health department had not received any reports of ill effects caused by
the cross connection of the water supply but urged anyone with concerns to
contact the department on 5227 0270. A city spokesman said a licensed plumber
carrying out works on behalf of the City had inadvertently connected untreated
water being used to irrigate the reserve to the clubrooms' internal water supply
in February. ...The water involved was sourced from the decommissioned Ocean
Grove and Torquay retaining basin which was formerly used as a domestic water
supply. Cr Harwood said there was no recycled water or waste water involved.
...Water from the decommissioned basins would have been stored on-site for a
lengthy period and is not disinfected, according to Barwon Water. ...A City
spokesperson said there had been ``very limited'' use of the clubrooms since
February and the council had received no requests for use of the building during
the period. Cr Harwood said council was working to rectify the problem and would
investigate how the cross connection occurred. He said additional irrigation
piping had been installed at the drought-affected ground recently as part of its
renovation in preparation for the coming football season. ``It seems likely that
the cross connection occurred because of some very old and undocumented
irrigation piping installed at the ground many years ago,'' Cr Harwood said.
Barwon Water chief executive Dennis Brockenshire said the cross connection
involved city-owned pipes inside McDonald Reserve and not Geelong's water supply
system. He said there was a backflow prevention device at the meter at McDonald
Reserve which ensured there was no risk to Barwon Water customers or the water
supply system outside the reserve boundary." The Geelong Advertiser, April, 19,
2007
Police report increase in brass pipe thefts "...Milpitas Police Department reports an increase in thefts of brass
pipes and valves at businesses throughout the city. Suspects are stealing
brass water
backflow prevention valves, and likely selling them to metal
recyclers. Suspects turn off water
mains and remove aboveground water backflow valves for recycling. Police
say these types of thefts can be prevented. The police department recommends
that businesses place security lights and cameras around their business. A few
tips can help businesses reduce the chance of theft. Secure water backflow
prevention valves and piping with a lockable box or cage. Secure shut-off valves
to prevent suspects from turning off the water. Hire private security. Report
any suspicious or unauthorized persons or vehicles to Milpitas Police
Department..." Milpitas Post, April 12, 2007
City mulls backflow options "Installing backflow values on
business water supply lines has been a focus for Ed Mort, city of Venice
utilities distribution supervisor, for the past few years. That's when city
officials began in earnest requiring backflow safety devices mandated by the
federal government 30 years ago to help protect the public water supply. New
state and federal laws are pressuring cities to comply by 2010. The devices,
called reduced-pressure backflow assemblies or RPBAs, stop backflow from a
business or residence into the public drinking water system. That can happen,
for example, when a water main pipe breaks. That has the potential to suck your
toilet water back into the city water supply. It rarely happens, since most
modern toilets have their own backflow devices built into them, but less
expensive models don't, Mort said. There's also the potential to siphon pool
water, still water in a curled-up garden hose or reclaimed water from irrigation
pipes back into the water supply. Now that most commercial properties are in
compliance, Mort's setting his sights on your home. Mort went to city council in
March to seek guidance on how to best address compliance issues for residential
customers. Options included continuing the current program -- where the customer
is responsible for installation, testing and repair of RPBAs -- or for the city
to take partial ownership of the program. The city is currently charging $1.97
monthly to residential customers to cover paperwork involved. The charge covers
the cost of notifications, surveys and inspections. Mort estimates it will cost
the city $250,000 annually to monitor compliance and conduct site surveys and
annual cross-connection inspections, and for additional equipment and staff
training. ...Customers who remain out of compliance could have their water
turned off, Mort said. Customers have 60 days to comply. After that, customers
still out of compliance are sent a second letter giving them another 30 days.
However, residents need not fear the long arm of Venice's utilities department
just yet. The city hasn't set a deadline for residential properties. "We will be
gradually going into different areas until we complete the whole city," Mort
said. Residents will be notified as the project progresses...."
venicegondolier.com, April 15,
2007
Copper thieves wreaking havoc in
metro-Phoenix "Lights in city
parks have been going dark. Water has stopped running. And when authorities
arrive on the scene, the culprit is often the same: copper thieves. They have
been striking all over the Phoenix area, seeking metals they can bring to scrap
yards in exchange for cash. ...Mesa officials, police and utility
representatives from Salt River Project will talk about how the spike in copper
thefts is hurting cities, businesses and homeowners. David Plumb, Mesas director
of utilities, said his department has been getting calls from residents
complaining their water has been turned off. But when city officials arrive on
the scene, they discover the real reason: Thieves are taking the copper
‘‘backflow prevention'' devices off waterlines. ‘‘Our utility service people are
getting called frequently, and frequently being two to three times a week,''
Plumb said. Gilbert and Chandler police, as well as others across the state,
also have received calls about copper thefts. Chandler police, for instance,
received 200 calls involving copper thefts from the beginning of 2006 through
March of this year." Mohave Daily News, April 8, 2007 15 backflow preventers stolen from The Medical Center of
Sarasota (Video Report) "The reason behind the theft is unknown, but crews working
on the site say they believe the equipment may have been stolen for scrap
metal." HeraldTribune.com, April 6, 2007
Two Dead, Five Injured in Confined Space Incident in
Oregon "The National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division of Safety Research (DSR) is
currently conducting the Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE)
Project, which is focusing primarily upon selected electrical-related and
confined space-related fatalities. ...On October 10, 1986, a self-employed contractor (specializing in backflow devices) was in the process of
inspecting the backflow valve on the city water line at a sawmill when
the accident occurred. The contractor descended into the underground vault which
housed the water line and backflow device and collapsed. The shipping supervisor
of the sawmill attempted to rescue the contractor and also collapsed. ...The
self-employed contractor was a one-man operation that according to the state
investigators had no safety program or confined space entry procedures. The
contractor was licensed and certified by the state to inspect and
approve/certify backflow prevention devices. ...The sawmill where the accident
occurred has a city water line running underground (through a vault) along the
front of their property. The below ground vault which measures twelve feet long,
six feet wide, and eight feet deep with a 30 inch manhole at the ground level
was installed in 1978 to house a backflow device on the city water line. A
backflow device is required to protect the city water supply from possible
contamination in the event of a negative pressure on the water line. The
sawmill's fire protection system is connected to this water supply; therefore, a
backflow device is required. The city requires the annual inspection of backflow
devices by a person trained and certified in cross connection control. The
independent contractor (the victim) called the superintendent of maintenance on
October 6, 1986, to set up a date and time to inspect the backflow device on the
water line. The date and time mutually agreed upon was October 10th at 3: 30
p.m. The contractor arrived at the sawmill at 3:30 p.m. on October 10th and
proceeded with the inspection, which he had completed annually for the past
three years. The steel cover was removed by the contractor and a ladder was
lowered into the eight foot deep vault. There was 14 inches of water in the
bottom of the vault. At 4:00 p.m. a truck driver stopped at the sawmill office
to inquire about a load of lumber he was to pick up. When he walked out of the
office he noticed the victim's truck and an open manhole close to where he would
have to drive through. He walked over to the open manhole and saw a body in the
water at the bottom of the vault. The driver went back to the off- ice and
reported a man was down in the vault. The emergency squad was called by the
secretary. After calling the emergency squad, the secretary and truck driver
went outside to the manhole. The secretary called for help and the first to
arrive at the scene was the shipping supervisor, who entered the vault in a
rescue attempt. A few seconds later, one of the maintenance men arrived on the
scene and descended into the vault to assist in the rescue. Neither man was
wearing respiratory protection and within two or three minutes both men had
passed out. Two policemen arrived at the scene, entered the vault (without
respiratory protection), and had to be helped out. The paramedics arrived and
attempted rescue (without respiratory protection) and also had to be helped out.
The firemen arrived on the scene, donned their breathing apparatus, and went in
to remove the three men at the bottom. Two were face down in the water (the
contractor and the shipping supervisor) and the third man (the maintenance man)
was in a sitting position against the wall, his head was not in the water. The
three men removed from the hole (the contractor, the shipping supervisor, and
the maintenance man), the two policemen, and the two paramedics were transported
to a local hospital. The contractor and shipping supervisor were pronounced dead
on arrival by the attending physician. The maintenance man was hospitalized in
serious condition. The two policemen and two paramedics were treated and
released." NIOSH Faceweb, Feb. 7, 2007
Surveillance for Waterborne Disease and Outbreaks Associated
with Drinking Water and Water not Intended for Drinking --- United States,
2003--2004 "...During
2003--2004, a total of 36 WBDOs (water borne disease outbreaks)
were reported by 19 states; 30 were associated with drinking water, three
were associated with water not intended for drinking, and three were associated
with water of unknown intent. The 30
drinking water-associated WBDOs caused illness among an estimated 2,760 persons
and were linked to four deaths. ...Water utilities manage the
drinking water in public systems before the water reaches the water meter (or
before the property line if the distribution system is not metered). These
public drinking water systems are subject to EPA regulations. Drinking water
concerns arising after the meter or property line (e.g., Legionella colonization in plumbing, plumbing
contamination and cross-connections within buildings and homes, and drink
mix/soda machine deficiencies) might not be under the jurisdiction of water
utilities and might not be regulated under current EPA drinking water rules.
...Of the eight WBDOs associated with deficiencies... three (37.5%) were
associated with drink mix/soda machine deficiencies resulting in copper
intoxication; three (37.5%) were associated with commercially bottled water; one
(12.5%) was associated with a cross-connection in the plumbing inside a
building. ...Distribution system deficiencies make up the largest
proportion of the SWTD deficiencies occurring before the water meter or property
line during this surveillance period. During 2003--2004, six drinking
water-related WBDOs involving distribution system deficiencies
occurred. Four (66.7%) of the six WBDOs involved cross-connections to
nonpotable water sources. These four outbreaks demonstrate the importance of
identifying and clearly labeling potable and nonpotable water lines to prevent
cross-connections, which can result in illness. Distribution system deficiencies
make up the largest proportion of the SWTD deficiencies occurring before the
water meter or property line during this surveillance period. As the use of
nonpotable water increases in the United States (e.g., for landscape and
agricultural irrigation, toilet flushing, industrial processing, and power plant
cooling), the risk for cross-connections between potable and nonpotable water
supplies will also probably increase. ...Three WBDOs were associated
with illness attributed to ingestion of copper from drink mix/soda machines. In
two of these outbreaks (Minnesota, June 2003; South Carolina, July 2004),
problems occurred with backflow of highly acidic, carbonated water from the
carbonators back into the building piping and resulted in copper leaching from
the pipes. The cause of the malfunction in the third WBDO (Minnesota, November
2003) was less clear and appeared to be a problem with the internal plumbing of
a juice machine. Proper installation and maintenance of drink mix/soda machines,
with particular attention given to check valves, are critical. ...One WBDO
(Pennsylvania, January 2004) involved a drinking water pipe being
inappropriately cross-connected with a nonpotable water source within a
building. This WBDO illustrates that cross-connections can be problematic, not
only within the distribution system, as illustrated by four outbreaks discussed
regarding deficiency 4, but also within building/home plumbing. Potable and
nonpotable water lines should be clearly labeled, and plumbing systems should be
assessed to prevent and ensure that opportunities for cross-connections do not
exist. Approved devices can prevent both the backflow of nonpotable water into
the potable water system from backpressure and backsiphonage, but the devices
must be maintained and periodically tested. The risk for contamination can be
reduced by water utilities 1) being cognizant of the potential for the intrusion
of contaminants into the water distribution system during transient low or
negative water pressure, 2) maintaining an effective disinfectant residual
throughout the distribution system, and 3) detecting and repairing pipeline
leaks" Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Dec. 22, 2006
Older water purifiers could backfire "If you’re using an older model reverse-osmosis
system to purify your drinking water, you may actually be contaminating it — and
it could make you sick. ...The problem with the older purification systems
normally found under kitchen sinks “generally occurs when a sink is backed up
and there’s a sudden drop in water pressure,” he said. “Like when a hydrant is
flushed or city crews are working on a main. The backed-up water gets siphoned
out of the sink (backflow via submerged
drainline) and into the line, contaminating the water.” Derrick said the
older models have one tube running to the glass spout, whereas the later models
have three tubes connected to it — something that can be observed by looking
under the sink. ...Generally, people wouldn’t detect anything is wrong because
the contaminated water recirculates back into the system. “Usually, there’s no
odor or color,” he said, adding: “You don’t necessarily have to get a whole new
system. You can get a new filler spout with three lines running to it — a water
supply line and two drain tubes. I’m not sure the new ones are available locally
yet, though, because it’s pretty much a problem that’s only recently been looked
at. But plumbers and hardware stores can order them. The older models are
grandfathered in — until you work on them. Then they have to comply with the new
plumbing code. Delwin said he’s “not
trying to cause a panic. I just want to let the public know they may have a
problem that can cause sickness. You’d be surprised what kind of germs and
bacteria are in drain lines. That’s why plumbers get hepatitis shots.”
Plainview Daily Herald, April 1, 2007
Backflow Prevention for the
Fire Protection Industry "...There are four basic types of fire
protection systems used in the industry. The number one type, and probably the
most prevalent, is the wet pipe system. An antifreeze loop can be tied into or
fed from the wet pipe system. The other three types are: a dry pipe system, a
pre-action system, and a deluge system. As the name implies, a wet pipe systems
has water in the fire protection system. The system is charged when a fire
develops, and the individual sprinkler heads closet to the fire are discharged.
The antifreeze system is similar the the wet pipe system; however, it is used in
large applications which include sprinkler heads that may be located outside of
the building,such as in a loading dock area. Instead of installing a dry pipe
system, engineers will design an antifreeze loop as part of the wet pipe system
for these applications. ...What Type of Backflow Protection is Required?
According the AWWA M14 Manual, a Class I and a Class II system do not require
backflow protection on the fire protection system if it is installed with
approved potable water piping and components. Class III systems require some
form of backflow protection, whether it is an air gap or a double check valve
assembly. Class IV and Class V require either an air gap or a reduced pressure
assembly. Class VI systems requires a reduced pressure assembly. ...There has
been a lot of controversy between the fire protection industry and the cross
connection control industry. "How many people have died?" has been asked; but
that should not be the point. The point should be protecting the potable water
supplies to ensure safe drinking water. ...As an industry, we need to determine
the level of hazard, and base the type of backflow protection required on the
hazard. We should not require RP’s on all installations - the fire protection
industry could come back and say that no protection is needed, and we will lose
the battle to protect the potable water supplies." Plumbing Standards, Oct. -
Dec. 2000
3 city workers accused of bribery... Plumbing inspector
allegedly caught in sting "It
was a shakedown by sign language. When a contractor needed a city plumbing
inspector to sign off on questionable work at a West Side home, the inspector
shot up five fingers, authorities say. A bribe was in the air, but the
contractor needed clarification. Fifty dollars? he asked the inspector. No,
$500, came the reply, authorities say. City inspector John Chamberlain, 58, and
two former city employees were charged with bribery Thursday as the
investigation of corruption in the city's Building Department continues under
the city's inspector general, David Hoffman. It brings the total charged so far
to nine people, seven of them onetime city employees. "There is no place in city
government for this kind of corrupt activity," Hoffman said, adding that
portions of the bribe discussions were secretly recorded. Chamberlain, who made
more than $85,000 a year, allegedly took $1,500 in bribes in December and
January -- $500 to sign off on work that allegedly exceeded the scope of a city
permit and $1,000 to provide a fraudulent letter. On Dec. 12, the
contractor got shaken down, allegedly by Chamberlain, but the contractor told
him he would have to call his son for the money. The contractor reported the
shakedown to the inspector general's office, which sent an investigator to pose
as the son. The investigator allegedly paid $200 in one meeting, then $300 in
another. The investigator also pretended he wanted to hire an unlicensed plumber
for another rehab project but needed a letter from a licensed contractor saying
he was going to do the work, to get city permits. Chamberlain got a fake letter
from a real contractor and charged the inspector $1,000 for it, the allegations
state. ...Judge Thomas Hennelly on Thursday set bond for Chamberlain and Harris
at $10,000 each." Chicago Sun-Times, March 30, 2007
Recycling yards must help stop copper thieves "All these copper thieves are really getting
on our nerves. The latest theft was at Cabrillo Park in Upland, where AYSO youth
soccer teams practice and play. The crooks stripped out copper wire after they
opened 12 utility boxes at the park, knocking out the lights and depriving
Upland children of a place for evening practice sessions. That's a pretty low
blow, robbing kids of their fun. But then it's not a news flash that criminals
and drug addicts are not terribly concerned with the feelings of others. Police
figure most of the Inland Empire's many copper thefts are perpetrated by
methamphetamine users to feed their soul-sapping habit. ...In 2006, there
were 170 reported copper thefts totaling $450,000 just in the city of Ontario,
police said. Copper prices have soared because of skyrocketing demand in the
superheated economies of China and India, where most of the Inland Valley's
pilfered copper goes after it's "laundered" through recycling centers. The thieves tend to work quickly and in the
middle of the night - they're mostly meth-heads, after all - so not many of them
get caught in the act. Some do, fortunately. Upland police arrested a couple
after finding stolen backflow valves in their car in February, for
example... ...It appears the only way to really slow down this copper
drain is at the recycling centers... ...In fact, when police officers stopped at
an Ontario scrap yard a few weeks ago to share information about copper thefts,
several vehicles waiting with materials to recycle quickly drove off. Hmmm,
that's a bit suspicious." dailybulletin.com, March 22,
2007
Putting bad water down the drain "It's a common assumption that water going
down your drain won't end up coming out your kitchen faucet. In some cases, that
belief might not be true. East Lansing officials announced an initiative Tuesday
to help prevent contamination of the city's water supply. The Cross-Connection
Control Program is designed to make sure nonpotable water, such as dirty
dishwater, does not mix with the city's drinking supply. ...After an evaluation
from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, in 2005, the
city's drinking water system received a "marginal" rating, and Sneathen was
advised by the department to create the program. One year later, the city
received a "satisfactory" rating. "They maybe weren't going after it as
diligently as they are now," said Jim Watling, DEQ's district engineer. "It's an
important public health measure. The East Lansing folks have just revamped the
program." ...A cross-connection control problem can occur when backflow or
back-pressure forces used water back into the drinking water system. Possible
situations that can lead to backflow problems include faulty hose connections,
irrigation systems, boilers, toilet-fill valves and swimming pools. Several
years ago, a building in East Lansing was affected by this problem when
antifreeze from the building's cooling system accidentally leaked into its
drinking water supply. No one was injured as a result of the contamination, and
sources at the DEQ and Department of Public Works could not provide when or
where in East Lansing this incident occurred. ...In order to comply with the DEQ
and to prevent any further contamination problems, East Lansing already has
begun inspecting high-priority properties, such as city buildings, bars and
restaurants, for backflow issues throughout the city. ...The city plans on
inspecting medical buildings next, with residential housing to follow soon
after. "It's a continuous program," Scheuerman said. "We are hoping to make the
full rounds within the next five years." The cost of the inspections will be
split between the city and the owner of the property, Sneathen said, adding that
it will not be more than "a few hundred dollars" per inspection. If a violation
is found during an inspection, the city can assess fines (if they don't correct the violations) or, if
necessary, shut off the property's water supply. Cyndi Roper, Great Lakes policy
director for Clean Water Action, a national nonprofit group that focuses on
clean water issues, is familiar with backflow problems in communities. "We have
worked on this issue in other places," Roper said. "It's important to make sure
you don't have unsafe pressure and unsafe connections. It's good to know it's a
priority in East Lansing." The State News, March 22, 2007
Flushed faces after mix-up "EMPLOYEES at a Bangholme water treatment plant were
drinking water typically used to flush toilets and urinals for more than two
weeks. In a plumbing mix-up this week admitted by Melbourne Water, about 25
employees at its Eastern Treatment Plant in Bangholme had been drinking Class-C
recycled water, which is normally unfit for human consumption. Melbourne Water
released a statement this week describing the problem. “Water was supplied
through a tap that should supply drinking water,” it said. The water authority
will now investigate the mix-up to determine why a tap marked as drinking water
was in fact running the low-grade recycled water. Eastern Treatment Plant
manager Mike Smith said the recycled water had been screened, chlorinated,
filtered and chlorinated again. But he admitted that several employees had
complained they were ill during the time the recycled water was running through
the tap. “We have had several reported cases of gastro-intestinal illness and
these will be investigated to see if they are related to the incident,” Mr Smith
said. “We are doing everything we can to support our people. “It has happened as
a result of a cross connection and should not have occurred. “We are treating
this matter very seriously and we will be taking all the necessary steps to
ensure it doesn’t happen again.” Mr Smith said the water was normally used to
flush toilets, urinals and other activities around the plant – but was never
intended for drinking...." Star News Group, March 22, 2007
Staff ill from recycled water "At least 12 Melbourne Water
workers have fallen ill after recycled water unfit for human consumption was
mistakenly piped to a drinking tap.The treated water was accidentally
connected to a drinking tap in an administration building at the Eastern
Treatment Plant at Bangholme, in Melbourne's south, for several weeks before the
error was discovered yesterday. Plant manager Mike Smith said workers had
been affected by gastro-intestinal illnesses. The Department of Human Services
is investigating how the error occurred. investigations have shown that from
March 1- March 19 the recycled water flowed from a tap that should have supplied
drinking water. Melbourne Water discovered the plumbing problem yesterday and
quickly switched off the faulty supply, Mr Smith said. “It has happened as a
result of a plumbing error and should not have occurred,” he said. “There are
approximately 25 employees and contractors who use the building. The tap is
marked for drinking water purposes and there will be an investigation into how
the cross connection occurred. “We have had several reported cases of
gastro-intestinal illness and these will be investigated to see if they are
related to the incident. We are doing everything we can to support our people."
...While recycled water was fully screened, chlorinated, filtered and again
chlorinated before it was supplied, it was not considered suitable drinking
water. It was not supposed to be used in the new administration building,
despite being used to flush toilets and urinals in other buildings, he said."
Herald Sun, March 20, 2007
Thefts create plumbing problems "The geyser of water shooting into the air was the first
clue that something was wrong Friday night at the Ellen Meade Studios and School
of Creative Learning in Bradenton. But the water woes weren't due to a normal
plumbing problem. When they called authorities, Ellen Meade officials discovered
they were part of a growing number of victims to be hit by thieves stealing
plumbing devices from homes and businesses around Manatee County and north
Sarasota County. The copper and brass devices -- which prevent water pumped into
a customer's home from flowing back into the main water distribution system --
are probably being resold as scrap metal, said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the
Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Unlike
at the Meade studios, most victims of the plumbing thefts discover they've been
targeted when they go to turn on their water and find the taps dry. The thieves shut off the water flow
to most places where they steal the devices, said Sue Glasgow,
an official with the Manatee County Utilities Department. Glasgow said about 150
devices have been reported stolen... ...One thing is clear, though: whoever is stealing the devices
has some plumbing knowledge. "This is plumbing work. They know how to turn the water off
at the meters before pulling out the backflow devices," said John
Zimmerman, a water utilities manager for Manatee County. ...High copper and
brass prices have caused similar thefts nationwide. Byron Bishop, a developer in
southern California, designed a theft prevention device out of necessity when
thieves kept hitting his and his neighbors' properties for the devices. Bishop's
lock hit the market several months ago, and he said sales have been brisk. One
end of the $200 stainless steel lock is clamped to the backflow preventer, while
the other side is anchored by concrete. ...Metal theft is a common crime, with
thieves hitting sewer lift stations and water distribution systems for the
stainless steel and aluminum used there. On Sunday, Manatee County sheriff's
deputies arrested Bradenton resident Bruce Straubel, 43, in the theft of
stainless steel boxes from a sewer lift station. The deputies said they saw
Straubel cutting the lift station lock. When they stopped him driving away, they
found two of the boxes, each worth $6,000, in his truck, according to a
sheriff's report. Straubel is in the construction business and was possibly
using the stolen materials himself, Bristow said. But Bristow said it's unlikely the stolen backflow preventers
are being reused by plumbers because they all have serial numbers."
HeraldTribune.com, March 19, 2007
Home sprinkler systems
suspect in water problem "Electric City is systematically checking water systems of
businesses and residential properties, trying to find out what is contaminating
the city's water system. City workers have been turning up unsatisfactory water
samples and have been asked by the Department of Health to conduct a systematic
check of all connections. The current effort to check some 500 connections will
also bring the city into compliance of state law and, according to city workers,
take some time to complete. The city sent out 105 "notice of survey of premises"
notices to residents Feb. 28, informing those with automatic lawn sprinklers
that officials would be coming by to check their systems. The letter explained
that public water systems are required to develop and implement cross-connection
control programs. It further stated that the city must assess the degree of
hazard posed by each customer's plumbing system upon the public water system.
"Some residential customers," the letter continued, "pose a special concern
because of the scope and complexity of their plumbing systems, special uses of
water on the premises (such as sprinkler systems, pools and hot tubs)." City
maintenance director Ken Dexter said last week that out of 10 systems he has
already checked, only two meet standards. ...When residents use high
pressure air to blow out their irrigation systems as they go into winter,
contamination could occur if the system doesn't have proper backflow protection.
...Where there are non-compliance concerns, residents will have 60 days from the
time of notification to fix the problem, or their water will be shut off, the
city's letter stated." The Star - Online, March 14, 2007
Backflow & Cross
Connection Control "The number of backflow prevention devices
installed improperly by both the professional plumber and the property owner or
their maintenance personnel is reaching a level that is difficult to believe.
Backflow prevention devices must be installed in the proper manner so that they
both can fulfill their purpose in protecting the water supply and also be tested
and repaired in a safe, timely way. They must also be protected from the
elements. ...In this article we will try to cover basic installation
requirements while keeping in mind that each installation is different and
presents new challenges. ...The solution to many of these problems is simple.
Chose the proper assembly or device needed for the protection required. Ensure
it is installed in the proper position, follow the manufacturers installation
instructions, check your local codes, and have it tested annually. As the ASSE
motto says "Prevention Rather Than Cure" by following these few simple
guidelines the public water system can be protected." Plumbing Standards,
Jan.-March 2001
Serious Cross Contamination In Yard
Hydrants ""...if the stopper in
a standard ‘weep hole’ hydrant ever leaks, it is undetectable at ground level as
it is leaking out the weep hole deep into the ground... When a back siphonage
condition occurs, that leak out will become a leak in, sucking contaminated
muddy water into the supply line. If the hydrant is located in a horse or cow
barn, animal byproducts will leach into the potable water supply." ...Due to the
deaths associated with e-coli outbreaks and other pathogens that have
contaminated our water supplies, there has been great concern regarding cross
contamination between the potable water supply and the soil, which carries
animal by-products, fertilizers and other hazardous materials. Most of us are
familiar with a standard "weep hole" Yard Hydrant as they have been around for
years. Hundreds of thousands of them are sold each year. They are used in
campgrounds, RV parks, ranches, farms, gardens and anywhere water is needed away
from a building. However, most of us are unaware of the at the base of the
hydrant. The common weep hole yard hydrant consists of a head for attaching a
hose, a riser pipe and a shutoff valve deep below the frost level. The term
"weep hole" is derived from the fact that when the weep hole hydrant is shut
off, a hole in the side of the valve opens to drain all water from the riser
into the soil below the frost line, much like a Stop and Waste Valve." Plumbing
Standards, Jan.-March 2003
Backflow Industry- "Guide to Cross Connection Devices and
Assemblied Application and Selection" ..."Nice title, don’t you think? Actually I plagiarized it from
the newest educational manual produced by ASSE. We all seem to know about the
"Big Four"; RPZ (ASSE 1013-2005), DCV (ASSE 1015-2005), AVB (ASSE 1001-2002) and
PVB (ASSE 1020-2004), but what about the other 18 ASSE standards for backflow
protection? What are they used for, where and how do we install them?"
Plumbing Standards Fall (Oct-Dec) 2006 Posted on-line later was this
"Fall 06 Backflow Industry Column Correction &
Apologies"
What to Know About Backflow "VIDEO presentation (30 minutes) by the Lincoln
Nebraska water, building, & health dept. officials, originally
broadcast Nov. 11, 2006 on 5 City-TV, covers commercial & residential
issues/problems....." Note: REAL PLAYER required to view this
video....
Suspected copper thieves arrested in
Upland "Police arrested two
people Wednesday morning after backflow valves apparently stolen for their
valuable copper were found in the suspects' vehicle. Upland police arrested
Bruce Bartholomew, 45, and Gloria Alvarez, 26, both of Montclair, after officers
saw them acting suspiciously at 2:21 a.m. in the area of Ninth Street and
Industry Way, according to a police statement. Upland officers pulled the two
over in the area, in which there have been previous thefts. Officers found six
backflow valves in the car. Investigators later found that the valves had been
stolen from businesses on Industry Way, Seaboard Court and Corporate Court,
according to the statement. Upland police had area businesses under surveillance
after a rash of backflow valve thefts, apparently taken for their copper
content, Sgt. Cliff Mathews said. "We started having this problem on a fairly
regular basis a few weeks ago," Mathews said. "We'd had an ongoing problem with
the theft of backflow valves in the city." Thieves target the valves for their
resale value at recycling centers, Mathews said. The valves - made of copper -
cost, on average, between $600 to $800 each. ...Ontario has seen an increase in
the number of valve thefts during the past two months, Wirtz said. "It doesn't
take that long to take them," Wirtz said of the valve removal. "It's not a lot
of work for the money." The valves sit outside the businesses in plain view.
They prevent water from city pipes from flowing back into the businesses' water
supply, Mathews said. ...In 2006, there were 170 reported copper thefts totaling
$450,000 in the city, police Detective Jeff Wentz said. Businesses can purchase
valve covers for a few hundred dollars. While the covers are not completely
theft-proof, they provide a deterrent, Matthews said. Alvarez and Bartholomew
were booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion
of grand theft, according to the police statement. The charge is a felony that
could land a person in prison for up to three years, Mathews said."
DailyBulletin.com, March 2, 2007
Backflow problems and prevention "Grant Phipps managing director of Watts UK
explains how legislation allows installers freedom to fit PRZ valves to avoid
backflow prevention. ...Backflow - a reversal of the normal flow of water in a
pipe system - can have comical results. In the late 1960s wine flowed through
the taps of the surprised and delighted residents of Cincinnati, USA, when a
local winery left a water supply valve open after flushing its fermentation
tanks. But backflow can also be dangerous, causing drinking water contamination…
or worse. For example, a maintenance man connected a large liquid petroleum gas
tank to a water main to wash it out. Unbeknown to him, there was still gas under
pressure in the tank. By opening the water supply valve, he back pressurised the
water supply main with gas, causing three nearby houses to explode. ...These
examples are extreme. But backflow is a real threat - the US Environmental
Protection Agency reckons that at least 100,000 cases of cross contamination
occur in the USA every day. That makes it a pressing health & safety issue,
and its prevention a priority. ...One solution to these problems is the reduced
pressure zone (RPZ) valve. ...Installers in the USA have used RPZ valves since
the early 1970s when Watts Industries launched its 909 RPZ. Now the British
Government has decided to allow their use in this country. The new Water
Regulations which replace the Model Water Byelaws free installers to fit RPZ
valves here for the first time. Until these regulations, UK installers have had
to install a break tank with a ball valve. However, pressure is lost from the
mains with this arrangement so a pump also has to be fitted complete with a
level switch to control the pump. This is complex, bulky and expensive, compared
with the RPZ valve. The RPZ valve can only be operated once its type of
protective use has been approved by the local Water Regulations Inspector and
its correct fitting and operation has been independently checked by one of the
150+ RPZ-licensed inspectors operating in the UK. However, its simplicity, low
cost compared to break tanks and ease of installation make it an attractive
option for installers." Plumbing pages.com
Two Men Arrested For Water Theft "City Manager-Police
Commissioner, Clovis Watson, Jr., arrested two men today for tapping into a City
water hydrant and stealing City water. David Earl Spencer (WM DOB 01-18-1954)
and Joshua Ramsey young (WM DOB 06-17-1986), employees of W.G. Johnson &
Son, Inc., were arrested and transported to the Alachua County Detention Center
on Friday, 07-29-2005, and charged with theft of water. The two men were observed pumping water into a
W.G. Johnson & Son, Inc. truck from a water hydrant located at the corner of
NW 158th Avenue and NW 141st Street in Alachua. Although the men were charged with theft, the primary point
of concern was that the City's drinking water system had been compromised.
Arbitrary connections such as this by unauthorized persons make the system
vulnerable to possible contamination. As a municipal
utility provider, the City of Alachua is responsible for ensuring the safety of
our citizens. Policies and procedures are in place to follow when connecting to
the City's water system. The City's water department personnel closely monitor all connections into the system to
ensure that proper backflow devices are utilized and to secure the
integrity of the system...." Alachua Post, Feb. 18, 2007
Backflow Protection for Safe Drinking Water Data Book
A Guide to the Latest Regulations... "SYNOPSIS
--Except where not
deemed necessary for safety or sanitation by the Administrative Authority, each
plumbing fixture shall be provided with an adequate supply of potable running
water piped thereto in an approved manner, so arranged as to flush and keep it
in a clean and sanitary condition without danger of backflow or
cross-connection. ...GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS --1. No
installation of potable water supply piping or any part thereof shall be made in
such a manner that it will be possible for used, unclean, polluted or
contaminated water, mixtures,
or substances to enter any portion of such piping from any tank,
receptor, equipment, or plumbing fixture by reason of back-siphonage, by suction
or any other cause, either during normal use and operation thereof or when any
such tank, receptor, equipment, or plumbing fixture is flooded, or subject to
pressure in excess of the operating pressure in the hot or cold water
piping." www.sbaypipe.org, 2002
Water Supply Protection "The following information is intended to help the
sanitarian identify correct food service equipment plumbing installations. A cross-connection is an ACTUAL or POTENTIAL link between the
potable water supply and a source of contamination (sewage, chemicals, gas,
etc.). A cross connection can be a temporary or permanent direct connection,
by-pass arrangement, jumper connection, submerged inlet, removable section,
swivel or change-over device, etc. that could connect a potable system to a
non-potable source. Ideally, it is best to not have any cross-connections, but
in certain situations they are unavoidable. When an installation requires a
crossconnection, it must be properly protected with an acceptable backflow
prevention assembly or device to eliminate any potential for a reverse flow back
into the potable water supply. An unprotected cross-connection threatens the
health and safety of individuals and may contaminate food or beverage products
utilizing water from that system." State of Michigan, www.michigan.gov
Coldest temperature of the season moving
in "It’s time to brace yourself
— and your plants and pipes — for what forecasters say will likely be the most
frigid weather of the season since winter began. Temperatures are
expected to drop to the low 20s Saturday morning — and stay there for hours.
...“This looks like the coldest
morning so far,” Close said. ...Residents should go through the familiar drill
of draping blankets over sensitive plants, Moll said. Residents should also take
steps to protect their pipes, said Jeff Thomas, co-owner of Reliable Plumbing in
Spring Hill. Homeowners should make sure exposed pipes are insulated to prevent
damage from water freezing inside them, Thomas said. Letting the faucet drip
intermittently also is a precaution. Thomas also recommends removing hoses from
outdoor spigots. Frozen water around the hose bib can expand and damage the
spigot. Commercial property owners should drape a blanket over backflow
prevention equipment to prevent a costly service bill, Thomas said. Frozen water
“will blow them wide open,” he said. “If it freezes and breaks, you have to
replace them.” Hernando Today, Feb. 15, 2007
City water valve busted as man flees from
police "A Dyersburg man was
charged with felony evading arrest after speeding away from police and breaking
a city water valve on Saturday. ...According to the police report, Leow's silver
Lincoln Aviator was seen southbound on the U.S. Highway 51 Bypass with
headlights repeatedly turning on and off. Believing the driver was signaling for
help, police watched the vehicle as Leow attempted to turn onto Brewer Road.
Leow overshot the turn and plowed into trailers parked at West Tennessee Power
Equipment and drove over a water backflow device, busting it and causing water
to erupt across the parking lot and bypass." Dyersburg State Gazette, Feb. 12,
2007
BACKFLOW PREVENTION LESSON 22 "After the water treatment
facility sterilizes and distributes the water, it is still subject to
contamination. Water contamination typically occurs through cross-connections
and backflow situations. Plumbers must be able to recognize, prevent and fix
backflow emergencies. This lesson is concerned with backflow preventions.
Numerous cases of illness due to cross-connections have been documented. The
problem is never solved since plumbing is continually changing. It is installed,
repaired, removed, changed and extended. Sometimes, untrained people perform the
plumbing. Usually, backflows are caused by cross-connections that are affected
by a repair, general maintenance, or due to emergency situations. Plumbers must
be trained and certified to perform inspections and repairs." Roto-Rooter's
Plumber Training Manual
Backflow preventer thefts costing businesses
thousands "Recently there has
been a rash of commercial irrigation and domestic water backflow preventers
stolen for their scrap metal. While the scrap metal value for the brass and
copper contained within these fittings is only about $250, brazen thieves are
making short work of stealing as many as they can, sometimes twice from the same
properties. Backflow preventers are easily recognized, usually placed above
ground along the street frontage for most commercial properties. The U-shaped
pipe acts as a valve to prevent irrigation or other water from "backflowing"
into the potable water source for the building. Most jurisdictions in the county
have mandated the use of these valves in commercial buildings. The thieves drive
up, sometimes dressed in orange vests to look like city employees, take a saw
and cut the valve off at the pipes. The whole process can take less than two
minutes. These thefts have occurred in broad daylight and also have happened at
prominent and visible locations. Replacing these backflows can cost as much as
$3,000 to $6,000. Their removal by thieves will also interrupt water service for
your property and tenants as well as the possible water damage created from the
water running uncontrolled through the open connection. BOMA is working with
local authorities and the recycling/scrap metal industry to stem the tide of
these thefts. BOMA has already met with the local waste industry association to
brainstorm ways to notify the public about these thefts in an effort to prevent
them in the future. Although there is no perfect solution to eliminate the theft
of the units, and, in fact, those who have taken the measures outlined below
have still experienced the loss of the valves, the following actions are being
recommended by law enforcement, landscapers and plumbers: * Enclose your
backflow valve(s) with a protective cage (if you haven't already). * Secure it
with a non-tamperproof lock (a breakaway lock is easily opened and not
recommended). In case of emergency, your maintenance crew should have a copy of
the lock's key. * The cage should be securely mounted to the ground. * Have the
cage spot-welded to the bolts to prevent its removal. * Stamp, label or identify
the metal with a recognizable code or name of your own. * Post a visible warning
sign with something to the effect of: "Theft and damage to this unit will be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." * Camouflage the unit by planting
screening landscape a foot or so from the backflow. This will make the unit less
visible while still allowing for maintenance access if needed. * Inform your
onsite building management, security or other staff of the problem and make sure
they keep an eye out for thieves. It is also a good idea to inform your tenants
so they can contact you should they see something suspicious near these valves."
The Daily Transcript, Feb. 8, 2007
Police seek info on park valve thieves "The Reno Police Department is seeking information
from the public through the Secret Witness program on a recent series of thefts
of water backflow prevention devices from City of Reno parks and other locations
throughout the city. The above-ground brass devices, also known as anti-siphon
valves, are used with landscape sprinkler systems to prevent water from back up
past a certain section in the pipes, to keep biological material from traveling
up the pipe and contaminating the water supply. The devices come in various
sizes, depending on the size of the system pipes. Officials from the City of
Reno's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department say that seven of the
devices have been stolen from parks over the past two weeks by unbolting them.
...Parks officials say local landscape contractors have spoken of similar thefts
from properties around the area, and that some of the devices have reportedly
shown up at local recycling companies. Persons with information can provide that
information anonymously to the Secret Witness program by calling 322-4900, or
can provide information to the Reno Police Department Detective Division at
334-2115." Reno Gazette-Journal, Feb. 1, 2007
State making cities enforce 20 year old law "If your home was built before 1995 or you own
a business, the state of Florida wants to make sure your water supply is safe.
It could cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to comply with a 1987
(backflow prevention / cross-connection
control) law. The city of Fort Myers sent out letters over the past
week to 5,700 homes and businesses requiring an inspection. If you live in any
other city - get ready. Your letter could be coming soon. A state
health department mandate says it's time to make good the 20-year old state law.
The city of Fort Myers passed an ordinance to start enforcing it in 1995, but
they didn't start until now. Paul Flores with city's utility department said,
"we're trying to preserve the water quality of the city." For most businesses
and homes with separate irrigation meters, you'll have to pay a private
certified tester to inspect your (backflow preventer) pipes. ...Within the next year,
it could cost the owners thousands. Manager Sue Donahue said, "it's just a
shame to hit the people all at once like that. They ought to give us more time
to do this. I'm not disagreeing with the fact it might be a good idea to put one
out there but I'm saying it's a hardship on the people." And why enforce it now?
Flores said, "it's a major education. I can't respond to why it's taken this
long but it's just the health department recently said 'hey, you really need to
enforce the ordinance.'" WINK News, Feb. 5, 2007
Potable water up and running "The independent certified operator for Wilhoit Water
Co.-Yavapai Estates has successfully turned on a potable water connection
between a City of Prescott fire hydrant and the company's formerly
arsenic-tainted line, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes said last
Friday. Prescott Pump Service this past Monday began issuing safe drinking water
directly to the taps of the more than 250 customers of Wilhoit in Chino Valley.
"The company sent out notices on Monday afternoon that the interconnection was
live and activated, and that customers were securing water from the City of
Prescott," Mayes said. "Customers will continue to receive that water until
arsenic remediation equipment has been implemented." The safe connection began
flowing a few days after the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
delivered to the company conditional Approval of Construction, which permitted
the City of Prescott to install a water meter and a backflow prevention device
on the fresh pipe." The Daily Courier, Feb. 6, 2007
14 Features of an Active and Effective Security
Program "(Water) Systems should develop and promote an
explicit, visible, and easily communicated commitment to security. This
commitment must go beyond a few simple sentences in your system's mission
statement and personalized t-shirts. In this day and age security should be an
important factor in all that you do, including by: *Incorporating security into your utility-wide mission or
vision statement by clearly addressing protection of public health, public
safety, and public confidence. *Including a safety and security statement or
update in your Consumer Confidence Reports. *Actively participating in regional
and state preparedness planning, drills, and your state and regional
Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN)." The Safe Drinking Water Trust,
Jan. 31, 2007
Police investigate series of park equipment
thefts "Police are trying to
solve a recent series of equipment thefts from Reno parks and other sites
throughout the city. The devices aim to prevent water from backing up past a
certain section in the pipes and to keep biological material from traveling up
the pipe and contaminating the water supply. Thieves are targeting water
backflow prevention devices, Reno authorities said Thursday. The above-ground
brass equipment, also known as anti-siphon valves, are used with landscape
sprinkler systems. ...Seven of the devices have been stolen from parks over the
past two weeks by unbolting them. This has resulted in costs estimated at $6,000
in materials and labor to replace the devices. Parks officials say local
landscape contractors have spoken of similar thefts from properties around the
area, and that some of the devices have, police said, reportedly shown up at
local recycling sites." Reno Gazette-Journal, Feb. 2, 2007
Thomasville leaders chart course for '07 "After committing last year to painful tax
hikes and budget cuts to rebuild the City of Thomasville's cash reserves, council members during
their annual retreat Saturday discussed ways to rebuild the city's battered
economy. ..."How can we create a more business-friendly atmosphere?" asked City
Manager Kelly Craver, who served as facilitator for the retreat. The responses
included improving communications with county economic development officials,
reducing water availability charges for fire sprinkler systems and even
demolishing vacant industrial plants to create ready sites for new
development... ...Murphy, who serves on the public services committee, cautioned against putting unnecessary
restrictions on businesses. He pointed out that a forthcoming mandate requiring
backflow prevention devices to prevent contamination of city water will cost
some businesses thousands of dollars." The Dispatch Online, Jan. 29,
2007
Residential well to tap Woodbine
aquifer "Plano will soon have
another first for its town, at least as well as the city engineer can remember.
In Monday night's city council meeting, members adopted a motion to allow for
the drilling of a residential water well. According to city officials, Hedy
Rittenmeyer applied for the permit for her home on Plantation Lane. "This
doesn't happen very often," City Engineer Alan Upchurch said. "It's not like we
process these things everyday." According to city records, the property owners
will use the well's water for landscape irrigation. Upchurch said there have
been applications for some commercial wells, but he can't remember any requests
for a residential well. ...The drilling should take approximately two weeks
although the permit has been filed with the city for a few months. "The main thing we were concerned about is to
make sure there is no cross-connection potential for the well water to get back
into the public water system," Upchurch said. "Our public works had
talked to the well driller and the people out there to make sure that they knew
the requirements that were to be had to prevent such types of cross-connection
or backflow." Andrus understands the delays. "It's the first one the city has
attempted to permit," he said." Star Community News, Jan. 26, 2007
Wilhoit Water Co. to complete
connection "Within the next 24
to 48 hours, residents of the Yavapai Estates subdivision and Antelope Valley
Apartments should have safe drinking water flowing through their taps, Arizona
Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes said Wednesday afternoon. By Friday, the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Prescott will have
completed their work, paving the way for an interconnection between a fire
hydrant with potable water and Wilhoit Water Co.'s storage tank located off
Havasu Avenue and Picacho Boulevard. Once the water is in the tank, the company
will pump it directly into these residents' homes. Over the past couple days,
crews "blue staked" and dug a pipeline to complete the connection from the City
of Prescott hydrant to the wells, which were flushed of the arsenic-tainted
water they once contained. ...After crews have installed the necessary pipe and
meter from the hydrant to the well tank system, ADEQ will send an inspector from
its Flagstaff office to inspect the connection and ensure it doesn't leak. "You
can get bacteria and contaminants in the pipe (if crews don't build it
correctly)," Owens said. "You need the right pressure in the line or it can
cause health hazards." Linda Hill, the independent certified operator for
Wilhoit Water Co., said Prescott Pump Service today or Friday will test the new
waterline and ensure the water is chlorinated. The City of Prescott will install
a meter and a backflow-preventing device so no distributed water goes back into
the city's line, she added." Daily Courier, Jan. 27, 2007
Got ugly pipes? "All new homes built with irrigation systems in Manatee and
Sarasota counties are required to have a backflow preventer - brass pipes that
stick up a minimum of 12 inches high. The preventer guards against water backing
up into the county's water supply. A Manatee County couple has designed their
business to take advantage of what many would say is an aesthetic problem. They
hope homeowners will want to hide the pipes with an outdoor decorative product,
like a rock made of fiberglass. "A lot of people I run into call it, 'That ugly
thing in my yard,' " said Sue Glasgow, cross connection coordinator for Manatee
County. ..."Sarasota and Manatee are these absolutely beautiful places, but then
you see these backflow pipes on every lawn," Gillian Doig said. "We think we can
offer a product that is lovely and practical." The rocks come in six sizes and
four colors and are designed to fit backflows, well heads and cable boxes. They
also protect plumbing fixtures from weather damage and accidents. ...Glasgow
can't recommend one backflow preventer over another but she likes the idea of
something covering pipes. "It's a good investment because it keeps the pipes
from getting hit by a lawn mower and protects them from the elements and
freezes," Glasgow said. "The concept of covering those pipes with something
affordable will be around a long time."" Bradenton-Herald, Jan. 22,
2007
Council balks on backflow "The Colony City Council stopped for the moment the next
step in implementing a new water protection program and fee the has raised
concerns among some water customers. By a 6-1 vote, the council decided to delay
the implementation of its backflow protection program until it could hold a work
session and determine exactly how to comply with the state's law. Council Member
John Marshall voted against the delay, saying the city should move forward with
the program as planned. A previous council approved the program, and some
version of the action was undertaken to stay in compliance with state law. The
law is intended to prevent the city's water system from sucking in contaminants
during periods of low water pressure. Planning Director Bateman told council the
city experiences about 2,300 of these episodes each year. However, Utilities
Director Gordon Scruggs said he knows of no instance in which the city's water
supply was contaminated by one of these instances. The city's program will
require residents and commercial users defined by law to pose a potential hazard
to meet certain requirements and have a yearly inspection on its backflow
protection devices. On the residential side, homeowners identified as part of
the program, will be subject to yearly inspections of their backflow devices and
pay a $3.33 monthly fee on the water bill to cover the cost. Commercial users
will be charged $7.08. Council members questioned whether the program entirely
targeted the right hazards or the right customers. Members questioned whether
owners of newer homes, who have sprinkler and irrigation systems often
accompanied by backflow devices should be the ones paying the cost of the
system. Council Member Joe McCourry said he was concerned that the city's
program would put the onus on those with backflow prevention devices, while
simple hoses on old homes without backflow devices could pose the greater risk.
"To me, this is getting ready to consider something that doesn't put us into
full compliance with the law," he said...." Star Community News, Jan. 20,
2007
Freeze tampers with city pipes "With lows in the 20s for the past few nights, the chilly
weather has frozen more than citrus crops: it's also tampered with pipes and
backflow prevention devices around the city. Backflow prevention devices are
used to protect water supplies from contamination. By city code, they are
installed at commercial and multihome areas. According to Water Distribution
Supervisor Mike Taylor of the Municipal Utilities Department, dozens of calls
have been made to the department, with repairs needed on both city and
residential properties. "We had a crew out on Sunday, where three of us spent
several hours turning people's water off and on," he said. "We worked for about
six hours yesterday fixing backflow devices. We had 50 or 60 repairs and turn
offs." Although such problems are unusual for Redlands, with its normally warmer
winter climate, Water Operations Manager Dave Commons finds that most customers
are not taking the damage too hard. "Our response in the field is that the
customers are understanding, and haven't been too upset," he said. Taylor has
tips for those who want to prevent their pipes from freezing. "When it gets this
cold, leave a little water dripping from faucets and hoses," he said. "It keeps
water moving, and as long as water is moving, it can't freeze.""
redlandsdailyfacts.com, Jan. 17, 2007
Urban Nepalese Drink Contaminated
Water "Nepal, they say, is the
"Land of Rivers." Unfortunately for urban Nepalese, however, the only choice of
drinking water is heavily contaminated and otherwise of low quality. Perhaps
most worrisome of all, water being indispensable to life, the right to safe
drinking water belongs to every citizen. In this, however, the Nepalese have
been cheated by fate. There are universally agreed-on physical, chemical,
biological and mineral standards for potable water as prescribed by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Numerous indicators suggest, however, that the urban
Nepali population as a whole is drinking water that is highly unsafe relative to
these same requirements. Owing to high levels of contamination, the Nepalese
have suffered chronically from water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera,
dysentery and hepatitis, yet the government has reacted with only bureaucratic
busy-work and no practical results. ...Who is to blame? The culprits are many.
For instance, drinking water supplied to the capital of Kathmandu by the public
distribution system is far from potable. ...Urban Nepalese are actually imbibing
a slow-acting poison. Intake water is not properly tested or treated and enters
the pipelines of the urban supply system for only a few hours a day, which creates a backflow effect after
turnoff. Waste, contaminated
ground water and microorganisms from the storm and sanitary sewage lines that
generally run in parallel pipes, enter the supply system and contaminate the
drinking water. ...A serious problem -- but there has been no concerted
effort to control and reduce the contamination. For now, Nepalese are being
insidiously poisoned, which will continue indefinitely if, as the data show,
nothing fundamental is done by either communities or the government to tackle
the contamination problem." OhmyNews, Jan. 17, 2007
Waterloo eyes 3.45% tax increase "Waterloo homeowners will see an increase in
their property tax bill this year if city council passes a budget proposal
revealed yesterday. City councillors got a first look at a planned $111-million
operating budget last night, which includes a 3.45 per cent hike in property
taxes. ...The proposed increase is lower than it was last year, while water
taxes are to rise more than six per cent and tax on sewage services to go up
more than 11 per cent. Coun. Jan d'Ailly, finance committee chair, said the
property tax hike was reasonable... ...The city bases its tax hikes on a
municipal price index. It represents the cost to the city to provide goods and
services and usually runs higher than inflation, which is based on a consumer
price index. ...The city will likely face legal action from the Ministry of the
Environment if it doesn't spend $215,000 to protect its water system from
contamination through backflow, city staff warned council." THE RECORD.COM, Jan.
16, 2007
Water surveys needed to determine
contamination "A second mailing
of cross-connection control surveys is going out to Beatrice Board of Public
Works customers. BPW customers not returning the first cross-connection survey,
mailed out in November and December, can expect another one in the mail, Bob
Feit, BPW director of administrative services, said Wednesday during the BPW
Board of Directors meeting. The BPW Water Department is required by state law to
send out surveys every five years to their customers to determine any possible
contamination to the city's water. As of Wednesday, the BPW had only 65 percent
of the surveys returned. A 100 percent return of the surveys is required. BPW is
asking customers who have not returned their surveys to do so as soon as
possible. “Please send your surveys back,” Feit said. If the surveys are not
returned, Feit said BPW will have to make telephone calls and possible
door-to-door visits to collect the surveys. ...The survey asks water users if
they have an underground sprinkler, hot tub, swimming pool or commercial
business in their home. Questions to commercial and industrial businesses ask
about pumps, ice machines, fire sprinklers and suppression systems and chemical
and product disposals." Beatrice Daily Sun, Jan. 11, 2007
Resident tells Mohawk board that valves require installation
of expansion tanks "Mike
Disotelle went before the Mohawk village board on Monday to contest the
village's backflow prevention program. Disotelle, a teacher who has been a
Mohawk resident for four years, had a problem with his water heater because of
the village's program, which differs from state code. Through the village's
program, double-check valves were installed on all water heaters. The valves are
there to create pressure to prevent chemical contamination from reaching the
water supply, but New York State code only calls for them to be installed in
hazardous places, such as a company that deals with chemicals or a
hospital. Disotelle's problem began when he came home one day to find his
hot water tank spraying water, ready to explode, which cost him $800 in repairs.
The problem is that Mohawk's program doesn't require the residents to have an
expansion tank installed with the valves, which Disotelle said many residents
don't know. New York State code number P2903.4 states that if double-check
valves are installed, then an expansion tank “shall be installed ...” “That
doesn't mean optional, it means they have to be installed,” said Disotelle.
Disotelle said that only two or three places in the state have a backflow
prevention program such as Mohawk's, and one of them, Cortland, rescinded theirs
through an amendment to their water ordinance. ...Co-supervisor of the Mohawk
Municipal Commission, Arthur Baum, sent a letter to residents that stated the
expansion tanks are optional, which Disotelle said is an inaccuracy. ...Village
Trustee Ed View said they chose Lamont Engineering to consult them on the matter
because the company is reputable and the board went by what the company told
them. He said that maybe they should have gotten a second opinion at the time.
View also said that a water heater in the firehouse had a similar problem as
Disotelle had. Bob Wright, a water engineer, said that the village has the right
to keep people safe, but the village board didn't do a good enough job of doing
their homework on this issue because hot water tanks aren't designed to take the
pressure that is created from using the double-check valves without an expansion
tank. ...Wright and another engineer went before the village board in February
of 2006 and suggested that the board either not put the double-check valves in,
or also install the expansion tanks. “All the problems just provide validity to
the state code,” said Wright. “Most places in Mohawk aren't considered
hazardous, but these double-check valves are creating the hazard,” said
Disotelle." The Evening Telegram, Jan 9, 2007
Thieves pilfer water pipes: Ventana Lakes loses four valves
in December "Thieves struck the
Ventana Lakes Property Owners Association last month, stealingfour backflow
valves from sprinklers. “Three were stolen a couple of weeks ago and then last
week another was stolen,” said Paulette Eaton, the POA’s manager. A backflow
valve is a prevention device used to protect water supplies from contamination
from water used for landscaping. And according to Ms. Eaton, they are expensive.
“They are made of brass or copper,” Ms. Eaton said. “And replacing them will
cost us between $130 and $300, depending on the size. Each one stolen was
different.” According to Mike Tellef, a spokesman for the Peoria Police
Department, stealing of these parts has become a recurring problem in the city.
Last fall, police arrested subjects for stealing copper wiring from construction
sites. “Brass fittings and copper are worth quite a bit on the scrap market,”
Mr. Tellef said. To help prevent thefts, members of the association are
volunteering to patrol the area in their own vehicles. They want to keep a
constant watch on the community to deter thieves. “We’re hoping the people who
are bad will see them patrolling and never know when they won’t be,” said Bob
Waggener, a Ventana Lakes resident who is organizing patrols. “Then they will be
too nervous to try again.” According to Mr. Waggener, about five people have
signed up for patrol and they need more volunteers." newszap.com, Jan. 8,
2007
Sprinklers douse townhouse
fire with minor damage "Former
firefighter Gretchen Schmeisser watched in disbelief as flames from her
overheated van threatened to destroy her three-level Colorado townhouse. Her
shock soon turned to excitement as she realized that two of the home's fire
sprinklers had activated and were helping control the heat and flames.
"If we did not have sprinklers in
this garage, the entire townhome building — all seven homes — would have been
lost to this fire," said Jerry Pope, partner of Timberline Builders and one of
the developers of the 71-unit community, located in southwest Colorado. ...The municipality asked Timberline to install
sprinklers in all rear-facing units, or about half the development, since
firetrucks and equipment could not easily access these homes. A multipurpose system, such as the one Lenberg
recommended, combines the cold-water plumbing and the fire sprinkler system into
one. Water continually circulates to the fire sprinklers each time an occupant
uses a cold-water plumbing fixture. This ensures fresh water is always
available. These combination
systems can cost as much as 15% less than stand-alone systems because of the
reduced labor, a systems manufacturer said. Since these systems are fed by a
home's domestic water supply, there is
no need for check valves, backflow preventers or a separate water meter,
further cutting installation time and costs."
Contractormag.com
Sarasota County implements backflow prevention
program "In an effort to ensure
safe drinking water for its citizens, Sarasota County has begun implementing a
backflow prevention program in accordance with a statewide rule. The purpose of
the program is to protect the county's public utility system from possible
contamination from untreated water. As part of the program, Sarasota County
Utilities customers who also use another source of water on their property must
install a backflow prevention device and have it tested annually to ensure it is
working properly, according to a Sarasota County press release. Backflow
prevention devices are installed to keep contaminated water from entering public
drinking water through direct cross-connections in residential piping, the press
release states. For instance, a resident using a well or a nearby creek, canal
or pond for landscape irrigation could allow contaminated water to flow back
into county utility lines. Indirect cross-contamination can occur when a garden
hose is submerged into a swimming pool or is connected to a pesticide dispenser,
the press release states. ...All Sarasota County's commercial water customers
must install a backflow preventer device at their service connection or at a
location approved by Sarasota County Utilities, Cash stated in the release. All
non-metered fire line connections to Sarasota County's water system are required
to install at minimum a Double Detector Check Assembly (DDC). Sarasota County is
now notifying residents by letter if water sources on their property require
them to install a backflow prevention device, according to the press release.
Residents who are required to install the device can locate licensed installers
and testers in the yellow pages under "Backflow" section in local phone
directories, Cash stated in the release. Cash also encouraged homeowners
associations to contact private contractors who may be willing to negotiate
group discounts for multiple properties requiring backflow testing." Bradenton
Herald, Jan. 2, 2007
Any comments or questions about this site,
or inquiries about available backflow prevention programs
or cross connection inspection & training services
Backflow
Prevention Techzone and
Midwest Backflow Prevention