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Backflow
Prevention & Cross Connection Control Programs Regulating the Proper
Selection, Installation, and Maintenance of Backflow Preventers
are Critical to Safe (Potable) Drinking Water
Systems
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
T763BACKFLOW
PREVENTION TECHZONE is a compendium of backflow prevention
/ drinking water related resource materials & information links
collected from around the world. Recent to archived news stories'
excerpts, links, 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. (Introduction continues after the following
featured recent weblinks)
Today's & recent web link
briefs...
Roseville law enforcement
and leaders have unveiled a program of painting water backflow devices to make
them more easily detected if stolen. Roseville law enforcement and leaders
have unveiled a program of painting water backflow devices to make them more
easily detected if stolen. Metal thieves in Roseville will have a much
harder time selling stolen items, thanks to a new program launched by the City
of Roseville. Within the last several years, there has been in increase in
metal thefts of utility- and private-owned water backflow devices... City
Launches Program to Prevent Metal Thefts (Video)
Since
early July, neighbors in a Cedar Hills neighborhood were getting sick. In
September, symptoms got worse. Several people have been diagnosed with giardia
since then, but what was causing it and why was it was spreading was not
clear.
"We did find a cross-connect in (a) cluster of
valves where there was a two inch lateral tied from the culinary irrigation to
the pressurized irrigation," said City Manager David Bunker.... The only common factor among the 13
affected houses was dirty yellow
water. Simply put, a small,
unknown pipe was allowing in secondary water. But the city didn't know about it.
It was never identified on the construction plan." Cedar Hills residents get
giardia parasite from dirty water supply
"Protecting and maintaining water distributions systems is
crucial to ensuring high quality drinking water. Distribution systems --
consisting of pipes, pumps, valves, storage tanks, reservoirs, meters, fittings,
and other hydraulic appurtenances -- carry drinking water from a centralized
treatment plant or well supplies to consumers taps. Spanning almost 1 million
miles in the United States, distribution systems represent the vast majority of
physical infrastructure for water supplies, and thus constitute the primary
management challenge from both an operational and public health
standpoint...." Distribution Systems: Assessing and
Reducing Risks (2006) FREE
PDF download of the full book at The National Academies Press...
Palm Beach Gardens police officers shared some new details
....about a brutal beating that left a security guard dead after being in a coma
for 10 weeks. ...Investigators said (he) likely approached criminals in the act of stealing backflow prevention
devices, WPBF 25 News' ...reported. (Police Shed
New Light On Fatal Beating Of Security Guard).
Video also included...
More observant residents are starting to object to ANNUAL
testing requirements for otherwise properly installed residential irrigation
backflow preventer devices... "...This is a heavy financial burden. How
unfortunate that this threat of enforcement comes at a time when the economy is
suffering. Likewise, (testing) enforcement is costly to the county. Why spend
taxpayer dollars for enforcement when the risk is low? I believe we are using a
cannon to kill an ant..." (Contesting backflow inspections).
"Executives with a local company
filed a lawsuit against the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County claiming
that the drinking water it sells is in danger of contamination..." (Lawsuit claims Westmoreland water in danger).
Backflow preventer theft epidemic! "The thefts probably
occurred in the winter but are only being discovered now because spring has
arrived and homeowners are checking their sprinkler systems..." (O'Fallon sees rise in plumbing thefts).
"An ordinance that would require some commercial property
owners to have their backflow prevention devices inspected annually is set to go
before the Helena City Commission for a final vote Monday night, but even if it
passes, some technicalities would have to be worked out before it would be
implemented.... (Backflow is topic of Monday’s commission meeting).
Virginia Beach Va. No accurate records of backflow
preventer tests performed. "...city's building codes administrator, said
the problem was shoddy paperwork and not a lack of inspections. ......The
inspections staff ...provided "inaccurate and unreliable information" to
other city officials about their work..." Va.
Beach auditor: No evidence of water safety inspections
Plaintiff
withdraws lawsuit against city requiring every home to have a backflow
preventer installed & tested, city rescinds containment requirement
where no hazards exist... (Backflow case withdrawn).
EPA Announces 2010 Enforcement And Compliance Results "More than 1.4 billion pounds of harmful air, land, and water
pollution to be reduced"...
Health Department (State of Washington) offers a
collection of 5 different backflow prevention related brochures... (Cross-Connection
Control Brochures).
Water
company launches spring backflow prevention public education efforts... "If you
have a piped pool, lawn-irrigation system, a piped boiler or other specific
plumbing services, you might need to install a backflow prevention device..."
(Do you own a swimming pool? You might need this piece of
equipment).
Phoney backflow preventer installers
up to no good try to enter homes.... "We have been advised by the public
works department that there are unsolicited representatives going door-to-door
to install backflow valves in homeowners’ basements and falsely representing
themselves as being employed by the City of Hamilton." (Get ID before
welcoming strangers).
"More than half a dozen water
departments across Northeast Georgia requested grant money this year to protect
their water lines from terrorists who might use fire hydrants to contaminate an
entire town's water supply..." (Securing
water supplies).
"The agency in
charge of delivering clean water to New Yorkers forgot to do it for its own
employees. A new building at the Hunts Point sewage plant in the Bronx
was built seven months ago without a necessary "backflow preventer" to protect
water in the plant's huge boilers from backing up into its pipes..." (Bronx
sewage plant workers were at risk of drinking dirty water, due to missing
'backflow preventer').
Fully documented (by the CDC) backflow/cross connection (and other
causes) incidents that caused illnesses or deaths... (Selected Case Descriptions of Outbreaks Associated with Drinking
Water).
PLUMBING SYSTEM CROSS-CONNECTIONS, which have
been defined as existing or potential connections between potable or safe to
drink and non-potable water supplies, water using equipment, or drainage
systems, continue to be a serious potential public health hazard in 2012
worldwide. Anywhere people congregate and utilize communal water supplies,
water using equipment, and drainage systems, the dangers of un-protected cross
connections & backflow incidents continue to threaten public
health. Public perception has been that widespread waterborne disease
outbreaks have been controlled, but localized incidents have not yet been
eliminated. Ongoing municipal water pressure breakdowns (most often
main breaks) or other systems failure related contamination incidents, and
subsequent "do not drink" & "boil water" notifications, however, have
focused the intense spotlight of public attention on drinking water safety as
never before. One recent result is that there is a widening
recognition that properly installed, maintained, and tested backflow prevention
devices are critical elements of safe drinking water systems in our
communities and workplaces.
Although the
backflow prevention & cross-connection problem thus seems a new development
for many to consider, there have been numerous
historical, as well as ongoing recent incidents, where the backflow or
backsiphonage of contaminated water through a cross connection has caused
localized to extensive contamination of many communities' or workplaces'
drinking water systems.
Backflow preventer device development,
beyond simple check valves, began to accelerate and diversify in the mid-20th
century, but at the same time, potable ("city") water piping systems and water
using equipment, especially inside industrial & medical buildings,
have grown exponentially in complexity and are also
continuously altered.
All too often, surveys over the decades have shown that water using
devices and equipment which can contaminate a drinking water system, continue to
be connected to potable waterlines without properly selected, permitted,
installed, maintained, and if appropriate for the device, tested & certified
backflow preventer valves. So, despite decades of new public health and
occupational safety laws, as well as updated and revised 21st century plumbing
codes, along with the availability of state of the art backflow
preventer devices, the unprotected cross connection problem continues to
be an ongoing dynamic one.
The most universal backflow hazards
are constantly re-created, i.e., cross-connections within
residential & public washrooms, and the ordinary, unprotected from
backflow, hose connections... The bathroom may be the location of several of our
most taken for granted modern plumbing fixtures, yet it continues to be a
repository of one of the subtle yet potentially dramatic
backflow hazards found to reoccur all too
frequenrly in our homes and public places (Toiletology 101).
Many local health departments have "blue water" flowing from
the kitchen sink reports in their archives, which may well be only the tip of
the iceberg of un-documented incidents of actual backflow from un-approved or
improperly installed tank fill-valve assemblies....
However, recent cross connection inspection surveys (USC/FCCCHR) continue to reveal that the most prevalent, potentially
hazardous, potable water plumbing cross connection is the common hose connection (or hose
bibb) (UF/IFAS) found in virtually
every home and building with a water system. The following link to the
ABPA - American Backflow Prevention Association's Buster Backflow comic book, for
students of all ages, may best illustrate a simple to
implement yet often overlooked starting point for any
backflow prevention or cross connection control program. A comprehensive
primary can be explored in the Backflow Introduction presented at
the USC-Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic
Research. Here
in Michigan, local
municipalities have been implementing cross connection control programs
since about 1972, some even earlier. Most initially focused only on
industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities, and the plumbing cross
connection hazards found in such premises. More recently, locally enforced
programs encompassing residential inspections, even single family homes, have
brought the struggle for cross connection control and backflow prevention home
to millions, right where they live.
Usually working
behind the scenes as far as the general public is concerned, several
organizations have been very active in responding to, promoting, and
widening the scope of public awareness and education about backflow prevention
and the cross-connection control problem in drinking water systems. They deserve
a large share of the credit (while recognizing the significant and ground
breaking contributions of many active State, Province, & Municipal
programs) for where we are today, with safe drinking water mostly being taken
for granted, especially in the USA, Canada, the EU, Australia, New
Zealand, and other concerned countries.....
See More Archived News Reviews / Excerpts, Videos, Etc.
arranged somewhat
chronologically as found,
on
All names, linked pages,
logos, registered trademarks, and trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. We are not responsible for typographical or "404" errors.
Pictures
and text excerpts are for illustration & review purposes
only
Recent News & Publications
Concerning
Backflow Prevention,
Cross-Connection Control,
& Potable Water Safety.....
Contesting backflow inspections "It seems that articles by staff writers
appearing in local newspapers promote a positive attitude toward Chesterfield
County’s decision more than two years ago to enforce a state regulation
requiring annual inspections of backflow preventers on residential irrigation
systems. There has never been an incident in Chesterfield in which the water
supply has been compromised from cross-connection contamination. So, why was the
decision made to begin enforcement of a regulation requiring annual inspections
adopted by the state in 1977? According to Roy Covington, director of utilities
for Chesterfield, the risk of contamination is low – as characterized at a
recent meeting of the board of supervisors – “low risk, high consequence.” In
discussing this new enforcement policy, an incident in Roanoke in 1979 is
referenced. Though it was an expensive cleanup ($240,000), it was not the result
of a malfunction of an irrigation backflow preventer... ...Caldwell also
explains that a malfunctioning backflow preventer can cause contamination only
if several other conditions exist simultaneously. The cost to residents for
inspections on a yearly basis far exceeds the cost for cleanup in a rare
instance. This is a heavy financial burden. How unfortunate that this threat of
enforcement comes at a time when the economy is suffering. Likewise, enforcement
is costly to the county. Why spend taxpayer dollars for enforcement when the
risk is low? Henrico and Hanover [county] residents are not being asked to do
this annual inspection. I believe we are using a cannon to kill an ant..."
Chesterfield Observer, August 24, 2011
Lawsuit claims Westmoreland water in danger "Executives with a local company filed a lawsuit against the
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County claiming that the drinking water it
sells is in danger of contamination. John H. Schwartz of New Stanton and Louis
Robare of Greensburg, officials with Cross Connection Control Management Inc. in
New Stanton, claim the authority failed to enforce its own rules requiring
customers to ensure its water remains separate from waste, chemicals and other
potential contaminants. Their company is hired to inspect and repair cross
connection control issues for customers. Schwartz and Robare contend the
authority is violating the Safe Drinking Water Act by failing to implement its
current plan to enforce a cross-connection control program. ....According to the
lawsuit, the authority has implemented its protection plan on less than 1
percent of the water agency's 123,000 customers. The plan has not been
implemented for any of the authority's new customers since 1994, the suit
said...." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 21, 2011
O'Fallon sees rise in plumbing thefts "Someone has been stealing backflow preventers from O'Fallon homes
and businesses. The devices connect to underground lawn sprinkler systems,
preventing soil contaminants from entering the public water supply.
Officer Diana Damke, O'Fallon Police Department spokeswoman, said Thursday said
police identified a suspect they believe was involved in a majority of the
thefts. They had not yet taken the suspect into custody. ...Thieves steal
the backflow preventers to obtain the copper and brass parts, selling them to
scrap metal buyers, Damke said. Detectives are talking to scrap metal and
salvage business operators, trying to develop leads, she said. The thefts
are on the rise, with 28 reported so far this year, she said. Police
investigated 16 reports in April alone. Only six such thefts were reported in
all of 2010, Damke said. Damke said copper thefts are more common in commercial
areas and construction sites, but most of the backflow preventers stolen this
year were from homes. The thefts probably occurred in the winter but are only
being discovered now because spring has arrived and homeowners are checking
their sprinkler systems..." Suburban Journals, May 6,
2011
Backflow is topic of Monday’s commission meeting "An ordinance that would require some commercial property owners to
have their backflow prevention devices inspected annually is set to go before
the Helena City Commission for a final vote Monday night, but even if it passes,
some technicalities would have to be worked out before it would be implemented.
Backflow is essentially water that reverses direction, coming from private
plumbing back into the city’s delivery system, thus creating potential health
hazards. A selection of valves can prevent those occurrences and city code
requires the installation of such devices at various points of service. Though
both residential and commercial properties are affected by those stipulations,
the new ordinance would focus only on the latter and only businesses that would
pose more significant backflow concerns because of substances or products they
utilize — including restaurants that use particular carbonation or soda
machines, said city Utilities Superintendent Kevin Hart. But who exactly
would be affected by the new ordinance has yet to be determined, though Hart’s
rough estimate is that 600 commercial properties could be included. At the
moment, city workers are in the process of surveying hundreds of Helena
businesses, noting what they do and where backflow installations and checks
might be needed...." April 24, 2011
Va. Beach auditor: No evidence of water safety
inspections "The city's drinking water is
safe, Virginia Beach officials assured residents Tuesday, but an inspections
program aimed at protecting the public water supply will be revamped. In a
memo to City Council, City Auditor Lyndon Remias indicated that it's unclear
whether city inspectors have been checking on devices called backflow
preventers. The device ensures that contaminated water is kept away from the
city's water supply. Businesses such as hospitals or laboratories and some
residential wells are required to use the devices. There are about 5,000 in
Virginia Beach, and state law requires cities to inspect them every year.
"Permits and inspections could not provide us with any supporting documentation
to indicate that the inspections were performed," Remias wrote. ...The
inspections staff also provided "inaccurate and unreliable information" to other
city officials about their work, the audit found. "We made a mistake,"
Mayor Will Sessoms said. "We're fixing it." The city is transferring the
backflow inspections program from the Planning Department to Public Utilities,
which handles water issues and pays for the inspector positions. Cheri
Hainer, the city's building codes administrator, said the problem was shoddy
paperwork and not a lack of inspections. Hainer's office initially asked for the
audit after hearing concerns last summer about how many inspections were being
conducted. An inspection might have been done, but the staff wasn't putting it
into the database, Hainer said. The paperwork sent from a business verifying
that a plumber had checked its backflow preventer could not be found, Hainer
said. "Some of the paperwork has kind of disappeared," Hainer said.
...So far, officials have not found any problems in the devices that have been
checked. "It's a serious documentation problem," Leahy said. "We have yet to
find a serious backflow problem...." hamptonroads.com, Feb. 2, 2011
Backflow case withdrawn "COTTONWOOD - Bob
Oliphant has withdrawn his lawsuit against the City of Cottonwood after the city
council in November voted to modify its code addressing the complaints in the
civil suit. The City has been consumed, in recent months,
with enforcing and regulating backflow prevention devices, most of which were
originally installed in the Cottonwood Ranch community, where Oliphant is a
homeowner. A domino-like chain of events resulted from the
city's discovery that the subdivision homes are equipped with the devices. The
city then needed to tailor, with local requirements, the conflicting state and
building code rules that require that such mechanical devices be inspected each
year. The city says that a prevention
device is needed only when there is a threat of cross-contamination of public
drinking water where fertilizer injectors, a swimming pool or with "pop-up"
irrigation is connected to the system. Since most of the
devices were not used at all in that fashion in Cottonwood Ranch, the city
determined they could be physically removed and no annual inspection or costs
would be needed. More than 300 were removed...." Verde
Independent, Dec. 11, 2010
Village soon may start plumbing inspections "HUNTLEY – The village soon may offer a new service to residents,
but private plumbing contractors aren’t happy about it. It’s mandatory for
residents who have a fire suppression system or lawn sprinkler system to have
either checked once a year. Village officials say it’s often a 15-minute
inspection that costs between $45 and $95. Huntley may begin offering the
service near the lower range for residents. “It’s not so much about revenue as
it is a service, I think, to our people,” Village Trustee Pam Fender said. “It’s
still a matter of public safety.” However, Paul Spiller of Palatine, who works
as a private plumbing contractor in the Huntley area, said the village would be
taking away customers from small-business owners. He plans to file a petition
with the help of local plumbing unions and organizations to try to get the
village to take another look at the issue. “We’re concerned about them offering
the service of testing backflow preventers. ... The only reason they’re doing
that is to generate income,” Spiller said. “The government is basically stepping
in, taking away our bread and butter, because they need to support their
existence.”"... Northwest Herald, Dec.4, 2010
Water contamination at Bristow School "Drinking water at Bristow Elementary School was contaminated
today, and officials are urging students who may have ingested the water to
watch for symptoms. Glycol, a chemical used in the school’s heating and cooling
system, leaked into the school’s drinking supply Wednesday afternoon. District
officials were notified of the incident around 1:30 p.m. A contracting company,
Knights Mechanical, was working on the school’s HVAC system, attempting to pump
additional water from the school’s drinking supply into geothermal pipes.
Pressure in those pipes caused water to back up and a small amount of chemicals
were pushed back into the drinking supply, said Joanie Hendricks, spokeswoman
for Warren County Public Schools. “We know that at least a couple of students
took a drink of water, spit it out and said it tasted funny,” Hendricks
said...." Bowling Green Daily News, Oct. 13, 2010
Sugar Land Also Experienced Rash Of Back Flow Valve
Thefts "Missouri City is not the only city that
experienced a rash of back flow valve thefts in September. In Sugar Land, 16 of
the year’s 23 cases occurred last month. Back flow valves are connected to
sprinkler systems to prevent tainted water from back flowing into the good water
system. ...Missouri City police said earlier this week that many times there are
witnesses to the thefts, but the witness doesn’t realize a crime is occurring.
In Missouri City, 13 businesses were targeted in September. The valves contain
copper, which is sold by thieves to scrap metal companies or to individuals.
Missouri City police have identified a suspect, described as a white or Hispanic
man in a white pickup truck. The suspect had a large “T” handle water shut-off
tool and he would shut off the water then knock the brass valve off the PVC
piping that it was attached to, put the valve into his truck and leave...."
Fortbendnow.com, Oct. 21, 2010
Backflow preventer issue becomes a lawsuit for city "A key complaint for Cottonwood Ranch residents has turned into a
lawsuit against the city. Former attorney and law professor Bob Oliphant has
filed a complaint in Yavapai County Superior Court challenging the city's policy
and execution of a technical issue. Oliphant says the city's
interpretation goes against state law. The issue has to do with
a device that is added to the residential water system at homes in Cottonwood
Ranch and some other communities and is intended to make sure that water only
moves in one direction and does not permit drinking water to become tainted. The backflow preventer would make sure that, for example,
fertilizer from a distribution system for the lawn and garden does not drain
back into the drinking water supply and create a "cross-connection." State codes and the International Code adopted by Cottonwood
require that the backflow preventer be inspected annually, according to the
suit. But the city has told area residents to remove the backflow preventer if
they are not used to avoid future malfunctions in the system.
The city has sent Oliphant a final notice of its intent to
discontinue his water service since he has not had the backflow device
inspected...." Verde Independent, Sept. 2, 2010
Cause of Westbrook fire still under investigation
"A spectacular fire destroyed a 5,000-square-foot waterfront mansion the evening
of July 27 as stunned onlookers watched from the beach, boats and picnic areas
of the exclusive enclave near Pilots Point Marina. ...More than 60 firefighters
from Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Clinton, Essex, Killingworth and Deep River
responded to the blaze, as did Clinton and Westbrook fire boats. Westbrook Fire
Marshal George Rehberg described the structure as “a total loss.” The house was equipped with a $15,000 NFPA sprinkler system in
2001, but the plastic pipes were no match for the extreme heat of the
fire. There was no information available regarding an alarm system.
According to Fire Chief Michael Jenkins, inadequate
water pressure at the hydrant led to pumping water from Long Island Sound a
distance of about 400 feet which resulted in a backflow of saltwater to the
public water supply. Information is still being gathered as to why
the pressure was perceived to be low in the hydrant. According to Connecticut
Water Company Spokesperson Mary Ingarra, the hydrant was functioning properly,
and some extenuating issue must have led to the perceived lack of pressure, such
as another open hydrant. The pipes along Seaside Avenue are about four years
old, but the system for Captains Drive is about 50 to 60 years old, Ingarra
said. Jenkins said that such a backflow has not occurred
before. The water lines were flushed throughout the next day, and tanker trucks
carrying water were stationed in the area to provide fresh drinking
water...." Shoreline Times, Aug.
10, 2010
Splash Parks = Germ
Parks "Public fountains and playgrounds
with water features can be an overlooked cause of waterborne
illness...." They seem innocuous enough: colorful mushrooms raining with
cold water on a hot day, and goofy tubes whirling around spraying water. But
these increasingly popular splash parks are just as guilty of transmitting
recreational waterborne illnesses as public swimming pools. A new report
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that an
outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Idaho, which sickened 45 people, could be
traced back to a splash park. And that’s not the first. The largest
cryptosporidiosis outbreak in New York State, which ultimately made 713 people
sick in 2005, was traced back to one of these splash parks, or “spray
grounds.” THE DETAILS: Public fountains and splash parks
(think concrete playgrounds with fountains and other play equipment that shoots
out water) aren’t always regulated in the same way as public pools, says Michele
Hlavsa, RN, MPH, epidemiologist with the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program. A
splash park, she says, “is basically an underground pool, designed in the hopes
that children won’t drown.” The water is stored in underground tanks and sprayed
through play equipment above ground, potentially exposing kids to harmful
bacteria if the water isn’t properly treated. And just because you may see
kids splashing around in a public fountain doesn’t necessarily mean it was
intended to be used as a swimming pool substitute. The water may not be treated
at all, but like a splash park, it can expose kids to waterborne illnesses,
since all that water washes dirt, vomit, and diarrhea particles into the holding
tanks below ground.... You contract cryptosporidiosis by drinking
contaminated water, and there’s some suspicion that the 2005 New York State
outbreak may have been caused by people treating the spray park as a public
drinking fountain. While chlorine will kill bacteria such as E. coli
and salmonella, cryptosporidium are resistant to it and can
survive for up to 10 days in a well-chlorinated pool or fountain. So discourage
the kids from imbibing the spray, and have them quench their thirst at actual
drinking fountains, or bring your own drinking water." Rodale.com, March
25, 2010
Determining vulnerability and occurrence of residential
backflow "Backflow from customer service
connections is of concern to water utilities, but few data about the frequency
of such occurrences exist and little is known about how to monitor for backflow
into the distribution system. For the first time, occurrence statistics for
residential backflow have been quantified. As it turns out, backflow is a much
more widespread problem than currently believed. Backflow has now been shown to
occur in 1.6% of all meter reads and in 5% of homes with backflow-sensing
meters. ....Backflow-sensing meters, combined with an effective pressure
management program to minimize or eliminate pressure transients (a primary cause
of backsiphonage cross-connections) and integrated into a fixed network
automated meter reading/advanced metering infrastructure system, can provide
utilities with near real-time information on backflow events...." AWWA
e-Journal, August 2010
MORGAN v. VILLAGE OF SILVER LAKE "The...
litigation stems from a water well on Morgan's property, located approximately
nineteen feet from his residence. After conducting an audit at Morgan's
residence, the Village notified him that his well constituted an auxiliary water
system and ordered him to install a backflow prevention device to protect
against the possibility of his well water contaminating the Village's water
supply. Morgan refused to comply with the Village's order to install a backflow
prevention device. He insisted that a prevention device was unnecessary because
he never connected his well to his residence and the Village's water supply. The
Village eventually informed Morgan that it would terminate the water supply to
his residence if he failed to install a prevention device by a specific date..."
Leagle, Aug. 4, 2010
Backflow Prevention Program Stirs Controversy "A state mandate to protect municipal water supply quality by having all
businesses install backflow valves or preventers is creating some controversy in
Riverbank... Estimating moÒe than 600 businesses will requHre the valves
at an installation cost ranging from about $200 to $2,000 depending on size,
Riverbank City Council members proposed at the last meeting to offer one year
loans at either zero interest or with a small adÉinistrative fee. But former
mDyor Charles Neal and others noted the city installed backflow preventers for
21 businesses at a cost of $52,000 to speed up downtown redevelopment in 2008
and charged the cost to the water fund, not the businesses. So nNw council
members including MDyor Virginia Madueno are saying those 21 businesses "should
pay their fair share." On June 14, Fair Deal Market manager Kenny Auyeung
protested an estimated cost for his business of between $2,200 and $4,000 and
called it "discriminatory and unfair." Public Works Director Dave Melilli told
the council he advised in 2008 the costs be charged "to the project" not the
water fund. About 660 businesses will need some type of backflow preventer, he
said, and city is preparing a priority list where the businesses "most at risk"
will be handled first. Size of piping, one- or two- or three-inch diameter, will
determine the price. The state may someday require preventers be retrofitted in
older homes, he warned, but at the moment is interested only in businesses. The
state mandated backflow preventers in 2001 but it took until 2007 and 2008 for
cities to find a mechanism to enforce the requirement. Melilli said the city is
using business licenses as a tracking device and denying a business license to
businesses that do not take steps to install the devices. Madueno criticized
that procedure, saying the city is trying to stimulate businesses, not drive
companies away. The city originally proposed to require loan repayment on
a monthly basis over a period of six months and to charge a simple interest rate
of .5 percent on the loan but has now eased those requirements...." Riverbank
News, June 24, 2010
State, City of Chicago are now inspecting dental offices for backflow
preventer compliance "Dental offices in the
Chicago area are being inspected for compliance with state and city requirements
that dental offices have backflow preventers on their dental units and vacuum
system. This requirement has been in effect since 1994. It requires all dental
offices in the state to have a licensed plumber install a reduced pressure
principle backflow preventer (RPZ) on each dental unit or group of dental units
and on the dental vacuum system in order to protect the water system from
potential health hazards of human waste discharged during dental procedures from
flowing back into the water system. A summary of the State’s code requirements
can be found online at www.isds.org/LawsLegislation/RegulatoryIssues/RPZvalves.asp. The City of Chicago requires a backflow preventer on each dental unit.
But other cities and counties may only require a backflow preventer that
connects all units to the main water system. Dentists statewide need to be aware
of their local requirements and enforcement codes, as well as the requirement to
have an annual inspection of the backflow devices by a licensed
plumber..." Chicago Dental Society, 2010
Grand Jury:
Rio Linda Water District 'Defective' Water System Pose Health
Risks... "Management of the Rio Linda/Elverta
Community Water District has gotten so bad, the Sacramento County grand jury
says, the district has failed to meet standards and the water system now "poses
significant risks to public health and safety." A report released Monday calls
the district "defective" and blames the board of directors for management
failures, wasting taxpayer dollars and violating the Brown Act by "using closed
board sessions inappropriately." "Based upon its investigation,
the grand jury has little hope that RLECWD will be able to take the necessary
corrective actions without outside help," the report states. ..."The
defective RLECWD water system poses significant risks to public health and
safety. The District must make a series of improvements to mitigate these
risks," the report states. ...The CDPH previously found the water didn't
meet state standards. It has issued two compliance orders, but the district has
not complied. To correct those safety issues, the grand jury recommends that the district improve and increase its
water supply in case of fires in order to meet codes, to maintain a backflow
prevention program and to hire an independent consultant to weigh any
health risks. ...Regarding management, the grand jury said the district's
board of directors and staff "should be trained in professional management and
conduct, ethics, and respect for others...." 3KCRA.com, April 5, 2010
Do you own a swimming pool? You might need this piece of
equipment "If you have a piped pool,
lawn-irrigation system, a piped boiler or other specific plumbing services, you
might need to install a backflow prevention device. IllinoisAmerican Water Co.
has sent surveys to its customers in Belleville, East St. Louis and Granite City
to get information about their water usage and plumbing systems. If your
residence or business includes one or more of the items listed on the survey, it
is required to have a backflow prevention device. ...If you have a private well
or yard hydrant, or if you have piped plumbing into a chemical or agricultural
process, an underground lawn sprinkler or irrigation system, a fire suppressant
system, a swimming pool or boiler. ...How much does a device cost and who pays
for it? The cost varies from $10 for a minimal fixture to $4,000 or $5,000 for
industrial sized fixtures..." BND.com, March 31, 2010
Get
ID before welcoming strangers "We have been advised
by public works department that there are unsolicited representatives going
door-to-door to install backflow valves in homeowners’ basements and falsely
representing themselves as being employed by the City of Hamilton. Exercise
caution when anyone approaches your home and get identification before allowing
anyone you do not know to enter your home. The city would not send a plumber to
your home to install a backflow valve or any other works. City staff that may
visit your home will present the appropriate identification verifying they are a
city employee..." Stoney Creek News, March 11, 2010
Securing water supplies "More than half a
dozen water departments across Northeast Georgia requested grant money this year
to protect their water lines from terrorists who might use fire hydrants to
contaminate an entire town's water supply. The chance of landing a Homeland
Security grant for the projects is slim to none, but in applying for the money,
utility directors brought to light what experts call the greatest risk to any
water system - the fire hydrant. "Our opinion, in the water business, is that
there has not been enough attention given to the vulnerability of fire
hydrants," said Jimmy Matthews, director of the Georgia Rural Water Association.
"We're in the process now of gradually educating government officials and those
in elected office about the need to protect our water systems." Jackson
County Water and Sewer Authority officials decided earlier this month to apply
for $1 million to retrofit several hundred of that county's 3,000 hydrants, said
Fred Alke, head engineer for the authority. "If you
had mischief in mind, you could draw all kinds of things back into that
distribution system," Alke said. "That's dangerous for everyone who drinks water
from any water department." In only a couple of
minutes, someone could tamper with a fire hydrant and push contaminants into a
water main, Alke said. Once that contaminant is in the line, no one would notice
until it starts coming out of the spigots. That makes
an attack on hydrants more dangerous than the risk of someone tainting a whole
reservoir - where any contaminant would be diluted and probably caught by the
water treatment process, Alke said. A back-flow
prevention valve, a piece of equipment installed 4 feet below ground, can
prevent any contaminant from getting into the main line. The Jackson
County Water and Sewer Authority requires all new water lines and hydrants to
have the backflow valves, but the utility can't afford to retrofit all the old
hydrants. "In the future, when we put in new lines and hydrants, we'll include
these valves," Alke said. "It's not just a boondoggle thing that we're doing to
get at this grant money. We're going ahead with this."" Athens Banner-Herald,
Feb. 23, 2010
Bronx sewage plant workers were at risk of drinking dirty water, due to
missing 'backflow preventer' "The agency in charge of delivering clean water to New Yorkers
forgot to do it for its own employees. A new building at the Hunts
Point sewage plant in the Bronx was built seven months ago without a necessary
"backflow preventer" to protect water in the plant's huge boilers from backing
up into its pipes. That could have allowed water
tainted by industrial chemicals to pour out of hallway drinking fountains,
locker room showers and lunchroom sinks, the Department of Environmental
Protection admits. "That's a mistake. We're looking into that," said new
DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway. "There wasn't a backflow preventer there. There
is now." ...Nobody noticed the backflow preventer was missing until a
sharp-eyed DEP worker reported it to his supervisors Jan. 15, officials
said. "It wasn't on the plans," Holloway said. "We'll look into why
it wasn't put into the original design." The next day, employees say,
signs went up above the water fountains telling workers not to drink from them
and portable water coolers were wheeled into the building for drinking.
Tests of the water system since then have found no evidence of any
contamination, but the coolers will remain in place for the time being.
The backflow preventer
never appeared on the specifications for the building, and none of the many
people who reviewed the plans or the finished product ever noticed the
mistake...." NY Daily News, Feb. 3,
2010
Paper Strips Can Quickly Detect Toxin In Drinking Water "A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and
inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water. Engineers at
the University of Michigan led the development of the new biosensor. The paper
strips perform 28 times faster than the complicated method most commonly used
today to detect microcystin-LR, a chemical compound produced by cyanobacteria,
or blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria is commonly found on nutrient-rich waters.
Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), even in very small quantities, is suspected to cause
liver damage and possibly liver cancer. The substance and others like it are
among the leading causes of biological water pollution. It is believed to be a
culprit of mass poisonings going back to early human history, said Nicholas
Kotov, a professor in the departments of Chemical Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering who led the project. Water
treatment plants—even in developed countries—can't always remove MC-LR
completely, nor can they test for it often enough, Kotov said. The biosensor he
and his colleagues developed provides a quick, cheap, portable and sensitive
test that could allow water treatment plants and individuals to verify the
safety of water on a more regular basis. "The safety of drinking water is a
vital issue in many developing countries and in many parts of the United
States," Kotov said. "We've developed a simple and inexpensive technology to
detect multiple toxins." The technology could easily be adapted to detect a
variety harmful chemicals or toxins in water or food..." Water Online,
Jan. 11, 2010
Backflow Prevention Outreach Program "To
protect New York City’s drinking water supply systems from contamination, DEP
has a robust water quality monitoring program and regularly performs sampling
throughout the City to ensure all relevant State and federal standards are met.
DEP also works to prevent contamination
before it occurs by ensuring that City businesses comply with all relevant City
and State codes. A key component of this enforcement and inspection initiative
is DEP’s Cross Connection Control Program, which requires certain businesses to
install and operate approved backflow prevention
devices...".
Mayor
Bloomberg Signs Legislation Preventing Potential Backflow Of Contaminants From
Buildings Into The Public Water System "The fifth bill before me today is Introductory
Number 935-A, sponsored by Council Members Gennaro, Comrie, Fidler, James,
Koppell, Nelson, Weprin, Gerson, White, Jackson, Recchia, Vallone, Liu, Sears
and Crowley. Introductory Number 935-A assists in preventing the potential
backflow of contaminants from buildings into the public water system. "The
City’s drinking water is the best in the world. This results from the
vision of City engineers in the past and the great work of the Department of
Environmental Protection today. One threat to the water supply with which
the Department must contend is the "backflow” of contaminated water out of
buildings into the public water supply system. Without the installation of
a backflow prevention device, buildings such as hospitals, labs, and factories
can create risks to the water supply system. The Department is in the
middle of a rigorous inspection program to identify sites at which backflow
prevention devices are required, but not currently installed.
"Introductory Number 935-A further builds on the Department’s work to mitigate
the risk of hazardous backflow by codifying into law requirements on the
installation of prevention devices. Introduction Number 935-A also
requires the Department to notify the owner of any building found to potentially
require a backflow device and to report to the Council semi-annually on the
Department’s work regarding hazardous backflow..." Media News Wire, Dec. 8,
2009
Dirty
water forces family to move out "A West Auckland
family have quit their rented farm house in disgust after their water supply was
contaminated by a cattle trough in a nearby paddock. Bart Lear, his wife,
Diane, and two sons moved out of Redhills Rd, Massey, last week after nine years
of enjoying keeping chickens, a dog and a cat. The good life went sour in
May last year when they became concerned about dirty water. Mr Lear, a
pensioner, said his complaints were dismissed by representatives of the
landlord, Hugh Green Group. "In May last year we suffered persistent
stomach illness," said Mr Lear. "We took a sample [of water] up to the
local chemist, who does tests for swimming pool water and he told us to take it
to the council," said Mr Lear. Mr Lear discovered stock water troughs were
connected to the supply line for the house. He complained and in July and
August 2008, Waitakere City Council had tests done on a water sample from the
bathroom tap. The laboratory reported it contained blue-green algae and
nematodes - worms found in many aquatic and soil environments. Examination
of a sample from the trough in the upper paddock showed similar algae and
worms. Council spokesman Wally Thomas said the landlord was ordered to
disconnect the troughs from the supply line. The council also fitted a
backflow device where the council's water main meets the property's supply
line..." New Zealand Herald, Dec. 1,
2009
Selected Case Descriptions of Outbreaks Associated with Drinking
Water "...Water became contaminated at a trailer park, causing residents to
become ill. Contamination was attributed to a power outage, which created a
negative pressure condition in the distribution system. This allowed
contaminated water to enter the system through either a cross connection inside
a mobile home or a leaking underground pipe that was near sewer crossings." CDC
MMWR
Water at Menifee’s Paloma Valley HS turned off as officials await test
results "No
one has been made sick, but officials at the water district do not know where
the smell is coming from... No one has been made sick, but officials at the
water district do not know where the smell is coming from. “It has been pretty
much been isolated to the boys’ locker room,” Odencrans said. “We are looking at
several possibilities but nothing is sure yet.” The smell was reported Wednesday
and the water turned off to most of the school, prompting officials to bring
bottled water to the campus, Odencrans said. Tests so far have been
inconclusive, he said, and another batch of results are expected Monday
afternoon. He said tests were conducted on the water in other portions of the
campus, like the cafeteria and gymnasium, but there have been no problems there.
Drinking fountains have been turned off, he said, but toilets have been working.
He said county and state health officials have been notified about the situation
and are being updated. Even if tests come back negative, it is possible the
water would not be turned back on until after the Veterans Day holiday because
the system would have to be flushed out and health officials have to determine
there are no problems. Odencrans said it is possible there has been a
cross-connection between a water line and another pipe that is causing the
chemical smell. He said an inspection of the plumbing in the area will also take
place." SWRNN.com, Nov. 9, 2009
Drinking
water bylaw in pipeline "Hamilton Ontario - The
city is considering a new bylaw that would help protect drinking water. The
bylaw would apply to backflow prevention devices, which keep contaminants out of
the drinking water supply. The devices are not to be confused with the valves
that prevent sewage from backing up into homes during flooding. Though the city
requires all new buildings to have a backflow prevention device installed, the
proposed bylaw would require the devices to be inspected regularly. There's
currently no legislation that regulates maintenance after the devices are
installed. Initially, the bylaw would apply only to commercial, industrial and
high-rise apartment buildings. If passed, it would be phased in for residential
homes within the next few years..." Hamilton Spectator, October 14,
2009
Backflow mandate puts city in hot water with Cottonwood Ranch
residents "There was something of a "dust-up" this past
week as residents of the Cottonwood Ranch challenged the City of Cottonwood over
its policies to regulate backflow devices. The devices were reportedly installed
in homes during construction of the Cottonwood Ranch water systems to prevent
contaminants from draining into the drinking water from lawn fertilizer
injectors and pop-up spray irrigation systems. Neighbors became upset when they
received a form letter from the Cottonwood City Water Department advising of a
state law that requires that such backflow devices be tested annually.
Further, residents were advised that if they did not show that their system had
been tested and the maintenance record turned into the city by Nov. 6, then
their water service would be discontinued. The
letters angered residents, many whom did not even realize they had a backflow
device in their water system. Others
brought in plumbers and gardeners to have the devices pulled out of their
systems or glued shut. Rodney Smith, who formerly worked for Phelps Dodge
in Ajo, Ariz., which operated the town water system, told the council Tuesday he
was responsible for backflow devices there. Smith said the city is
overlooking one clause in the state law that excludes single-family homes from
the inspection requirement, if no "cross-connection problem is specifically
identified." After a flurry of letters back and forth between homeowners
and the city, Bob Oliphant, a former law professor, urged the city to work out a
joint consent agreement in Superior Court Friday to stay any department action
for 90 days. By Friday afternoon, the city hand-delivered letters to the
affected home owners, advising that there was no risk that their water would be
turned off as long as they continued to work with the city department. City
Attorney Steve Horton advised: "With that assurance in place, hopefully we can
work together to identify and resolve those issues on which there may still be a
good faith difference of opinion, i.e., the proper interpretation of AAC
R18-4-215, including whether the presence of a fertilizer injector mechanism
and/or a pressurized (i.e., "pop-up") irrigation system triggers the mandatory
ADEQ requirement to have a back-flow prevention device installed and annually
inspected at any residence that has one or both of those apparatuses in place,
under AAC R18-4-215(B)(1) (and notwithstanding subsection (C)); and whether some
action short of removing a fertilizer injector altogether - such as gluing it
shut - constitutes grounds for relief from that subsection, if it otherwise
applies."" Verde Independent, Oct. 10,
2009
Corruption Probe Weakens Dept. of Buildings' Structural
Integrity "The DOB is more like the MOB, according to shocking new revelations
reported today. At least six inspectors with the city's Department of
Buildings have been videotaped taking bribes at construction sites, and some
were seen dealing cocaine and prescription pills, according to the New York Post.
The workers, some of whom allegedly have ties to
the Luchese crime family, will be arrested later this month, along with about
two dozen mafioso, sources told the Post. "This is going to be
big," their source said. The forthcoming arrests are the result of a
two-year probe which spawned a 2007 New Jersey case involving a Luchese
squad... As the investigation sprawled across the Hudson, probers began following buildings inspectors and captured crooked
workers taking $50 and $100 payoffs to ignore violations. Then, even more
shocking, several inspectors reportedly were videotaped selling OxyContin, Vicodin and cocaine while on duty. Two inspectors
are now allegedly cooperating with the investigation, sources told the Post.
As of last week, none of the inspectors under investigation are still
employed with the Buildings Department, according to a statement released by
Commissioner Robert Limandri. "The allegations are disgraceful and do not
reflect the diligent work of employees at the Department of Buildings. Our
inspectors are entrusted to protect the public from unsafe building conditions,
and it appears that these inspectors betrayed that trust," Limandri said
in the statement. "In June, the Department began re-inspections of all
buildings associated with the inspectors in question, including visiting every
site, and we expect to complete that process soon." Limandri also noted that the
DOB recently launched a new program last month that would track the location of every inspector
with Blobal-positioning systems. While the GPS wouldn't specifically prevejt the
kind of corruption thatis alleged to have occurred in this latest case, Limandry
said they "expect this new tracking system will act as a deterrent and hold
inspectors accountable for their work."" NBC New York, Sept. 6,
2009
Soda Machine
Blamed In Illness At Restaurant "LENEXA, Kan. -- A
Lenexa restaurant has been slapped with an emergency license suspension by state
authorities. KMBC's Maria Antonia reported that nearly two dozen people
became ill Sunday night while eating at the Mi Ranchito at Interstate 35 and
95th Street in Lenexa. It was not the first time diners at this restaurant had
gotten sick, officials said. About half of
those who fell ill went to area hospitals as a precaution, but no one was
admitted. Managers of the restaurant told KMBC that carbonated drinks were
the cause of the most recent illness. They blame the soda machine, which they said had backflow
problems. That means carbonated water was coming into contact with copper lines,
poisoning customers with copper. Health inspectors have not
completed their investigation. The restaurant is currently closed, but it
is offering coupons to eat at one of Mi Ranchito's other locations. Amber
Barham, with the state Department of Agriculture, said the customers became sick
very quickly. State inspection reports reveal that the restaurant had at
least two dozen health violations in 2008. Most of these violations were
considered critical. KMBC also has been told that five more customers got sick
at the same location on Aug. 11. Bill Donegan, of Olathe, was one of those
customers. "I was shocked," said Donegan, when asked how he reacted when
he heard about the recent illnesses. "I immediately thought about it, because
the symptoms were exactly the same." Donegan said that on Aug. 11, he, his
brother and their children were eating lunch when a similar incident
unfolded. "We
were sitting there eating, and all of the sudden we began to get really, really
hot and started sweating. I started to feel dizzy and nauseated," Donegan told
KMBC's Marcus Moore. Donegan said he went straight for the bathroom, and
that his relatives and other customers were also complaining of nausea and
dizziness. "One of the men said, 'Oh my goodness, my wife's getting sick,
too.' People were getting sick all over the place, at tables and every
place," Donegan said. Inspectors said they took food samples
at the time, but did not find out what caused the illness. The fact that some in the
restaurant became sick so quickly might be a clue to the source of the
problem. Barham said, "A lot of times, it is chemical. There could be
something to the backflow issue." "I cannot understand how
back on Aug. 11 -- 20 days ago -- the entire restaurant got sick and many people
had to be transported. Yet for another 20 days, nothing at all happened. And
then all of the sudden, this happens again," Donegan said. One problem
with that theory is that not everyone who got sick drank sodas. Inspectors are
also sampling chips and salsa. The inspectors do say that people with food
poisoning do not fall ill as quickly as happened in this case...." KMBC-TV, August 31, 2009
Police Say Bomb Suspect Wanted To Tamper With Water
Supply "A 21-year-old man with a history of mental
illness and an obsession with fire and explosions had moved back into his
parents' home in Colchester for just three weeks before he was charged last
month with tampering with town fire hydrants and illegal bomb-making. A friend
of Kevin Walker called police July 29, the same day the town's water department
discovered that somebody had tampered with a fire hydrant on Lebanon Avenue,
releasing 314,000 gallons of water. Aaron Harris, who is 18, said Walker had
been talking about adding a chemical to a public water supply and was making
explosives in his garage. ”It is clear to me that Kevin intends to cause damage
and is actively planning,” Harris told police. “I feel that Kevin is dangerous
to others and will hurt someone if something is not done.” The next day,
the state police bomb squad executed a search warrant on the detached garage at
Walker's parents' home at 72 Elm St. They seized a form of homemade napalm and
bomb-making materials and arrested Walker at the scene. He was arraigned Friday
in Superior Court in Norwich on charges of attempted manufacture of illegal
bombs, four counts of first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree larceny,
first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of second-degree breach of peace
and sixth-degree larceny. Walker admitted to using a pipe wrench to open fire
hydrants in the area, saying he had “heard about iP being done and wanted to see
how difficult it was,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit prepared by
Troop K detective Mark E. Devine. Walker also admitted to buying materials
to build pipe bombs and making and detonating two other types of bombs - one
made with an empty CO2 cartridge and another with Drano, the drain clog cleaner.
...Walker had tampered with fire hydrants on Lebanon Road, Airline Trail, Elm
Street and Upton Road, according to the arrest warrant. The town estimated the
cost of the water loss at about $2,740 and said two caps valued at $80 had been
stolen off one of the hydrants. The water department found one of the hydrants
had been pressurized, a condition that is potentially dangerous to somebody
servicing the hydrant. Harris, Walker's
friend, said Walker talked of looking for hydrants in
remote areas and putting into the public water supply time-release capsules of
cesium, a chemical that is highly reactive with water.
(See:http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cesium.htm) First Selectwoman Linda Hodge said the town's water
department was “right on top” of the water loss and the system was restored to
normalcy within a day. She said she could not comment on the police
investigation...." The Day, August 18, 2009
DEP regulations could cost water customers "Thousands of Tampa Bay area property owners
could soon be saddled with the cost of installing devises to prevent the
contamination of public drinking-water supplies. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection plans to begin enforcing rules that require government-
and investor-owned utilities across the state to retrofit homes and businesses
with backflow protection. Homeowners and businesses will have to cover the costs
of the devices, which can range from $300 to $25,000 including instillation
costs. The new rules, expected to go into effect by the end of the year,
will affect homeowners with reclaimed water and irrigation systems that use
water pumped from wells, lakes and ponds as well as businesses and multifamily
residences with fire-sprinkler systems. In addition, home and business owners
who need backflow protection would be required to pay a licensed plumber between
$25 and $75 every year to test the devices. Tampa officials argue the
regulations will place an unfair financial burden on the city, and especially on
business owners and residents, who will shoulder the bulk of the costs.
...DEP officials said they are mindful of the cost burden but said the rules are
necessary to prevent the backflow of chemicals, bacteria and viruses into the
public's drinking water. State environmental regulators decided to start
enforcing the rules – which have been on the books since 1987 – this year after
a residential subdivision in South Florida was discovered using surface water to
water its lawns without backflow protection. Businesses and homeowners will be
given until 2015 to comply with the regulations, which will also apply to
private utilities that serve residential and commercial customers.
...David Brown, a 71-year-old Sun City retiree who has been lobbying against the
DEP requirements, said the threat to the drinking-water supply is "grossly
overexaggerated." "Backflow valves are an expensive solution to a problem that
simply doesn't exist," said Brown, the county's 2008 winner of the Moral Courage
Award for fighting the county's efforts to require backflow valves. "No one has
ever died in the state of Florida from backflow contamination." ...city
officials say forcing thousands of commercial and residential customers, within
such a short period of time, to comply with the rules will create a financial
hardship. "Nobody has that kind of money right now," Baird said. "It's an
unreasonable request." Exactly how many of the city's water customers will
be required to install the valves has not been determined. The city would first
have to inspect all of its 149,800 water hookups, and that would mean hiring 19
new workers at a cost of $1.2 million, Baird said. City officials have
estimated that retrofitting the 1,700 commercial and multifamily units in the
city's water service area with backflow prevention would cost about $34
million. There's also the issue of property rights. Water department crews
for the city and Hillsborough County have been advised by their legal
departments not to trespass on residential land without owner permission to see
whether the property has backflow valves. ...In a letter to the DEP, Paul
Vanderploog, the county's water resource director, estimated that complying with
the rules could cost $20 million over the next five years. "In these tough
economic times, the cost is unreasonable to bear," he wrote." Tampa Bay Online,
August 17, 2009
Plumbers say Metrowater should pipe down "Local businesses are
caught in the middle of a scrap between tradesmen and a local authority
agency... Auckland plumbers say the Auckland City Council-owned Metrowater
is lording it over them in a dirty takeover bid for their services. And you
might feel the corporate wrench as well - in the pocket. There are fears
that a multimillion-dollar takeover will encompass greater Auckland when
water companies unite under the Government's super-city proposal. Backflow
devices protecting the mains water supply are installed for schools,
hairdressers, dentists, doctors, swimming baths and some manufacturers. ...To
give an idea of the magnitude of Metrowater's interest, that's thousands of
backflow devices that must be checked every year at $144 a pop. Historically,
they were tested by plumbers but Metrowater says it is now complying with
laws amended in the Health Act in 2007 to protect the mains supply and the risk
of "serious illness and death". Metrowater, Auckland City's water provider, was
responsible for the care up to the meters outside these properties. In
Metrowater's own service standards report, it says: "you are responsible for the
wastewater pipes and leaks or blockages inside your property". So why is
Metrowater's newly apppointed contractor, Downers EDI, telling customers
there is no need to arrange for a plumber because Downers EDI will now do the
test - at a standard charge. This is railroading, says Bill Smythe, a
49-year-veteran of the Auckland plumbing industry. "You have no choice who tests
your pipes. This is the first time I've seen a takeover of this kind with no
consultation. I'm brassed off. They've come in and blown everyone away.
Customers installed the devices at their own cost and Metrowater are saying they
are theirs." Mr Smythe says plumbers are going to jobs and being told they are
no longer needed. Customers are being bulldozed into accepting
Metrowater's terms, Mr Smythe says. Plumbers told Metrowater where some of the
backflow devices were and now the water giant was using the information to shut
out the plumbers. "They still don't know where 2000 of these devices are. Some
properties have several of them. Many are inside the buildings."
...Metrowater was charging the going rate, was not in it for the money and was
simply meeting Health Act requirements. Mr Hammond says there "have been many
cases of backflow devices not working. "There is a risk of contamination to the
network. Serious illness and death." Mr Smythe says this makes no sense because
customers will have to pay for Metrowater's attendance for one device and
plumbers for any remaining devices and lose discounts offered for multiple
units. Mr Smythe says Metrowater do not fix faults, so customers have to call
plumbers, who will then have to charge for a further test. "Metrowater have got
their hand out where they're not needed."" The
Auklander, July 29, 2009
Did You Know.....? Important Information About Your Water
Heater "For some
time, the City has been using a special valve to prevent backflow when homes are
hooked up to the City's water system. The intent is to prevent any
cross-contamination from a particular home to pass on its "gray water" to the
City's water supply and their neighbors. While this device is helpful toward
ensuring the quality of the City's water, it presents a challenge to home owners
who use the tank system of heating water --- which is almost everyone.
Heat expands, as we learned in grade school. Water in a water heater tank will
also expand when heated. In a plumbing system with a backflow prevention valve
(also known as a "closed system") there is nowhere for the water to expand to.
This puts extra pressure on the piping system and the water heater, possibly
reducing the life of either or both. Many people mistakenly believe that
the release valve at the top or the side of the tank will open for expanding
water, but this is not true. These valves are activated by elevated temperatures
and not pressure. One of the solutions to this problem is a thermal
expansion tank that is installed close to the water heater on the cold water
(entry) line which will allow for expansion and relieve pressure from the tank
itself (extending its life) and the plumbing system. If installing a new water
heater you should check your warranty. Many warranties will tell the owner that
the warranty will be void if the water heater is installed in a closed system
without an thermal expansion tank..." Cassville Democrat, July 8,
2009
N. Providence balks at water-valve order "The town will not comply with a new state health regulation
that calls for municipal water systems to ensure that each home will have a
special valve to prevent any backflow of contaminants into the public water
supply, according to Mayor Joseph M. Polisena. Community water systems
across Rhode Island must notify the state Department of Health about their
progress on the initiative by June 30. “I’m not doing this,” said
Polisena, who controls a water system that supplies about 1,750 homes in
Johnston. “I’m trying to be a realist with the economy,” Polisena said.
“In case the Department of Health doesn’t know it, things are bad. I don’t have
the manpower and womanpower to go out and enforce this.” He called the new
requirement another “senseless mandate” delivered by the state’s
lawmakers. ...The new
regulation is an offshoot of a law that the state legislature approved in June
of 2007. It calls for each “community water system” to set up a program
for the installation of protective control valves at all service connections,
including residential homes. Each system serving more than 500 people must
certify that it has established such a program by the end of the month.
The Providence Water Supply Board and the Kent County Water Authority have
already established such programs, according to the Health Department’s
principal sanitary engineer, Susan H. Rabideau, who estimates the cost of the
required valve at about $300, including installation. A spokeswoman for
the department, Annemarie Beardsworth, said the state will try to help Johnston
meet the requirement." The Providence Journal, June 19,
2009
Richmond shuts down water ties to Anson County "The Anson County water
connection to Richmond County has been shut down until further notice, Richmond
County Manager Jim Haynes said. Last week Anson County through its testing
discovered contamination in its water supply.
“Once Anson County
notified us Friday, we made sure we turned off the connection with our system,”
Haynes said. “In short, our system is not affected,” he said. Immediately
upon being notified, Haynes said tests were run throughout the system in
Richmond County. “These tests began to come back clean on Friday, and by
Sunday we had a clean bill of health for our water system,” Haynes said.
Contamination was discovered in Anson County during its water department’s
routine testing. “It
turns out, someone had an illegal connection to the system without proper
backflow revention,” he said. “This is another reason illegal use from a fire
hydrant is taken seriously..." ...At the time of the
incident, B.K. Jones, Richmond County director of community services, said the
county was not pulling any water from the Anson County water system. He
said the positive samples of contamination were taken in the northwest corner of
Anson County near Burnsville. That area’s system was isolated from the rest of
the county until the situation was resolved..." Richmond County Daily Journal,
June 3, 2009
Crackdown on water sprinklers "Although “backflow
prevention” of sprinkler systems has been in place for more than a year,
homeowners are only now reacting to it with vigor. Critics find the rules
ridiculous for creating more bureaucracy around watering the lawn. Recently
more than 4,000 households have come online for regulation, which may have
inspired the blowback. Ignoring the rule can eventually lead to a misdemeanor
charge and up to a $1,000 fine for each day the violation exists. No one has
been prosecuted so far, and the penalty is considered a last resort.
...The program is designed to protect the water supply
from contamination from industrial, agricultural and residential sources by
requiring backflow prevention devices on lawn sprinklers and the like. Annual
inspections are required as well. JCSA manager Larry Foster said that a backflow
contamination has never happened in James City, but we’re still at risk.
...Contamination was a risk in 2006 when a JCSA water
main at the edge of Skipwith Farms broke. Several tests showed no contamination,
but boil notices were issued to customers as a precaution.
Should the
residential water contain herbicides, pesticides, bacteria or fertilizers,
entire sections of the system can be contaminated. “It’s rare, but it does
happen,” Foster said. The danger may seem remote, but Foster said that James
City, with 6,200 registered irrigation systems, has more than Newport News,
Hampton or Norfolk. One of every three registered irrigation systems in Hampton
Roads is located in James City County. “The Virginia Department of Health
classifies lawn sprinkler systems and irrigation systems as a high hazard for
several reasons,” the program reads. “Sprinklers, bubble outlets, emitters and
other equipment are exposed to substances such as fertilizers, fecal material
from pets or other animals, pesticides and other chemical or biological
contaminants.” They also tend to sit in water either after use or after storms,
posing more hazards. “Simply because of our numbers, that increases
our chances of contamination substantially,” Foster said. If the public water
supply becomes contaminated, Foster would have to flush the lines and continue
rigorous testing to isolate the contamination. Rather than incur that expense,
the agency is trying to prevent the contamination in the first place. JCSA
has sent out two rounds of letters to homeowners to get their systems tested by
August if they have sprinkler or irrigation systems. It has also set up a
website with frequently asked questions, test forms and a list of certified
testers..." The Virginia Gazette, May 9,
2009
Thieves steal pipes from business complex "Some workers in a
southeast side business park showed up for work only to learn they had no water.
Thieves had stolen much of their copper piping, leaving the complex with no
water. Pima County Sheriff's Deputies went to the Butterfield Business
complex where thieves had vandalized businesses and left them literally high and
dry. Deputies took reports from four businesses where backflow preventers were
cut and stolen. These pipes are made of copper and brass. The businesses were without water for several hours. Kenny
Sobczak works for Abacus Plumbing he says "Someone came thru here and stole a
couple of one inch back flows and putting us to work today." Abacus isn't the
only company working at this complex, next door Tucson Plumbing is also hard at
work replacing stolen copper pipes and brass valves. At another business Curtis
plumbing is just as busy. John Brooks of Brooks Associates Racing says this
isn't the first time their complex has been hit. ...The plumbers say
thieves knew what they were doing they had the right tools to cut the pipes so
they didn't damage the pipes they were stealing. One company lost more than just
the copper tubing outside its building. They manufacture scientific
equipment so without water, without bathrooms, and without safety precautions,
they had to send their staff home. So to prevent this from happening again, a
vandal cage will be installed. Kenny Sobczak says, "It stops the people
from stealing because they don't spend time breaking into the cage, its easy to
cut a copper line, its not easy to break a lock into a cage." And business
owners hope the thieves stop breaking the law. Here are some startling numbers.
The cost of the pipe and valves is about 400 dollars. The cost to replace them
more than a thousand. The thieves will only get about 20 to 50 dollars for them.
Hows that for economic efficiency?" News 4 HD, May 13,
2009
Are residents getting ‘soaked’?
"City says 1,700 homeowners must
install pricey devices... The city’s decision to suddenly start enforcing a
building code policy that has been ignored for 10 years – requiring water
backflow preventer devices in certain condos and buildings – has caused a
backlash from property owners. A backflow preventer is a device that protects
drinking water from contamination by stagnant water in sprinkler system lines.
The device must be installed in accordance with plumbing or building codes. Sine
last fall, Jersey City’s Office of the Construction Official has sent out over
1,700 letters to condo owners, owners of multi-unit residential buildings, and
owners of industrial and corporate businesses, telling them that a city plumbing
inspector will soon inspect their building to see if it has a backflow
prevention device installed.
The property owners say they now face extensive
new re-piping work, and are getting expensive quotes from plumbers. ...Condo
owners say they have found themselves looking at expenses upwards of $30,000 to
install not just a backflow preventer, but also an entire new piping system to
enable access to the device for future testing and inspection. ...the city
should have been enforcing the law, set by the state, over the past 10 years.
Instead, Fulop said, the city granted Certificates of Occupancy for residential
buildings without making sure that the buildings had the proper backflow
preventer devices. Anyone not in compliance could face a $2,000 weekly fine."
Hudson Reporter, April 19, 2009
Athens council argues on inspections "Talk of who can inspect plumbing for environmental and health
hazards clogged up the Village Council meeting here Tuesday. In a debate that
lasted some 30 minutes, trustees squared off about whether the village public
works superintendent has the authority to inspect private residents' home for
improper plumbing hookups that could cause water contamination. In the end, they
decided it was a question for the state. Trustee Kevin Converse raised concerns
about whether Public Works Superintendent Arnold Michael is properly licensed to
inspect residents' plumbing for cross connections. He also questioned if has
authority to shut off residents' water if found cross connections are not fixed.
A cross connection occurs when bad plumbing opens the possibility for drinking
water to mix with wastewater, causing contamination. In a debate that grew loud
and heated -- among a council normally softly genial even in debate -- Converse
said Michael needed to be a licensed plumbing inspector under state law to
inspect homes and businesses. Michael's training and licensing under the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality likely didn't give him authority to
inspect anything beyond the village's municipal system, he said. "Once you get
past the water closet, that is not a municipal system and that's where your
licensing stops," Converse said. He said Michael should not tell people how to
fix problems, because if his advice is incorrect and it causes contamination,
the village would be liable if Michael is improperly licensed. He said Michael
shouldn't be allowed to shut off homes' water -- a possible consequence of
inspection failure -- without the right authority. Michael argued the opposite.
He said cross-connection inspections are "part of (his) job," mandated by
village ordinance and required by the DEQ. He said if he doesn't inspect and
something bad happens, he's responsible.... Battle Creek Enquirer, April 16,
2009
Droyer's Pont residents: violations are
retaliation "Jersey City fire
inspectors have hit homeowners at Droyers Point with violations for not having
working fire sprinklers. This action comes two months after the homeowners'
association sued a city agency and the developer for shutting off the sprinklers
six months ago. Some residents say the notices are
tit-for-tat punishment because the Droyers Point Condominium Association filed
their grievances in court. "We don't have the ability to turn these sprinklers
on but we are individually getting these letters," said Jonathan Goodman, a
resident of Carpenter Court in the Droyers Point community, on Kellogg Street
near Route 440. "I think this is in retaliation for us having to resolve this
issue through the courts." In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court Jan. 22 against
developer K. Hovnanian and the city Municipal Utilities Authority, 120
homeowners allege the sprinklers were turned off Aug. 14 due to a flooding
problem. A water surge caused the failure of the backflow preventers attached to
the sprinkler system, they said. City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said
residents received the letters as part of a city-wide crackdown to make sure
buildings are equipped with working backflow preventers, which prevents stagnant
water used in the sprinkler system from mixing with drinking water. The
developer at Droyers Point has installed the backflow preventers, but has not
been able to test them because the water flowing to the sprinkler system has
been turned off, she said...." nj.com, April 6, 2009
City delays backflow ordinance "A controversial ordinance meant to protect
Sandpoint’s water system hit another roadblock last week when the council voted
to keep the item in limbo for at least another month.The ordinance, which has been on the council’s agenda
since January, was drafted in response to a 2008 survey conducted by the Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality. The survey found a number of deficiencies
in Sandpoint’s water system, most notably in its lack of an adequate backflow
prevention program. The proposed ordinance would require more than 450 water
users to submit to annual backflow tests. ...While nearly every home and business has some sort of backflow
prevention, the ordinance — as well as state law — would only require a sliver
of them to be tested, said assistant city engineer Matt Mulder, who spearheaded
the program. The test costs approximately
$50 per unit, and those found to be in violation of the ordinance would be
subject to a fine of $300 per day, per delinquent violation. Several residents,
including two council members, have raised concerns about the necessity of
the ordinance. Councilwoman Helen Newton,
who voted against the ordinance, said the plan has no teeth unless every home
and business within Sandpoint’s water system is included. The proposed ordinance
would not require testing from water users living or doing business outside city
limits. “If it takes only one incident to contaminate our water system and bring
death and mayhem — as some would suggest — this ordinance will really provide no
protection at all,” Newton said. Sandpoint’s Fred Darnell, who has long opposed
the program, said the ordinance is unnecessary and would only put a strain on
residents and city staff. “(This ordinance is) a make-work program that will
cost a lot of money and will solve nothing. It’s a program that will try to
solve a problem that does not now exist, never has because the lack of this
device, probably never will and is being negated in other areas of the
country...” Bonner County Daily Bee, March 24,
2009
Deadline nears for N. Brunswick water users to have backflow
prevention "By April 1, North
Brunswick Sanitary District customers must have installed a backflow prevention
device for household irrigation systems. If not, they could face a fine of up to
$1,000, the district warned. "A backflow prevention device protects against
contamination entering the district's water system from individual irrigation
systems, should the system suddenly lose pressure," a statement from the
district says. "This backflow threat is not only a health hazard but can also be
very costly to remedy." The backflow prevention must be inspected by a
state-certified tester, which can be recommended by the district..." starnews
online, March 17, 2009
Company's water unsafe
to drink in Cooke County "Weber Aircraft, a company with 1250 employees, is
giving out water bottles to employees because their water isn't safe to drink.
When an employee of Weber Aircraft noticed discoloration in the water in the
bathroom last Friday, the company immediately called the Gainesville Water
Department. Public Services Director Ron Sellman says they discovered an
uncommon problem with Weber Aircraft's water system. "What
we've seen is an oil problem in the Weber Aircraft facility, and that has
migrated throughout the facility1,” said Ron Sellman. “They've seen oil inside
their system, inside their plumbing fixtures and their sinks.” In a
statement to KXII, Weber Plant Manager Steve Starnes said the company sent a
sample of the discolored water to Denison and Gainesville’s water departments to
test whether it's a problem with the city's system or with the Weber facility.
“The problem is inside Weber Aircraft, the problem could not
have gotten into the city supply because of backflow prevention devices that are
installed to prevent any kind of a contaminant to get into the water supply,”
said Sellman. “Public water supply is safe, but it just isn't safe for the
employees inside because of their internal problem with their plumbing.
It is being investigated by Weber Aircraft at this time.” First 12 News, Feb.
26, 2009
Sandpoint
backflow ordinance in limbo "An ordinance aimed at
protecting Sandpoint's water system is in limbo after the City Council failed to
reach an agreement Wednesday on the program. The ordinance was
drafted in response to a 2008 survey conducted by the Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality, which found a number of deficiencies in Sandpoint's water
system. According to DEQ, the most glaring problem was the lack an adequate
program to track backflow prevention devices. Backflow devices and
assemblies work to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution by
eliminating reverse flows of water from individual systems into the public water
source.
The proposed ordinance would require annual backflow prevention
testing for a group of home and business owners inside the Sandpoint water
system. While nearly every home and
business has some sort of backflow prevention, the ordinance would only require
a sliver of them to be tested, said assistant city engineer Matt Mulder, who
spearheaded the program. Based on DEQ recommendations, Mulder implemented a
program last year to search out units needing to be tested, and the new
ordinance was designed around that program. After completing the program's first
year, Mulder said the vast majority of the 450-plus individuals required to
undergo the $50 test did so with only minor complaints.
According to Mulder,
all but 80 of those required to test their system did so by the deadline, and
the remaining 80 eventually completed the testing. Sandpoint's Ken Sanger
grudgingly had his two backflow devices tested, but has been a staunch opponent
of the program since its inception. Sanger called the wording of the proposed
ordinance "onerous," specifically as it pertains to city employees entering
private property to conduct the test. The ordinance says the Public Works
director or his designated agent have the right to enter any building during
reasonable hours to inspect the plumbing system. "The idea that a city employee
has the right to come into mine or anyone else's home any reasonable time he
feels like it doesn't seem American to me," Sanger said. Defending the document,
Mulder said it is not the city's intent to enter a home without invitation, but
added that if a homeowner refuses to comply with the city, they would face
consequences. "I wouldn't force my way into their house by any means, but if
they're unwilling to cooperate with inspections then, ultimately, we could turn
off their water," Mulder said. ...Mayor Gretchen Hellar said
forcing inspections might appear to be a Draconian measure, but said the safety
of the water system requires it. "It seems to me that we're talking about
whether an individual, for the lack of wanting to pay $50, has the right to
potentially contaminate our water supply," Hellar said." Bonner County Daily
Bee. Jan. 24, 2009
City water retrofit requirements all wet, opponents
charge "Landlords say no examples exist to justify backflow
prevention upgrades. Critics say a city proposal that would force the
property owners behind nearly 9,300 water billing accounts to make costly
connection upgrades is an overreaction to a non-existent problem. City staff are
working on a plan that would require backflow preventers to be installed on many
Ottawa multi-residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings to
prevent water supply contamination. Such devices can cost between $8,000 and
$12,000 for a 100-unit apartment, said John Dickie, chair of the Eastern Ontario
Landlord Organization. "We're all set to concur with the
need to fix problems," said Mr. Dickie. "But there seems to be no or very few
documented cases of problems ... that these devices would prevent among
multi-residential buildings." ...Provincial regulations
require backflow preventers to be installed in new constructions, but the city
is considering forcing owners of existing buildings that pose a 'severe' or
'moderate' risk to the municipal water supply to retrofit their connections and
install these devices. The city's business advisory committee recently passed a
strongly worded motion opposing the initiative and suggested staff focus only on
properties that pose a severe risk. "When we asked them for details on
occurrences in the Ottawa region, I think they had one isolated and unusual
incident in the 10 or 15 years that they have been keeping track of these
things," said Rob Sproule, who chairs the business advisory committee. Mr.
Sproule said he supports forcing retrofits on high-risk properties such as, for
example, a company working with chemicals that would pose a health hazard if
they were sucked into the water supply. "But on the moderate ones, it seemed to
be an awful lot of money they are asking property owners to spend (on) really no
identifiable risk." Furthermore, Mr. Dickie said his industry believes the city
can do a better job of pinpointing potential hazards based on, for example,
topography or the reliability of the neighbouring city sewer infrastructure. The
city classifies risk levels based on a manual published by the Canadian
Standards Association, a copy of which was not immediately available. City
communications staff did not make a spokesperson available for comment until
after production deadlines...." Ottawa Business Journal, Feb. 4/
2009
Bellaire
Chemical Mix-Up 'Very Serious Mistake "Bellaire residents are permitted to use water again
after crews accidentally added hydrochloric acid to the system instead of
fluoride. A supplier, Ohio Valley Chemical, accidently gave the plant
hydrochloric acid instead of fluoride, said Kirk Baker, superintendent of the
water department. ..." It was a mistake. It could happen to anybody. It was a
very serious mistake, (but) it could have been worse," Baker said. Baker said
the fact that the wrong acid was delivered --- and ended up in the water system
--- was both the department's and the suppliers' fault. "Unfortunately, the
drums are all the same size and the same color. The labeling is different but
they didn't catch it and I didn't catch it until this morning," he said. He
added, "I want to apologize. We never meant to inconvenience anyone. All I can
say is it was an unfortunate accident and it won't happen again." Baker said
Ohio Valley Chemical, based in Martins Ferry, is not the department's usual
supplier. To remedy the problem, Baker said crews opened up hydrants and drained
the system, tanks and water plant. Police said the water was deemed safe as of
12:30 p.m. "You're fine," he assured customers. "You're fine. I'm drinking the
water today myself here now." A small amount of hydrochloric acid heavily
diluted in water poses very little or no health risk, officials said. In a low
concentration, the risks include nausea, dry mouth and diarrhea. ...In a high
concentration, the risks of hydrochloric acid are serious and could cause
permanent damage. It is a corrosive chemical, which means if it comes in contact
with your skin it could cause burns, irritation or rashes and it could burn the
eyes. If consumed, it could burn the esophagus. Dr. John Koren of Belmont
Community Hospital said two or three people came to the emergency room with
minor complaints possibly related to the incident..." wtov9.com, Feb. 2,
2009
Official: Acid dumped in Ohio city's water supply "BELLAIRE, Ohio (AP) — Thousands of residents
of a western Ohio community were told to stop drinking tap water after workers
at a chemical treatment plant accidentally added toxic hydrochloric acid to the
water supply. No serious injuries were reported. Forty pounds of the acid were
added to Bellaire's water Sunday. The mistake was discovered Monday morning when
workers noticed fluoride levels were lower than normal. Water department
superintendent Kirk Baker says a water supplier inadvertently gave plant workers
hydrochloric acid instead of fluoride. Baker says crews opened fire hydrants and
drained the entire water system to clean it. The water was deemed safe at about
12:30 p.m. Customers were urged to avoid using tap water and Bellaire High
School dismissed classes early. About 2,400 people were affected by the
contamination." Associated Press, Feb. 3, 2009
Allouez home inspections for water connections may start in
summer "The village may begin
inspecting homes as early as the summer for cross-connection concerns in an
effort to protect the public water supply. Cross-connections occur in a plumbing
system when drinking water could be connected to a nonpotable source, or
plumbing fixture, resulting in pollutants or contamination. The state Department
of Natural Resources and the Department of Commerce require municipalities to
complete 5 percent of cross-connection control inspections a year, under a
20-year plan. The inspections, required for all residential water utility
customers, will take about a half an hour to complete by the village's public
works staff and must be done at least once every 10 years, said Craig Berndt,
public works director. Total costs for inspections for residents could range
from $30 to $50 per home, he said. Wendy Anderson, a DNR drinking water
engineer, said if inspections are not completed, residents risk receiving
contaminated water. "Now's the time to start doing this," she said. Village staff will check to ensure state-approved cross-connection
protection is on all plumbing fixtures including handheld showers, toilet tanks,
utility sinks, inside and outside hose faucets and hot water boiler systems.
Repair equipment, including vacuum breakers, will fix most cross-connection
concerns and will be available for purchase through the village's utility
department for around $4 each..." Greenbay Press Gazette, Jan. 25,
2009
Check plumbing, businesses told "The Peterborough
Utilities Commission is reminding businesses to get their plumbing checked as
part of the Cross Connection Control program. Industrial, commercial, some
home-based businesses and institutional buildings are required to inspect their
plumbing by Jan. 31 to make sure backflow prevention devices are working
properly. Residential homeowners aren’t affected. ...in simple terms, the
program has been created to make sure that there’s no chance that water meant to
pour out of a device will reverse its flow and instead draw contaminated water
into the city’s drinking water. An example might be a hose that can be used for
a variety of things, like filling a pool or washing cars at a car wash, Gould
said. But there can be situations, such as a fire, that stop the water from
flowing out of the hose and actually create a siphon effect, sucking water from
a pool or car wash and dumping it into a municipality’s drinking water system,
he said. “That could harm a home, a neighbourhood, or even an entire
municipality,” he said. Property owners or occupants will be required to pay for
the survey, installation of backflow prevention devices, testing of new or
existing devices, plumbing system repairs and a $25 test tag fee. The tags,
affixed to a backflow prevention device, expire after five years..." The
Peterborough Examiner, Jan. 15, 2009
State backs off requiring $500 backflow prevention
devices "The threat of
requiring Florida homeowners to pay about $500 for backflow prevention devices -
and a $60 annual inspection fee - has passed. Rather than requiring the
18-inch-tall brass gadgets on homeowner's front lawns, the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection announced Tuesday it would amend its regulations and
give local utilities the option of installing other lower-cost models as cheap
as $100. DEP plans a public hearing
on the proposed amendment in February in Orlando. DEP could make changes then or
hold another public hearing. "The DEP never proved there was a real danger of
water contamination," said Palm Beach Country Estates resident Mike Danchuk, who
would have been required to install the device if his home was linked up to the
Jupiter Utilities system. "People do not like to be forced to do something that
does not make sense." Backflows, designed to prevent the accidental
contamination of the public drinking-watÄr supply, have been required inhomes
by state law since 1987. The DEP decided to consider enforcing the regulation
earlier this year after a South Florida development was discovered using surface
water for irrigation without backflow protection. Backflows prevent mixing of
treated or irrigated water from flowing into the public drinking system by
maintaining higher pressure in its pipes. Such mixing required West Palm Beach
downtown customers to boil water for 10 days last year. The backflows would have
been required in new and existing homes. About 200,000 existing Palm Beach
County homes would have been required to install backflows. The new regulation
would require retrofitting thousands of homes in Florida, from little cottages
in North Florida to mansions in gated communities in western Palm Beach County.
The proposal drew strong opposition from Palm Beach County homeowners during an
Aug. 7 West Palm Beach public hearing.... Letting local
utilities decide what system to require makes sense in a state as diverse as
Florida, said Seacoast Utilities Executive Director Rim Bishop. Under the
original proposal, about half of the 35,000 Seacoast hookups would require
backflows, Bishop said. "I have thousands of customers who have using well water
with absolutely no risk for 40 years. I'm supposed to tell them they have to pay
$600 for a backflow and an annual inspection fee?" said Bishop. "These
regulators spewing rules sitting at their desks is not
logical."" Palm Beach Post, Dec. 29, 2008
Thermal
Expansion: A Call for Stricter Code Enforcement "Thermal expansion is a relatively new problem
in household plumbing systems. It is the result of installing water meters with
check valves or dual check valves mandated by local and national plumbing codes.
Although the purpose of the check valves is to isolate the municipal water
supply from potentially contaminated household water, the resulting thermal
expansion creates a separate, often under-appreciated problem.
...When water is heated, it expands in volume
by 2-3%, depending upon the initial and final temperature. This can mean as much
as three or four extra gallons of water in a closed system. (If there is no
demand for hot water, the expanded volume of water has no place to go.) Since
water is not compressible, the expanded water cannot be accommodated in the
piping system through which it travels, and therefore it creates hydraulic
pressure, exerting a potentially hazardous stress on the system. The reason this is a relatively new problem is that, until
recently, most household systems were open to the municipal water supply, which
meant when household water was heated it simply expanded back into the municipal
supply. The situation has changed and it is becoming the norm for municipalities
to enforce existing codes and regulations, requiring the installation of a dual
check valve, or what is more commonly known as a backflow preventer. With the
installation of a backflow preventer or water meter with a check valve that had
previously been an "open" system has now become "closed" system. It has become a "closed" system because hot water can no longer
expand back into the municipal supply, and as a result, during periods when hot
water is not being used, the system pressure rapidly increases until the
pressure relief valve (PRV) is activated, releasing the excess water and
pressure. In a typical situation, the PRV will activate two or three times a
day, wasting hot water and causing premature failure of the valve, as it is only
designed to activate in emergencies. The constant over-pressurization as the
result of thermal expansion creates other problems as well, such as leaking ball
seals and valve stems. The most critical hazard is the potential collapse of the
center flue in a gas fired water heater, allowing lethal carbon monoxide fumes
to leak into the residential environment. The first
reaction of the homeowner when he or she discovers the PRV is continually
discharging is to replace what he or she thinks is a faulty PRV only to find he
or she has the same problem with the new valve. In some situations the
frustrated homeowner wires the valve shut or completely removes it from the
system, and while this removes the symptom (dripping water, etc) it eliminates
an important safety device from the system, creating the potential for
catastrophic failure...." Plumbing Engineer, Nov. 2006
Cross Connection Rules Manual, Fourth Edition October 2008, Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality "In the water supply field, a considerable amount of
attention is being focused nationally on new drinking water standards, source water
protection and enhanced treatment. However, water supply
professionals must remain vigilant in their efforts to protect the integrity of
the potable water after it enters the distribution system. The continued expansion of public water
distribution systems in Michigan has
resulted in thousands of additional service connections
annually. Therefore, cross
connection control remains a critical link in protecting public
health by maintaining the quality of drinking water from the source, through the
distribution system and to the customers. Drinking water quality will be
jeopardized without a persistent effort in cross connection control, regardless
of efforts to protect the source of supply and improved treatment
techniques.
This manual strives to educate water system operators, plumbers,
contractors and any
others in the industry about the need for effective cross connection
control."
Sprinkler system suspected in Portland landslide "New sprinkler equipment and "unusually high"
water use at a house in the Southwest hills probably contributed to a landslide
that sent it crashing into homes below, city officials said Friday. The city's
investigation of the Oct. 8 slide, while not definitive, found that the backyard
sprinklers at 6438 S.W. Burlingame Place appear to be the leading suspect, said
Commissioner Randy Leonard, who overseas the Portland Water Bureau. "What has
changed to cause the soil conditions to become so malleable that what had held
for 75 years broke loose?" Leonard said. "What's different is the installation
of the irrigation system combined with an unusually high use of water." If that
proves to be the cause, it may help settle the huge financial mess that the
landslide left in its path, opening a liability claim against the house that
fell. It was built in 1930 and is owned by Kathei and Dave Hendrickson.
According to city records, the homeowners installed a sprinkler system on the
property in March 2005. Last September, a new back-flow device and shut-off
valve were installed. ...It's unclear whether the sprinklers were overused or a
pipe broke. City water and sewer pipes in the area aren't to blame, Leonard
said. The Hendricksons' house fell into two others on Southwest Terwilliger
Boulevard, moving one off its foundation. No one was injured. Two homes,
including the Hendricksons', were destroyed, one was damaged and two others are
too dangerous to occupy. So far, some insurance companies have denied claims
from homeowners who suffered losses, while others are still investigating. The
case most likely will wind up in court. ..."Since the slide has happened, it's
taken a lot of evidence with it," she said. "If it's the result of somebody
doing something wrong, we're going to try to figure that out." What generally
happens in these cases, Bonaparte said, is that property insurance companies
initially go on defense. They deny the original claims until homeowners hire
lawyers and sue them. ..."Since the slide has happened, it's taken a lot of
evidence with it," she said. "If it's the result of somebody doing something
wrong, we're going to try to figure that out." What generally happens in these
cases, Bonaparte said, is that property insurance companies initially go on
defense. They deny the original claims until homeowners hire lawyers and sue
them..." Oregonlive.com, Nov. 21, 2008
Cops: Jersey City senior holds toilet handle while water company impostor
ransacks house "A man pretending to be a United Water employee gained entry to an
apartment on Cator Avenue in Jersey City this afternoon and then stole $3,650
from the 91-year-old resident, reports said. Responding to a knock on her front
door around 2 p.m., the female resident told police she found a man who told her
he was an employee with the water company and that "there was an emergency" and
"he had to check the water," reports said. The man first opened and shut a
faucet in the kitchen and then went into the victim's bathroom where he flushed
the toilet, reports said. The man then instructed the victim to "hold down the
flush handle or else the house will explode," reports said. The victim, who
said the man was speaking to someone on his cellphone the entire time he was in
her house, did as she was told, reports said. But after about two minutes, the
victim told police "I didn't care if the house exploded" and walked into her
living-room, at which time she discovered her house had been ransacked, reports
said..." NJ.com, Nov. 17, 2008
Water
Contamination and Waterborne Disease: Are Your Patients at Risk "This 90 minute webinar will prKvide an
overview of the latesP trends in waterborne disease and a discussion of recent
controversies such as the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water and
agricultural water as a potential source of E. coli O157:H7
infection. It will review the clinical challenges inherent in evaluating
and managing patients who may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water,
polluted recreational waters or water contaminated after a natural or man-made
disaster. The special needs of susceptible populations at increased risk
for morbidity and mortality from water-related disease will be highlighted
including waterborne disease outbreaks associated with children in water parks
and waterborne nosocomial infections in healthcare facilities. This
webinar will also describe the role that healthcare providers can play in
protecting and preserving water quality in their communities.
At the conclusion of this water webcast,
participants will be able to:
List the five critical sources of water
contamination resulting in water-related disease that represent the greatest
public health threat, especially to susceptible populations most at risk for
serious morbidity and mortality... Identify the most recent trends in waterborne
illness and water-related deaths from both drinking and recreational water
exposure in the US.... Recognize the medical, public health, and economic
consequences of water contamination for a community resulting from natural and
man-made disasters... Please consider joining us for this timely
environmental medicine webinar and educational offering." American College of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Nov. 7, 2008
MasterPlumbers
"Plumb Tube" Master Plumbers October 2008 issue of "Plumb News" now has a
collection of plumbing related videos, most serious, some
hilarious....
AWWA Releases 2008 State Of The Industry Report "Key Findings Include Concerns over Source Water Availability and
Infrastructure Failures.... Source water supply and protection emerged as the
top area of concern among North American water professionals in the 2008 "State
of the Industry Report," published by the American Water Works Association
(AWWA). The report, now in its fifth year, represents an annual checkup for the
water industry, with more than 1,800 leaders assessing the overall health of the
industry and identifying key challenges. For the first time, source water supply
and protection was the most frequently mentioned area of concern for both the
short and long term. The full report was published in the October issue of
Journal AWWA. ...Other top issues identified in the report include:
- Infrastructure: Described as "aging" by most respondents, but
also "crumbling" or "failing" by others, the state of underground water
infrastructure continues to concern water utilities. Respondents lamented that
other pressing expenses cause utilities to defer infrastructure maintenance,
leading to even steeper expenses in the future.
- Regulatory Issues: Many water professionals express concern
about complying with new, complex regulations.
- Workforce: The effects of the retiring Baby Boomer generation
are being felt in the water industry. Older workers are retiring, intellectual
capital is walking out the door, and competition is fierce for the shrinking
pool of new workers entering the marketplace.
- Business Factors: Financing infrastructure repair and
improvements, source water development, regulatory requirements, security, and
a host of other factors continues to be a challenge throughout the
industry.
The report, which provides U.S. and Canadian breakouts, also
includes a measure of overall industry soundness, or the respondents' assessment
of the industry's overall health. In 2008, U.S. respondents rated the current
soundness of the industry slightly higher than in 2007. However, for the first
time, U.S. respondents rated the future soundness lower than its current
soundness, indicating significant concerns about the years ahead. The future
soundness ratings of the Canadian water industry dropped significantly in 2008,
mirroring the U.S. decline in optimism..." Water Online, Oct. 27,
2008
Backflow prevention device "A backflow Prevention Device is used to protect water supplies from contamination
or pollution. Many types of backflow prevention devices also have test cocks so
that they can be tested or examined to ensure that they are functioning
properly. The EPA holds local water suppliers responsible for maintaining a
certain amount of purity in potable water systems. Many states and/or local
municipalities require annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies.
...Backflow prevention protects the potable water system
from minor, moderate, and severe hazards. There are over 10,000 reported cases
of backflow contamination each year. Some cases can be fatal. Backflow devices
are required by law where needed and must be installed in accordance with
plumbing or building codes...." Wikipedia, Sept. 29, 2008
Never Mind, County Says Of Backflow Valve Warnings "TAMPA - Hillsborough County's water department
mistakenly sent out notices last week threatening thousands of water customers
with $500 fines if they didn't get their backflow prevention valves tested by a
certified plumber. About 41,000 homes and businesses have backflow assemblies
that protect the water system from cross connections with reclaimed water,
irrigation systems and alternative water sources pumped from lakes and ponds.
The county requires the backflow protection valves be tested once a year.
Usually, the county sends out about 2,500 notices a month reminding customers
with the devices to get them inspected by a certified plumber. Customers tend to
get the inspection after one or two reminder notices. But in trying to clear up
a backlog of homes and businesses that weren't in the system, the water
department accidently sent out the 16,000 final notices with the threat of a
fine. "It was our mistake," said Paul Vanderploog, director of the county's
Water Resources Department. "We did not verify the information in the new,
updated database prior to the notices being mailed." Dave McGowen, who lives
near Gibsonton, said he usually gets his backflow device inspected after the
second of three notices sent out by the county. This year he only got the one
threatening a fine. "This looks to me like it was written by
a plumbers' union," McGowen said. The water department plans to send
letters to everyone who got a notice saying to disregard them." Tampa Bay
Online, Oct. 8, 2008
Backflow Open Houses Planned "Thunder Bay, ON -- The City of Thunder Bay is implementing a
Backflow Prevention Program to address the risk of backflow of water from
private water systems into the municipal water supply. Public Open Houses will
be held on Oct. 7 and on Oct. 9 to provide information about the design and
implementation of the Backflow Program that is mandatory for buildings used for
industrial, commercial, multi-residential or institutional purposes. Letters
have been sent to City of Thunder Bay Waterworks customers inviting them to
attend the Open Houses to learn more about the program and how it will be
implemented. Cities across Ontario are implementing Backflow Prevention Programs
to address this requirement of the Provincial Safe Drinking Water Act. Backflow
is the risk of contaminated water flowing back into the City’s water
distribution system. It can be prevented by installing the appropriate backflow
prevention devices. All commercial, institutional, multi-residential and
industrial facilities will be required to install a backflow prevention device.
Residential buildings, with less than 600m2 in gross floor area and less than
three storeys will not be required to install a backflow prevention device at
this time...." netnewsledger.con, Oct. 6, 2008
Utilities trade blame for sewage in water "The good news is, raw
sewage is no longer pumping directly into Ridgetop's water supply. The bad news
is, the local utility company and Metro Water Services can't agree how that
happened in the first place, or how to make sure it never, ever happens again.
"This was a very unusual situation," said Tisha Calabrese-Benton, spokeswoman
for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which is
investigating the incident and will decide where blame should be laid and what
sanctions, if any, will be imposed. Earlier this month,
White House Utility District officials broke the news that a Metro water
employee cross-connected a residential septic tank into a water main that serves
more than 1,000 Robertson County residents. One
home's waste began pumping into the entire city's water supply in March or April
and wasn't detected until July, when residents' complaints about strange debris
and floating "fibers" in the water prompted a check of the line. The
utility district alerted residents to the cross-connection earlier this month.
Amazingly, there have been no reports of illness, and repeated testing of the
water — more than 70 samplings to date by local and state officials — found it
consistently met safe drinking water standards. "The most amazing thing about
this situation is that the entity that caused all the problems has avoided any
of the bad publicity for it," said Ridgetop Mayor Mark Johnson. The city, he
said, has suffered from the bad publicity of being the town where nobody wants
to drink the water, and White House Utility District had to deal with the public
backlash from the cross-connection, but Metro Water has dodged most of the
attention. "The entity that appeared to create all the problems has avoided all
the limelight," Johnson said. Metro Water insists that the line was not properly
marked on the maps or on the line as a drinking water line. In the Nashville
system, sewer lines are generally constructed of PVC plastic pipes and water
lines are iron. The Ridgetop water main was bright blue PVC pipe — and White
House Utility officials insist it was clearly identified as a water main. In
fact, utility district spokeswoman Lisa Weathers said the worker cut through a
label that identified the line as a water main while making the connection.
...Normally, cutting into a high-pressure water main carries
its own built-in punishment. Under normal conditions, the contractor would have
been blasted with a jet of high-pressure water. But
Weathers said Ridgetop's water pipes have lower pressure than most cities, and
the contractor was using a grinder pump, which exerted enough pressure to force
the waste out of the septic system and into the water line. Now that raw
sewage is no longer pumping directly into Ridgetop's water supply, utility
officials are left to figure out how such a mistake could have happened and how
to make sure it never happens again. TDEC, which monitors drinking water quality
in Tennessee, has only seen two cases of raw sewage seeping into drinking water
in recent decades, Calabrese-Benton said. Around 1990, a water pipe serving the
Brentwood Racquet and Country Club was cross-connected with an irrigation well,
causing several illnesses. Later in the 1990s, several guards and prisoners at
the Northeast Correctional Complex were sickened when a pump that was supposed
to shunt sewage from the prison to a waste treatment facility began to backflow
into the drinking water system." The Tennessean, Sept. 29,
2008
Alamosa plans water protection "Although cross connections were not determined to be the source of the
salmonella outbreak in Alamosa this spring, city officials are taking measures
to make sure cross connection backflow situations will not create city water
contamination problems in the future. The city council will consider for
adoption in its October 1 meeting an ordinance governing cross connections to
prevent backflow and protect the city’s water supply. ...Cross connections was one of the theories
surrounding the source of the salmonella outbreak this spring. The most probable
source of the contamination was later suspected to be the Weber reservoir which
has been taken out of service for potable water purposes. This spring Alamosa
Public Works Director Don Koskelin and state health department officials began
working with local businesses and other water users to make sure they installed
backflow prevention devices to prevent water from going back into the public
water system. Such devices were required already in state and federal
regulations but the City of Alamosa did not have the means to enforce those
regulations. The ordinance proposed to be adopted on October 1 will implement
the means to enforce existing state and federal regulations. During the
salmonella aftermath the state recommended that the city adopt an ordinance like
this. During the council’s meeting on Wednesday City Manager Nathan Cherpeski
said, “It is a requirement of law. This gives us authority to do the things we
need to.” He said the ordinance was patterned after a model provided by the
state. Cherpeski explained that a good example of a cross connection would be
ice machines where the hoses are not hooked up properly.
When city staff
began evaluating possible contamination areas this spring Koskelin had a list of
140 cross connection risk areas with the highest risk being businesses such as
mortuaries, hospitals and wholesale meat processing and medium risk including
restaurants, car washes and laundry facilities. Koskelin also had a list of 22
low-priority establishments. At the time Koskelin said the city would focus on
containment first and then potential cross connections within buildings
themselves. Cherpeski told the council this week there were some potential cross
connections but these situations were not ones where water and sewer lines were
getting crossed up. Alamosa Mayor Farris Bervig said the city council plans to
allocate additional money in the 2009 budget to pay for staff to implement and
enforce the new ordinance. Cherpeski said the city would have to bring someone
on specifically for this type of work and may initially contract it out. “There
are not many certified individuals in the Valley right now,” he said. “We have
been pushing some of our crews to get trained.” He said the city would
concentrate first on high risk areas that have the potential to create problems.
This effort would be ongoing, he said, as these systems have to be annually
inspected. Those not complying with the proposed ordinance would first be
required to comply; next face water service suspension if an imminent health
hazard existed; and ultimately could face prosecution in municipal court."
Valley Courier. Sept. 19, 2008
Seneca in the midst of mandatory testing "Seneca Light and Water is in the middle of
mandatory testing to prevent water contamination, Utilities Director Robert
Faires said Thursday. “DHEC (Department of Health and Environmental
Control) requires every entity with a water system to have a backflow
prevention program,” Faires said. Backflow is the flow of water and other
substances, such as fertilizers and contaminants, back into the drinking water
supply from any source other than the water distribution pipes. There have been
several documented cases of pesticides and even parasitic worms entering
drinking water lines in instances when backflow was not properly controlled. Any
house in Seneca’s service area that has a sprinkler or irrigation system must be
tested for backflow. The Daily Journal/Messenger had received complaints of
letters from Seneca Light and Water informing some residents of an approaching
deadline by which they must have the water lines at their residences tested for
backflow. A list of independent testers is provided in the letter, and the
customers must pay for the services. Robert Bird, supervisor of auxiliaries for
Seneca Light and Water, said on average a backflow test costs a customer from
$40-$80, depending on the size of the residence and the tester’s individual
price. “We just send a reminder letter, that’s all it is,” Bird said. “We send
it 40 days before a test is due. After the due date, we send out a second letter
showing the test is due. We then send a third notice informing the customer they
are in danger of losing their service. After that, they are shut off.” Bird said
they make about two shutoffs a year due to noncompliance with the mandatory
testing...." upstatetoday.com, Sept. 12,
2008
HSC water hazard contained "Pink-colored water on the Health
Science Campus was not safe for drinking last week, warned UT Health and
Safety officials. There was a ban on drinking water on the parts of the HSC
until Saturday. Water in the Block Health Science Building was reported to be
pink by an employee, which led to an immediate sampling of the water, according
to Gary Jankowski, associate vice president for health and safety.
"Once we
found out, we took all the necessary steps needed to be taken and jumped on the
problem and took many samples," he said. Health and Safety officials issued an
alert regarding the water in three Health Science Campus buildings, including
Mulford Library and the Health Education Building, as a precaution. "A device
called the backflow preventer for some reason did not work. That allowed a very
small concentration [of chemicals] to enter the supply of the drinking
fountain," Jankowski said. "Wherever there's a possibility where dirty and clean
water meet, the backflow preventer device is used to prevent clean and
contaminated water from mixing," said Matt Lockwood, UT director of public
relations.
According to Lockwood, there was a report of leaking water in one
of the mechanical rooms in the Block Health Science Building. Maintenance staff
had to shut down the backflow preventer to repair it. "They opened a bypass
valve in the meantime, and everything would have been fine. But a plumber shut
down a domestic water pump [in the building] at the same time," he said. The pressure difference caused by those two acts allowed some of
the contaminated water, which contained a small amount of ethylene glycol, a
coolant used in the building, to mix with the clean water.
Jankowski
added, however, the contaminant was so diluted by the regular water supply that
the most danger it could cause was dizziness, but to his knowledge that has not
been reported. ...Both Jankowski and Lockwood said such an incident had never
happened before. "We don't think there was a serious risk," Lockwood said. "It's kind of Murphy's Law. Those things happened at the same
time, it was just an unfortunate timing," he said." The Independent
Collegian, Sept. 4, 2008
Resident: Toxic mold in home - Family plans to file lawsuit against
town "The
town's installation of a water meter and backflow prevention device has caused
dangerous mold to grow in an Adams Avenue mobile home, claims a resident who
plans to file an injunction and possibly a lawsuit against the town of Seabrook.
Ruffin said after town officials came to his home and confirmed the mold problem
in April, they've done nothing to fix the problem. Ruffin, through his attorney
Marie Sapienza of Hampstead, plans to file an injunction in Rockingham Superior
on Monday, Aug. 25, asking the court to order Seabrook to pay for safe lodging
for Ruffin, his wife Lisa, and three children, Tiffany, 16, Rich Jr., 12, and
Lauren, 6. The mold was found in Tiffany's bedroom, where the hot water heater
is located in a closet, as the double-wide mobile home has no basement. All
three children currently sleep on a sofa in the living room, said Ruffin. "Black
mold is just crawling up the walls," he said. The mold is stachybotrys,
according to Sapienza, which is toxic and can result in serious health problems.
Former Town Manager Scott Dunn arranged for Absolute Air Quality to do a mold
assessment, said Ruffin. A representative from that company told him basically,
said Ruffin, to "get the hell out of the house." ...Ruffin discovered the mold
in April, after removing a book shelf from a wall next to the water heater. The
water heater is in the closet, and was closed off on all sides by walls. "He
cleaned out the closet, gained access to the water heater and found extensive
mold growth and leaky parts," (ED: Maybe no thermal
expansion tank is causing the leaks??) Sapienza said. Seabrook, through
contractors, recently installed water meters and hot water heater backflow
prevention devices in all residences. Ruffin immediately notified the town.
Numerous town officials and contractors responded, said Ruffin, including a
representative from Meter and Backflow Services. MBS is a subsidiary of E.J.
Prescott Inc., the company which installed the meters and backflow prevention
devices..." Seacoastonline.com, August 22, 2008
Hillsborough County Commission suspends backflow
requirement "At today’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, the Board
decided to temporarily halt enforcement of residential backflow prevention
violations. Eight Sun City Center residents spoke in favor of the County
suspending enforcement. Many of the residents who spoke had received notices of
violation because they do not have backflow valves that prevent the lake water
they pump for irrigation from contaminating the drinking water supply. Expensive
backflow pumps are required, even at houses where the two water systems are not
connected with each other, said Joyce Nodland, president of the North Lake
Association. Sun City Center resident David Brown told the Commission that he
thinks the backflow valves could be easy targets for vandals or people looking
to cause harm through the county’s drinking water system. A backflow pump
requirement has been challenged in Palm Beach County, which is one reason why
Paul Vanderploog, the County’s Director of Water Resource Services, recommended
suspending enforcement. The Board voted unanimously to delay enforcement of
residential backflow prevention violations until October 1st 2009..." WMNF 88.5,
August 20, 2008
Backflow Preventer Thefts On Increase "Jimmy Gornick is upset
with good reason. "I'm not very happy," says Gornick. Gornick owns the Pool and
Spa Outlet on Normandy Blvd. He says twice last week his business was hit by
thieves looking for scrap metal. "This is actually the second time now we've had
to replace backflow preventers on our water lines," says Gornick. A backflow
preventer is made of brass and keeps water from going back into the city's water
supply. Gornick says replacing them has been expensive. Gornick says," For the
four valves it cost me $1,377." Gornick filed a police report and discovered
that he is one of many victims. "They said it is an ongoing problem,especially
on this side of town." he says. His valves are between the business and the
street. "Where it is costing us $2,000 to replace them, they're turning them
into scrap metal for two bucks a piece¬" says Gornick. Gornick is investing in a
box to better secure his backflow preventers,which are required by code, but
wants other business owners to watch out for this new twist on an old scam. "It
is pretty bad when people steal your stuff with no concern whatsoever," says
Gornick. Gornick is hoping the surveillance video from a nearby business will
help police catch the thief. Scrap metal thefts are being driven by the soaring
prices of copper, aluminum, and bronze. The problem has forced states and local
municipalities to create laws to cut down on scrap metal thefts. Florida's law
goes into effect in October." firstcoastnews.com, August 13, 2008
Cross-connection controls help protect drinking water "There has been a great deal of misinformation in the
press about Phe state's Department of Environmental Protection's
cross-connection control program ("Back down on backflow," June 2 editorial).
The program and rules have been in place since 1987. These rules require all
public water systems to implement a cross-gonnection control program to detect,
control and prevent the backflow of contaminants (chemicals, bacteria and
viruses) into the public's drinking water system. Every public water system or utility is required to develop and implement
a cross-connection control program that!is consistent with the recommendations
and standards of the American Water Works Association. The standard identifies
obvious pollution sources such as industrial, medical and laboratory facilities.
It also identifies less obvious sources, including residences using alternative
water sources to water their lawns (such as ponds, lakes or canals) that can
contain high levels of bacteria and viruses. The AWWA recommends the type of
backflow device to be installed, based on the degree of the health risk posed.
As Florida relies more on alternative water supplies for irrigation purposes, we
must continue to be vigilant in preventing cross connections with public water
systems. DEP recognizes that there is a
cost burden associated with protecting our drinking water. We also recognize
that there may be alternative approaches to deal with this issue that provide
the same level of public safety. Therefore, we have established a workgroup of
water professionals to look into the situation and make recommendations for
potential changes. The workgroup will meet beginning this morning at 10 a.m. at
the Solid Waste Authority in Palm Beach County. During the interim period, we
are looking to the drinking water utilities to continue to implement their
cross-connection control plans, consistent with current industry practice.
Florida's water customers should have great faith that the water delivered to
them is always safe for drinking." Palm Beach Post, Aug. 7,
2008
Backflow plan draws criticism "A newly-implemented city program aimed at monitoring backflow
prevention units has one local resident questioning the policy and the city’s
authority to insist on testing. Very few people — save
plumbers — know about them, but nearly every home in Sandpoint has at least one
backflow protection unit. Backflow assemblies and devices are used to protect
water supplies from contamination or pollution by eliminating reverse flows of
water from individual systems into the public water source. Because one faulty
backflow prevention unit could potentially contaminate an entire water source,
federal authorities have stepped up testing requirements for water purveyors
throughout the country. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality recently
conducted a survey of the area and found 14 deficiencies the Sandpoint Public
Works Department needed to address, chief among them being the creation of a
cross connection control testing program. The DEQ letter
stated that Sandpoint’s “cross connection control for commercial and industrial
water users does not adequately track testing of devices used to control
backflëw and cross connections. A tracking system must be established to assure
that all devices are tested annually.” Bonner CountyDaily, July 31,
2008
Sewer Swindle in Brooklyn Sends Ex-Inspector to Prison "For one Brooklyn plumbing Œ
company, properly installing sewage pipes in residential homes, and getting the
necessary city approval, was as easy as greasing the unclean hands of the sewage
inspector. Dean A. Hassari, 41, a former inspector for the city’s
Department of Btildings (DOB), was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in
Brooklyn to six months in federal prison, three years of superviRed release and
a $3,000 fine for his role in a scheme in whicÈ he accepted thousands of dollars
in bribes for overlooking city regulations involving the construction of
residential sewer-line connections in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Massari and Joseph
Degratto, 65, a retired subsurface supervisor at Pullini Water Services Inc., a
Brooklyn-based plumbing company, pleaded guhlty in October 2007 to theft or
bribery. Both have since resigned or retired from their jobs. Degreatto will be
sentenced in Brooklyn federal court at a later date. “Today’s sentencing is
particularly gratifying because this employee was arrested afTer leaving his
city job, presumably believing he had gotten away with the crime,” said
Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn. “But DOI is equally
willing to go after qhe corrupt city employee who has already left his position
as well as a city worker who engages in illegal behavior while stiél on the
job.” The sentencing is the culmination of an investIgation by the New York City
Department of Investigation (DOI)and the FBI, with assistance from the city’s
Department of EnÒironmental Protection (DEP). “This prison sentence should be a
warning to any city worker, especially buildings inspectors who are entrusted
with the significant and critical responsibiliqy for ensuring that construction
complies with city regulations,” Gill Hearn said. “City employees who accept
bribes for ignoring their job duties will face arrest, prosecution and prison
time.” Massari, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., and Degratto, of Manchester, N.J., were
arrested in May 2007 on allegations that Degrdtto paid Massari money several
times per month between January 2000 and June 2003. In exchange, Massari
approved paperwork Vequired by the city, even though he never conducted the
requiÓed inspections. In addition, Degratto told Pullini work-crews tN deviate
from plans approved by the DEP..." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 25,
2008
Backflow devices not required by residents "OÇFICIALS SAY
Northsiders can disregard a letter mailed to themby the city of Jackson
regarding cross-connection devices, ane now they have the Mississippi Attorney
General’s office backlng them up. In a three-page
document dated June 23, Deputy Attorney General Mike Lanford wrote that Phe city
doesn’t have the authority to require annual inspections on cross-connection
devices considered low risk by Mississippi Code 41-26-14. He further opined that municipalities are “prohibited by
statute from requiringthe installation of
backflow prevention devices in cross-connections that are deemed low hazard and
as posing a very low risk.” ...“There is no ambiguity
in the statutes that a municipality is Urohibited from requiring the
installation and inspection of backflow devices,” he said in a written
statement. He further calls for the Jackson Public Works Department to send out
a letter of apology to affected residents. ...IN
2001, DENNY AUTHORED a bill reversing state statutes requiring the devices on
professionally installed lawn irrigation systems, fire sprinkler systems, and
pools after the legislature’s Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and
Expenditure Review (PEER) found that the devices posed little threat to public
water supplies. ...“Certainly, the Department of Public
Works, with the guidance of the city attorney’s office, must have been aware of
the state law concerning this matter before sending out notices requiring annual
tests, since this was the first request of this sort in seven years,” he
wrote." Weekly Northside Sun, July 18,
2008
Backflow Devices Required On Many Homes "Local municipalities and the
county are scrambling to comply with a 2002 state mandate that might cost
thousands of county public water customers at least $300 each. About 500 Lake
Placid water company residential and business customers are on the hook for
about $200,000, said Gary Freemen, utilities director. About the same number of
county public water users are also liable, said Ramon Gavarrete, county
engineer. A letter addressed to Freeman from Raymond Kenney, engineering
specialist II with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Agency,
warned the utilities director about possible fines for non-compliance. "The
department can take enforcement and assess administrative penalties," wrote
Kenney. The DEP mandate forces public water users to install double check valves
that would prevent contaminated water from entering the public water system. The
DEP most recently required installation by Aug. 28. Public and private drinking
water providers would be required to install "backflow prevention assembly
devices" to keep non-potable water sources from jeopardizing the quality of
public water. ...Fouled water could enter the public system from washing a dog,
fertilizing with chemicals or spraying with a pesticide. Freeman said that all
water company customers who use ground water to irrigate or live close to a
water source, including one of the town's 25 lakes, are required to install the
devices. Gavarrete said that about 500 of 1,200 county water users, along with
many more municipal users in Avon Park, Sebring and the county's improvement
districts would likely be forced to comply. There are not enough plumbers or
certified inspectors in the county to install the equipment for all impacted
customers, said Gavarrete. And it would be "very unreasonable" to expect
compliance by an Aug. 28 deadline. ...At Monday's meeting, the Lake Placid Town
Council voted to authorize an invitation for bids to install. Backflow
prevention assembly devices cost about $135, with additional installation and
material charges. ...Both Freeman and Gavarrete expect the full process,
including implementation, to last for at least a year. "It depends on how fast
plumbers can put them in," said Freeman. Lake Placid Council decided to likely
band together and seek bids for all customers, in a bid to save money and time
devoted to the project by water customers. ...Gavarrete suggested that all
county public water providers seek one overall bid to further cut costs." Tampa
Bay Online, July 16, 2008
POA Board to talk about
survey Thursday "Residents here will soon receive a survey designed to help the Property
Owners Association comply with the Arkansas Department of Health's rules and
regulations pertaining to public water systems. The survey will allow the
association to track which residents have backflowprevention devices installed
and when those devices were last inspected, a POA news release states. ...The
data obtained from the survey will be recorded at the POA Water Department,
Taggart said. Residents with backflow-prevention devices will be required to
have the devices tested each year by a certified tester. Those results will need
to be submitted to the Water Department annually. Laws have been enacted to
prohibit backflow and the installation of cross connections because of the
serious impact backflow can have on public health. The preventive measures are
part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, adopted on Dec. 16, 1974. The act gives
every state primary enforcement power. The association has already surveyed
Bella Vista's commercial water customers, Taggart said." Benton County Daily
Record, July 15, 2008
Marion council to discuss illegal tapping of fire
hydrants "Commissioner John
Goss said Friday he will propose the passing of a new ordinance Monday at the
regular meeting of the city council that would make it illegal for any
individual or group other than the fire department or city workers to connect to
any of the city’s fire hydrants. Goss said the water and fire departments have
special connectors or fittings that can be affixed to the hydrants that will
prevent a backflow from occurring and contaminating the water supply. In years
past, various contractors have routinely tapped into the hydrants to fill water
tanks, for example. Goss said he will propose a fine ranging from $50 to $750
for any violations of the ordinance. “This ordinance isn’t directed at any one
company,” Goss said. “It’s simply an effort to keep our water safe.”" The
Southern Illinois Homepage, July 11, 2008
Skinny-dippers caught in Mount Tabor Portland - Police cite a man and a
woman for trespassing in the city's drinking water "Even in cool water, the heat will catch up
with you. Police fished two skinny-dippers out of the Mount Tabor Reservoir over
the weekend. Yes, it's illegal, dangerous and somewhat disgusting to drop your
pants and jump into the city's drinking water. But don't reach for the bottled
water just yet. Reservoir 6 is divided into two sections. The pool in question
wasn't in use at the time. If it had been, the Water Bureau said it would have
shut down the system and considered dumping millions of gallons of water. That
was done this past spring when someone dumped a gallon of latex paint, a
construction cone and hundreds of fliers into the reservoir. Busted at 3 a.m.
Saturday were Ryan Langsdorf, 28, and Ashley Moyer, 23. They were cited for
trespassing. "Not only did this foolish act threaten the cleanliness of
Portland's drinking water, it was just plain dangerous," Water Bureau
Administrator David Shaff said in a written statement. "These two individuals
could have easily found themselves in a precarious situation where extremely
cold water temperatures and a difficult rescue situation could have made
drowning a real possibility." The Water Bureau said it will push to have the two
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. ...In this case, perhaps a little
time in the cooler?" The Oregonian, July1, 2008
County scrambling to find source of water contamination "Greenville residents and businesses scrambled for information just
after noon Wednesday after utilities officials announced a bacterial
contamination had been discovered in the city water system during routine water
testing. Greenville Utilities issued a boil water order and the county health
department ordered all restaurants served by the system closed after testing
verified fecal coliform bacteria was discovered in a testing sample taken from a
County Home Road day care center. Pitt County's public schools also canceled
activities. "We believe the contamination
is isolated in that section of the system but we can't be certain," said Tony
Cannon, GUC assistant director, at an afternoon news conference. Additional test
samples were taken Wednesday and the results will be available today. If no
other areas of the GUC system are contaminated, it's expected the boil order
will be revised, although officials did not give a specific time frame. The
cause of the contamination was unknown Wednesday, said Barrett Lasater, GUC's
manager of water and wastewater treatment plants. Dr. John Morrow, Pitt County
health director, said Wednesday no one from the day care center has been ill and
his office has received no other reports of illnesses. ...The health department will try to identify the
specific type of fecal coliform found. Some coliforms are harmless but E. coli
is a type of the bacteria that can make people sick. The boil order is expected
to remain in effect throughout today. ...Crews spent Wednesday flushing the water line along County Home Road.
They were scheduled to spend Wednesday night and this morning installing a valve
and back-flow device to isolate that section of the water line from the rest of
the system. It would also prevent water in the line from backing up into the
rest of the system, Lasater said. ...Lasater said one possible contamination source has been
eliminated. Irrigation systems are required to have back-flow devices to prevent
water from flowing backward from the irrigation. Devices along that stretch of
GUC have been checked and none have been operated recently, he said. Cross
contamination can occur when construction is under way and a water line is
broken or if plumbing codes weren't followed properly and water and sewer lines
were crossed. GUC is checking with contractors working in the area along
with the school system and state Department of Transportation to locate the
sources of recent construction, Lasater said." The Daily Reflector, June 26,
2008
City losing patience with taxicab company "Fredericton's planning advisory committee has
sent a stern message to a Fredericton taxi company owner: meet terms and
conditions of a temporary-use permit or don't bother coming back to city hall.
Loyal Taxi's Tony Soffee operates his taxi business from 513 Union St., between
Cliffe and Hughes streets, on a six-month temporary-use permit granted by the
committee. But one of the conditions of the permit is that
Soffee install a backflow-prevention device in an area where his vehicles are
being washed and serviced at the site. There are further building and
plumbing inspection issues outstanding with respect to his Union Street
location, said a report handed to the planning advisory committee this week.
Coun. Marilyn Kerton said failure to install the backflow device presents
potential health and safety issues for the city's water system. She said she was
unhappy that Soffee didn't appear before the committee this week as he sought
the six-month extension. Kerton said as far as she's concerned, it's time to
play hardball to ensure that Soffee complies. The committee
unanimously decided that if Soffee doesn't make the changes to meet the terms
and conditions of his previous approval within three months, his temporary use
will be up and he'll be shut down. "This has been here too many times and
it is important, and we're losing patience," said Alex Forbes, assistant
director of development services. Committee member Zona Bovingdon was even more
blunt. She said if Soffee doesn't correct the deficiencies, he shouldn't bother
coming back to city hall with any further applications. ...Soffee said he will
do what he has to do to meet the city's requirements. "I have to," he said.
Soffee has also been working toward asking for a permanent zoning approval to
operate his business from the property, but planning advisory committee members
said they won't consider a zoning change unless there is compliance to the
outstanding terms and conditions." The Daily Gleaner, June 21,
2008
Lawsuits threatened over forced fluoride "Concerns about
fluoridation are quickly surfacing as the National Kidney Foundation withdrew
its support of the chemical additive at the same time the largest association of
water professionals in the world was warned not to destroy evidence that may be
required in legal actions filed by individuals harmed by drinking fluoridated
water. Following reports of the NKF's
acknowledgement that patients with kidney disease
"should be notified of the potential risk" to their health from drinking
fluoridated water, the American Water Works Association has been given notice
that it must not eliminate or tamper with documents or recordings, indicating
that lawsuits could be filed in the near future. Attorney Robert Reeves
delivered a fluoride evidence preservation notice to the 60,000-member water
association last week. The document named AWWA's Denver headquarters, regional
offices and national and regional officers as "potentially responsible parties"
who might be named in lawsuits filed on behalf of kidney patients and other
individuals injured by ingesting fluoride. Daniel Stockin of the Lillie Center,
Inc., a public health training firm that has works to end fluoridation, said
organizations should immediately withdraw support for use of the water additive.
"The letter from attorney Reeves to AWWA should make people aware that there is
a rapidly closing window in which cities or health officials can act to end
fluoridation without behind held accountable for continuing to support
fluoridation," Stockin told WND. ...there is growing and fierce opposition to
plans to fluoridate public drinking water after shocking new studies that
seriously question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the
last 50 years. Emerging ranks of concerned groups and individuals have been
protesting widespread water fluoridation as the chemical has been designated a
health risk to infants, kidney patients and those with thyroid conditions. Some
reports indicate it can lead to dental fluorosis, brittle bones, cancer, kidney
disease, neurological problems and other ailments, including lower IQs. ...The
notice to the AWWA shows that attorneys across the U.S. have become alerted to
the health risks of fluoride, a chemical that is said to be equivalent to
arsenic and lead in terms of toxicity. The document also addresses the AWWA's
claim of being "the authoritative resource on safe water," noting that such a
statement would require that the water association reveal even the negative
impacts of fluoride use. ..."This was bad science and bad policy from the
beginning, and I would suggest cities and organizations that lend their name to
supporting fluoridation very quickly and emphatically change positions," he
said. "Attorney Reeves' letter should be a wake up call – to act quickly to stop
fluoridation." World Net Daily, June 17, 2008
Palm Beach County sides with homeowners, against pricey water
device "Palm
Beach County commissioners this morning asked their lobbying team to help fight
a proposed rule that could require homeowners to spend more than $500 on a
device that protects drinking water. The commission agreed its team of
Tallahassee lobbyists should work with county utility officials to block the
rule, which would require all county homeowners who use water from canals, wells
or lakes for irrigation to install 18-inch-tall brass gadgets in their front
yards. The move comes just a day after the South Indian River
Water Control District said it would consider suing the state Department of
Environmental Protection if the department enforces the proposed rule. The
backflow device would prevent the accidental contamination of the public
drinking-water system and would require a $75 annual inspection. County
Commissioner Burt Aaronson said many residents are already strained for money
because of the faltering economy. "It is something so asinine to be bringing
forward when it really has no effect on the water at all," Aaronson said this
morning. ...Board members of the water control district argue
the requirement would not make sense for communities including Palm Beach
Country Estates, a cluster of 1,450 homes between Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens
where homeowners are already being forced by the Florida
Department of Health to install the devices. Bob Berman, a resident of the
Estates who is also a South Indian River district board member, said half the
homes are no longer connected to private wells because they have city water.
Those homeowners, he said, shouldn't have to pay for a device they don't need.
"It's a valve to nowhere," Berman said. "It just doesn't make any sense.
"There's no physical way for the water to even get to this valve." The
district's board members plan to work with the county's water utilities
department, which also hopes to persuade state officials to avoid the blanket
rule." Palm Beach Post, June 17, 2008
Sprinkler requirement a hot topic in Belvidere "Linda Draheim’s home had a
smoke detector when a fire broke out on Christmas Eve 1999. It never sounded,
however, because its batteries weren’t pushed in correctly. If Brooke Draheim,
then 11 years old, hadn’t woken up and alerted the family, they likely wouldn’t
have made it out alive. “I lost everything, but I got my kids out. I could never
live with losing my kids,” Linda Draheim said. “If you fall asleep and nothing
wakes you up, you’re done.” Situations like the Draheims’ highlight the need for
in-home sprinkler systems, fire officials say. But when left up to choice,
homeowners rarely decide to pay the extra cash to put sprinklers in. Belvidere’s
City Council will vote tonight on a law that would take choice out of the
matter. The city may mandate that any new home be built with residential fire
sprinklers. The concept sounds great to firefighters, but it upsets homebuilders
because it forces their clients to pay thousands of dollars more for an addition
they didn’t request. “That’s up to the consumer whether they wish to pay for
that,” said Conor Brown, government affairs director for the Rockford Area
Association of Realtors and Belvidere Board of Realtors. “We’re not against
sprinklers, per se, we’re just against forcing residents to own a particular
piece of equipment they don’t want to own.” The debate of personal choice versus
personal safety is hardly new. It’s been heard when seat belt laws were put in
place and has resurfaced as several communities around the state and nation have
weighed what Belvidere will decide on tonight. ...“The people are going to
choose the granite countertops and lawn sprinklers before fire sprinklers
because they aren’t educated on what the fire sprinkler can do. That’s why it
has to be mandated,” he said. ...Brown argues that’s the homeowner’s right. “I
would suggest that the fire sprinkler lobby focus its efforts on educating the
public, as opposed to forcing it through City Council,” he said. ...Cost
estimates for the systems vary. Sprinklers can run about $1.75 to $3 a square
foot, or about $3,850 to $6,600 for a 2,200-square-foot home. A yearly backflow
test — which one former installer quoted around $50 to $60 — and repairs also
could increase costs. “Certainly with any plumbing, you’re going to have leaks
and repairs to make,” said Mayor Fred Brereton." Rockford Register Star, June
15, 2008
Warnings from city may be in error - No consensus exists on need for
inspections "The Jackson Public
Works Department is sending letters to city homeowners saying they have 60 days
to have anti-contamination systems (i.e. backflow
preventers) on their pools, lawn sprinklers and fountains inspected.
But the Legislature exempted (from testing, not
installations) such so-called low-hazard water residential systems from
the requirement to have the devices, known as backflow preventers, seven years
ago. That's why the city's letter caught Mary Margaret Yeager by surprise.
Before lawmakers passed the exemptions in 2001, she spent nearly $1,000 to have
a backflow device installed. During a hard freeze after the law was enacted, the
device froze, so Yeager removed it and never had it replaced. "I called the guy
that signed this letter," she said. "He said, 'Well, you'll have to have it put
back in.' I said, 'According to who? He said, 'Let's just put it this way: If
you don't, you'll hear from us.' "That burns state Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson,
who pushed to exclude homeowners from the backflow requirement in 2001. "That
city of Jackson is just totally incompetent," he said. "It's got to be
stopped." ...Public Works Deputy Director David Willis said the city
merely is trying to bring its inspections database up to date to get into
compliance with requirements imposed by the state Department of Health.
Inspections of backflow prevention devices had not been done for a number of
years because the city did not have anyone to do them. ...Melissa Parker, deputy
director of the state Health Department's Public Water Supply Bureau, said the
department does not require low-risk connections to be inspected (i.e. tested). Public Works Director Thelman Boyd said some
people are misreading the intent of the letter. If someone has removed a
backflow device from a low-risk system, all the person needs to do is inform the
city. "We just need to know where they are," he said. In case of a water
contamination incident, the city wants to have its records straight on who has
these devices and who doesn't, he said. ...Denny has asked Attorney General Jim
Hood to issue an official opinion on the law. If the law is not iron-clad enough
to keep such letters from being sent in the first place, he said he will address
the issue again in the next legislative session. In the meantime, Yeager said,
she will hold off on doing anything "until this is more clear." Clarion Ledger,
June 11, 2008
Contractor charged with using alias -- Case part of probe of city
inspectors "Prosecutors have fired their first shot in a long-running probe of
Corpus Christi building inspectors and contractors, and they say the bulk
of the case will be presented to a grand jury June 19. Everett Michael Skipper,
a contractor who did work for numerous local nightclubs, was charged Tuesday
with filling out plumbing permit applications using an alias. The charge is a
misdemeanor. If convicted, Skipper faces as long as a year in jail and fines of
as much as $4,000. ...The probe into the city's building
inspectors began in September 2006 and was believed to involve financial
relationships between contractors and the inspectors who were supposed to check
their work. Prosecutors have said the investigation involved inspectors
who owned companies that received work from contractors. ...Gleimer did not
discuss what role Skipper played in the larger probe. The
applications he filled out were for backflow prevention fixtures, a crucial
piece of plumbing. The fixtures are basically one-way valves that keep water
that has sat in plumbing -- such as fire sprinklers -- from entering the water
supply. Skipper is accused of using the name Mike Edwards, the name of
someone with whom he was a co-defendant in a 1999 civil lawsuit. ...Bob
Nix, the assistant city manager for development services, said Skipper had
filled out permit applications for years under the name Mike Edwards.
"Obviously, if we had realized he was using a false ID to get permits, we
wouldn't have issued permits," Nix said. "We had a management staff meeting
today where someone said he's known the guy since the '80s. He never had a clue
that the guy had another identity." Caller-Times, June 6, 2008
Back down on backflow "A "backflow" problem sounds like something drug
companies would offer treatment for in tasteful TV ads. But it isn't an
embarrassing medical condition. A backflow problem is a plumbing problem that
could become a cash flow problem for tens of thousands of Floridians. For
decades, as The Post reported, the state Department of Environmental
Protection has required backflow prevention devices at homes, apartments, and
businesses that could pose a threat to public drinking water. Since, under the
right circumstances, nearly every building could pose a threat, the rule could
require just about everybody who doesn't have a backflow device to install one
at a cost - for a typical homeowner - of about $500. Existing underground
backflow valves might not be good enough. The state could begin requiring
above-ground, 18-inch-tall brass devices; they are easier to check. So, what is this dire threat that could suddenly prompt DEP to lean
on local utilities to strictly enforce rules that usually are ignored? Water
from a house or business contaminated with bacteria or chemicals could flow
backward into the main service line - which could happen if water pressure
suddenly dropped - and be piped on into other homes. West Palm Beach got an
inkling of the problem when the city - incorrectly, as it turned out - blamed a
laundry with improperly connected plumbing for a bacteria outbreak. For
complete information on backflow and links to horror stories - including a case
in which inspectors found "that blood was coming from drinking fountains at a
mortuary" - visit www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/bfp.htm.
...Mr. Hoofnagle understands that requiring lots of people to
install lots of costly plumbing will be a sensitive topic. The DEP, he says,
will hold hearings this summer before issuing any new rules in the fall, and
will try to find solutions that "won't be so expensive as to be mind-boggling."
Those could include different types of valves or other measures. Given the
rotten economy and the hammering homeowners are taking from property insurance,
Floridians could get several years to comply. Flexibility would help. Backflow
can be a real problem. But homeowner expenses are overflowing." Palm Beach Post,
June 2, 2008
Cross-Connection Data Collection for Support of State CCC
Program EPA presentation made
in Washington State last year... "...Mandatory
Isolation (they mean containment) for High Hazard Premises... Typical facilities
including: *Sewage *Nuclear *Medical/dental/veterinary *Industrial/chemical *Interconnected auxiliary water supplies *Restricted survey access *List not all-inclusive ***Provisions for exceptions..." TCR-DS Workshop, Jan.
2007
NYC Health Department: Mice at Met Opera
(and backflow/cross-connection hazards!) "On-stage villains aren't the only vermin at the
Metropolitan Opera. The grand theater at Lincoln Center, where much of New
York's society gathers to show off gowns and jewels, has been cited for sanitary
violations by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. During an April
9 restaurant inspection at the Met, the department found "evidence of mice or
live mice present in facility's food and/or nonfood areas," according to reports
on the department's Web site. ...But that wasn't the only bad note struck by the
Met, where tickets cost up to $12,500 each on some gala nights. The nation's
largest musical organization also was cited for "food not protected from
potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation,
display or service." On March 28, the department said the
Met had "plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or
backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or
floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not
functioning properly." The Met, which opened in 1966, also was penalized for
using "unacceptable material." Associated Press, May 28,
2008
Plumbing device may be a must for homes "What is a
backflow prevention device? If you are a homeowner in Palm Beach County and
don't know, you may soon find out. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection this fall could require almost all county homeowners to
install the outdoor 18-inch-tall brass gadgets, which prevent the accidental
contamination of the public drinking-water Rupply. The cost per homeowner would
be about $500 to a private contractor whom he or she selects. In addition,
homeowners would be required to pay a licensed plumber about $60 every year to
test the backflow prevention device. If a homeowner does not
have the test, water utility officials can suspend water service. The DEP "is
smoking wacky tobaccy making this requirement," said Bevin Beaudet, director of
the county's water utilities department. "The backflows should have been
installed when the homes were built. Making people pay for this during these
tough economic times is crazy." Increasing concerns about water safety and
potential contamination, especially in more-populated South Florida, have
prompted the DEP to enforce the regulations, which have been on the books for
years. Meetings are being scheduled with local and statewide utility,
environmental and health representatives. The DEP, which will make the final
decision, expects to announce new requirements in October, said Van Hoofnagle,
administrator for the agency's drinking-water program. "It's an expensive form
of protection," Hoofnagle said. "The system we have is not good enough."
..."Contractors who install the backflows and plumbers who
check them will love this. The people who will suffer are the homeowners," he
said. All homes without backflow devices that use water from canals, wells or
lakes for irrigation would be required to install them. ..."We're talking about retrofitting thousands of homes in Florida: from
) little cottages in North Florida to mansions in gated communities," Beaudet
said. The backflow device prevents mixing of drinking and treated water from
flowing into the public water system by maintaining a constant higher pressure
in its pipes. Such contamination required West Palm Beach water customers to
boil water for 10 days in October. Backflow devices "are another level of
protection," Brown said. "Concentrated contaminants can do major damage."
...Backflow devices "are an unnecessary redundancy," said Bob
Berman, a resident of Palm Beach Country Estates, a rural community west of
Jupiter that's required to install the devices to get its drinking water
connected to Jupiter Utilities. "I'm not convinced there is a health risk."...
Palm Beach Post, May 24, 2008
Potential
Contamination Due to Cross-Connections and Backflow and the Associated Health
Risks "The purpose of
this document is to review existing literature, research, and information on the
occurrence, magnitude, and nature of the public health risks associated with
cross-conections and backflow, from both acute and chronic exposures, and
methods for detecting and controlling the occurrence of cross-connections and
backflow within distribution systems. More specifically, the goal of this
document is to review what we know regarding: (1) causes of contamination
through cross-connections; (2) the magnitude of risk associated with
cross-connections and backflow; (3) costs of backflow contamination incidents;
(4) other problems associated with backflow incidents; (5) suitable measures for
preventing and correcting problems caused by cross-connections and backflow; (6)
possible indicators of a backflow incident; and (7) research opportunities..."
EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, September 27, 2001 (Referenced by an EPA speaker at this week's ABPA
conference)
Suspected valve thief arrested again by police "Police arrested Michael M. Ruiz, 20, of Edison for
the second time on May 5 and charged him with three more counts of theft of
brass backflow valves from businesses and residences in the borough. Ruiz was
first arrested and charged on April 18 with 15 counts of theft of brass backflow
valves and sprinkler system pumps from businesses and residences in the borough.
The total amount of victim loss in all of the thefts accounted for $5,850 in
stolen parts." Sentinel, May 14, 2008
Citizens uniting against fluoride - Large-scale lawsuit seeks to ban
chemical poisoning of water supply "A group of private citizens in San Diego County is planning to
file a large-scale lawsuit in federal court against public water districts and
challenge the constitutionality of using industrial-grade hydrofluosilicic acid
to fluoridate drinking water. Jeff Green, national director of Citizens for Safe
Drinking Water in San Diego, told WND, "We are raising funds for a lawsuit that
has been prepared for plaintiffs who are asserting their constitutional rights
under the Ninth and 14th Amendments to be free of what they term 'bodily
intrusions' by a water wholesaler adding an unapproved drug into their water."
...As WND
previously reported, there is growing and fierce opposition to plans to
fluoridate public drinking water after shocking new studies that seriously
question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50
years. Green said many citizens are usually unaware of how dangerous the
chemical can actually be. "Most people think that fluoride is what you have in
your toothpaste or water, but they are unaware of the fact that Prozac
and Zoloft are fluoride products," Green said. "Almost all psychotropic
drugs are fluoride products. ...Contrary to popular belief, Green said medical
and scientific research indicates water fluoridation does not prevent tooth
decay and that U.S. water districts have asked chemical suppliers to make
statements that fluoride is effective at doing so. "There's not one chemical
supplier in the entire United States that will make that statement," he said. He
hopes the lawsuit will send a message to chemical suppliers and water districts
across the nation that citizens will not tolerate general poisoning of their
water supply with fluoride or a variety of other contaminants. "It's not OK for
them to come out and say it's the greatest thing in the world, and then we find
hazardous waste that has arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in it," Green said.
"Where did they get the ability to add these toxins?
There wasn't anything people voted for, anywhere, that said it was a reasonable
implementation of public policy of fluoridation to add arsenic. The levels that
are allowable would allow as much as one in every 3,000 people to have lung or
bladder cancer over a lifetime of use." ..."In essence, we're saying that these
water districts may have made a determination that they want to fluoridate;
that's public policy, but when it comes down to implementing it and actually
pushing a substance that has never been approved by the FDA, they are actually
treating people and intending to prevent disease with an unapproved drug."
Worldnetdaily, May 13, 2008
Fluoride: Miracle drug or poisonous chemical? "Safety debate over public
water treatments heats up with release of shocking new studies... From
Pennsylvania to Nebraska and from Europe to New Zealand, there is growing and
fierce opposition to plans to fluoridate public drinking water, fueled by a
battery of shocking new studies that seriously question a practice routine among
U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50 years. ...It has been going on
throughout much of the United States for a half century, say proponents. So
what's the problem? Sweden's Dr. Arvid Carlsson, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in
physiology or medicine, objects to the practice, saying that everyone reacts
differently to medication and what is beneficial for one person may be harmful
for another. He calls community fluoridation "obsolete." Opponents like Carlsson point out that each person drinks a
different amount of water, meaning dosage cannot be controlled, and could become
toxic for someone who drinks more water. Add to that variable the widespread use
of fluoride toothpastes by the American public and the fact that much of the
food supply is grown or raised using fluoridated water, and you can see the
great potential for overdosing, they say. A study
released in February by the Collaborative on Health and the Environments
Learning and Development Disabilities Initiative found excessive ingestion of
fluoride can decrease thyroid hormone levels. It also cited a recent Chinese
study that links lower IQ levels in children with fluoridated drinking water.
...The EPA's Headquarters Professionals Union, made up of
scientists, lawyers and other professionals, also now opposes community
fluoridation. In January, the New York State Dental Journal reported
fluoride overexposure is resulting in children developing tooth disorders
including white spots, brownish discoloration and pitting. It also warned
children 6 months to 3 years should consume no more than ¼ of a gram of fluoride
per day – the equivalent of one 8 ounce glass of water in a fluoridated
community. And, despite the CDC's conclusion that fluoridation is one of the
greatest medical achievements of the 20th century, it recommends infant formulas
should never be mixed with fluoridated water." Worldnetdaily, May 5,
2008
Poison in the kitchen...How tap water could damage your brain, blind or
even kill you "(ED:emphases added) As he dipped his
hand into the River Wear to quench his thirst, William Sproat could not have
known he was about to unleash the horror of cholera on Britain. Sunderland in 1831 was a hectic place. The Industrial Revolution
was redefining our cities, while filth and squalor grew with urban populations.
...Within hours of drinking from the river, Sproat was racked by vomiting fits
and excruciating stomach cramp. Most water-borne diseases kill, ironically, by
dehydrating their victims. Sproat's wife and two children watched in horror as
his pulse faded and his face took on a deathly pallor. Cholera strikes quickly.
Within a day or two, its victims are writhing, immobilised in its terrifying
grip. The parasite that causes the disease comes to life in the warmth of the
human gut and depends on its unfortunate host for survival. ...Asiatic cholera
had arrived in Britain; Sproat was its first victim. Soon, the country was in
the grip of an epidemic - but no one knew what caused this disease, or how to
cure it. ...The prevailing medical science of the time suggested it must be
cauÒed by a miasma, a foul smelling airborne poison. A British doctor, John
Snow, suspected otherwise. In 1849, he put forward hIs theory that cholera is
spre@d through microscopic agents in water. He tracked an outbreak in Soho,
central London, to a single public pump. A total of 623 people died in this
outbreak - before Dr Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump,
stopping people using it and thus halting cholera in its tracks. This was a
medical breakthrough which redefined our understanding of the world. Initially,
Dr Snow was greeted with derision and disbelief, but his work led to a
revolution in the waX we look at our water supplies. His early research inspired
my investigation into modern-day water and its impact on our healph. Beneath the
world's streetR, water races through pipes to fill tens of billions of glasses
and bottles each day. ...For millions of years, intimate
knowledge about the source of water was among the most important pieces of
information our ancestors carried. Perhaps they were wiser men than we.
Today, that intimacy is lost. We turn on a tap and water flows as if by magic.
Most of us have little awareness of its source. We assume it
will be there. We assume it will be safe. The road to disaster is paved with
assumptions. ...The operation of our water supplies
is, to most of us, invisible. Invisibility encourages complacency. We have come
to think of these systems as fail- safe, but the technology for treating most of
our drinking water is almost a century old. ...The history of drinking water is
a story of disaster and response. From cholera to cryptosporidium, disasters
have forced change. We now face new risks: emerging diseases, changing climates,
poorly understood pollutants, terrorism, decaying infrastructure (ED CMNT: backflow through unprotected
cross-connections?) and 'gender bending' chemicals. ...Terrorism is
the newest threat to our water. In February 2002, four
terrorists were seized in a Rome apartment with sealed containers holding four
kilos of a cyanide compound. Beside it lay a map of the city's water
distribution system, and the location of the U.S. embassy. A raid by the Italian
anti-terrorist squad thwarted this attack, but it highlighted a new and
dangerous risk to our water supplies. So what can be done to make our
water safer? ...Think when you next turn on the tap. Water is the ultimate
resource. The world has it in abundance, but accessible, safe water is scarce,
and we would be wise to protect it. Instead, we have
forgotten the lessons of history and expect our water supply to work as
we focus on other problems. We do so at our peril."
Daily Mail, April 30, 2008
Suspect charged in sprinkler theft "After an investigation conducted by
Metuchen police Detective James Connolly and Edison police Detective Tom Lacik,
police arrested and charged Michael M. Ruiz, 20, of Edison, onApril 23 with 15
counts of theft of brass backflow valves and sprinkler system pumps from
businesses and residences in the borough over a two-month period. The thefts of the 11-backflow valves, which prevent sewage from
backing up into a structure, and four sprinkler system pumps, occurred between
Feb. 23 and April 13, police said. Ruiz was released
on his own recognizance, police said. The total
amount of victim loss in all of the thefts accounted for $5,850 in stolen parts,
police said. "Primarily, victims have not realized
that they are victims of theft until they were preparing their sprinkler systems
for use this spring," said Patrolman David Liantonio..." Sentinel, April 30,
2008
City Council
tables backflow ordinance "The
Killeen City Council tabled an ordinance Tuesday that would bring the city into
compliance with state law. City Manager Connie Green and Assistant City Attorney
Scott Osburn said there is no urgency to approve the ordinance to bring the
Killeen law in line with the state's law for backflow prevention. Councilman
Kenny Wells asked for the ordinance to be tabled, saying he was not satisfied
with everything the ordinance would accomplish. The ordinance requires a
backflow prevention system and annual inspection for any place where there is an
actual or potential contamination hazard, such as a car wash. However, Wells
said the ordinance was not specific enough about who would and would not need a
prevention device. Osburn said the ordinance is intended, in addition to meeting
state standards, to clarify statements and fix shortfalls in the existing
ordinance. The shortfalls, according to a memo to the council, include lack of
standardized recordkeeping requirements as mandated by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, established procedures for certified tester registration
monitoring and registration revocation, putting responsibility for program
compliance entirely with the building inspection department rather than with the
public works' water and sanitary sewer department, and specific parameters and
direction to delineate what is required of each stakeholder, among other
shortfalls. Goals of the ordinance include establishing a more comprehensive
backflow and cross connection program that will delineate the specific
responsibilities of each party involved from the city to the certified testers,
installers and ultimately the end user or customers, clarify and transfer
between city departments the department responsible for ensuring the integrity
of the city's potable water system and the safety of its customers in relation
to backflow and cross connection control, among other goals. ...Councilman Larry
Cole said he was also concerned that the ordinance was not clear about what is a
potential hazard. ...Mayor Timothy Hancock asked if the ordinance was
time-sensitive. Green and Osburn said it is not. The council, in a workshop,
gave consensus to send the ordinance back to the staff and Water/Sewer/Drainage
Committee for further review. At the meeting, the council voted to remove the
ordinance as an item on the agenda." Kileen Daily Herald, March 26,
2008
Fire foam contaminates water supply "Fire trucks' water pressure
overwhelmed the city's drinking supply lines and pushed fire-suppression foam
into them as firefighters tried to extinguish a burning Strip District
warehouse, Pittsburgh's director of public safety said Wednesday. Two pumper
trucks were connected to fire hydrants for a long time Tuesday afternoon, said
Public Safety Director Mike Huss, and as the pressure built up in the truck
lines, it overwhelmed the drinking water lines' force. "It's highly unusual, and
we're surprised that it did it," (backpressure
backflow) Huss said. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
advised people Downtown and in the Strip District not to use water for a few
hours into yesterday morning, until the foam could be flushed from the system.
Ingesting less than an ounce of the biodegradable foam wouldn't pose a health
threat, but it can irritate skin and eyes, said Bob Hutton, a project
coordinator for the authority. Callers began complaining about soapy-looking
water Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters allowed the four-alarm fire, which started
Tuesday morning in the former Otto Milk Co. complex at 25th and Smallman
streets, to burn overnight because of difficulties extinguishing it in cork- and
foam-insulated walls. The building continued smoldering yesterday. Fire Chief
Darryl Jones said he had not seen the foam problem in the 20 years he has fought
fires. "We are going to make some adjustments to make sure it doesn't happen
again," he said. The fire apparently started when a construction crew's cutting
torch ignited insulation in the building, the construction crew manager
said...." Pittsburgh TSibune-Review, March 13, 2008
Lawn Irrigation Inspection Program Protects Water Supply "With the arrival of spring, comes the
inevitable return of routine lawn maintenance. The City of Olathe Municipal
Services Department would like to remind Olathe water customers of the City's
Cross-Connection Program, which includes an annual inspection and testing for
all backflow prevention devices installed on underground lawn irrigation
systems. ...The installation of an approved backflow prevention device on lawn
irrigation systems can prevent possible contamination of the City's water supply
with contaminates such as lawn fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides. The Olathe
Municipal Code and Cross-Connection Program require that an approved backflow
prevention device be installed on all cross-connections that are considered
"high risk" by the International Plumbing Code, including lawn irrigation
systems. These devices must be tested and inspected by a certified backflow
tester, available through many licensed plumbing and irrigation companies, with
results recorded on a City of Olathe report form and submitted to the City.
Additional program information is being mailed to all Olathe residential and
commercial water customers with underground lawn irrigation systems..."
Kansas City Info Zine, March 28, 2008
Bacteria found in Stafford water "Leaders of the West
Linn-Wilsonville School District were surprised twice last week. And both
surprises were bad news. Just a few days after receiving word from Coffey
Laboratories that water at Stafford Primary School contained coliform bacteria,
the district was informed Monday that the Northeast Portland lab had its
certification suspended by the state Division of Public Health. According to
Mike Skeels, interim Public Health Division administrator, Coffey’s
certification was suspended because of alleged inaccurate test results and
ineffective quality assurance measures for Coffey’s testing
procedures. ...Besides turning the water off at Stafford, School District
Facilities Manager Pat McGough said the district already had protected itself –
without knowing about Coffey’s problems – because the school’s current water
problem is significant. Instead of having the quarterly test conducted only by
Coffey, as it has done for at least the past decade, water also was sent to
another lab for the proverbial “second opinion.” ...Alexin Analytical
Laboratories of Tigard performed the same tests and reported the same results:
that coliform bacteria was found in Stafford’s drinking water. The water faucets
and drinking fountains at Stafford were immediately shut off, and all of the
students and staff began drinking bottled water and cleaning with hand sanitizer
– a scenario that started March 3 and will continue until after the spring
break, McGough said Monday. ...Currently, the district can’t do much about
finding and fixing the source of the problem. In order to fix the source of
contamination, the wellwater system would have to be shut down. The school would
therefore not have the use of restrooms, a situation that no one could tolerate.
...This week, the district will gain approval and begin installation of the
chlorination system. The rest of the work begins Saturday, he said, including
installation of a new pressure tank and well pump. The Backflow devices on the
irrigation system and fire pump have either been repaired or replaced. “The f@iled backflow device on the fir@ pump is potentially the
source of contamination,” McGough said. “It’s not the only possible Rource, but
it is a likely leaÄing candidate.” ...By next Monday afternoon,
McGough is hoping that all work will ce completed, and the system can%be
chlorinated." West Linn Tidings, March 20, 2008
Cross-Connection
Hazards Illustrated In case
you haven't already seen them, a select few
of the thousand+ cross-connection hazard pictures I've taken
over the past 36 years are posted here (and in other areas of the
Forum).... "AmeriCan
Backflow Prevention Associ@tion's Discussion Forum... This area is for picturesdemonstrating connections
that could possibly cause a backflow condition to occur." ABPA, March 18, 2008
Also see (Industrial Cross-Connection Hazards), Ánd other
areas....
/FONT>
Plumbing parts new target for area metal thefts "Police and plumbing cîntractors say that in
recent months metal thieves in Barstow have turned to a new target. StoÉen
backflow prevention deviceR are turning up with increasing frequency in area
scrap metal yards. State law requires most gommercial buildings to install the
devices, which are usually made out of brass and sit above ground, as a means of
keepingnonpotable water out of the citX drinking water system. With copper
wiring and piping, once popular theft targets, becoming scarcer, thieves have
turned to the backflow preventers as a new source of scrap metal. The Barstow
Police Department did notknow the exact number of thefts but city spokesman
John Rader said police have noticed a spike in the backflow prevention device
thefts in the past three months. Among the victims that reported thefts to the
Barstow Police Department were area apartment complexes, Barstow Community
College and several city parks. Andy Ziemer, owner of Ziemer Plumbing in
Barstow, said he has heard of eight thefts in the past six months. The thieves
take a $300 brass valve, cause an average $2,000 in damages and sell the part to
a scrap yard for about $30, according to Rader. When the Desert Cities Dialysis
clinic was hit, cutting off the building’s water supply, Ziemer said, that could
have been a matter of life and death. “It could have been a catastrophe if it
was a day when they were seeing patients,” he said. “This is way beyond the call
of duty. For $25, they’re putting lives in danger.” ... Dennis Haefele,
owner of Heart Plumbing, places the blame for the epidemic with the scrap yards
that buy stolen goods. “If there wasn’t an easy way for (the thieves) to dispose
of it and make money, they wouldn’t do it,” he said. “The people that are buying
it create the market.” Barstow Police Department constantly monitors the scrap
metal yards and contacts them when they receive a report of stolen metal, Rader
said, which has led to some property being recovered in the past. If caught,
scrap metal thieves face felony charges for possession of stolen property and
potential vandalism charges, which are also felony charges if the damage totals
more than $400. Maria Gomez, office secretary at the headquarters of Central
Metal, Inc., which runs a scrap yard in Hinkley, said the company requires all
sellers to show identification and in some cases, a company letter authorizing
them to sell the metal. Gomez acknowledged, however, that stolen property does
slip through. “It’s very hard,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that just do
it all the time.”" Desert Dispatch, March 5, 2008
Pullman officials say drinking water contamination unlikely after
incident "City officials in Pullman
say a "cross connection" Tuesday afternoon between the city's potable water
system and equipment at the wastewater treatment plant lasted about an hour, but
probably did not result in contaminated drinking water. The City issued a
news release saying that the incident happened at approximately 1:00 p.m.
Officials said contamination of the city water system "is unlikely, but
possible." The Department of Health was notified and City crews initiated
precautionary measures by flushing and increasing chlorination of the water
system in the area of the treatment plant on Guy Street. Water samples
have been taken to verify the lack of contamination. The results will be known
late Wednesday afternoon. Due to the precautions that have been put into place,
the Department of Health has advised that boiling water is not necessary."
klewtv.com 3, Feb. 26, 2008
How Plumbing Standards Can Slow Innovation "National plumbing
standards are important because they help protect public health and safety.
While there is no doubt that plumbing regulations have contributed to America’s
high standard of living, their problem is that they are also incredibly
expensive to prepare and sometimes actually stifle innovation and technological
progress. To my knowledge, nobody has ever addressed the issue of how much each
plumbing standard update costs the public. Totaling all the expenses of the
various participants over the five-year standard review period — salaries,
travel expenses, meeting preparation time, manufacturer lab testing as well as
administrative costs, printing, etc. — suggests to me that the public’s cost is
near $1 million per update. To me, that is vastly excessive. Local code
authorities in most U.S. cities and states subscribe to one of several model
codes, which evaluate applicable national standards and incorporate all or part
of them. Historically, the national model codes of BOCA, IAPMO, NSPC and SBCCA
have dominated. More recently, the International Plumbing Code has emerged as a
fifth competitor. Except for retail, over-the-counter sales, it is very
difficult to sell a product nationally without first obtaining multiple local
code approvals across the country. Before local code authorities will approve a
product, they almost always require that it be approved by “their” model code.
Gaining code approval across this country is particularly complicated and
expensive for innovations because model codes normally require independent test
data that show the product meets the requirements of the applicable national
standard...." ContractorMag.com
Vandals steal $10,500 worth of copper, fire hydrants and
more "Vandals have stolen more than $10,500 worth of fire hydrants,
brass valves and copper wiring from Yucaipa Valley Water District during the
past six months, according to district officials. These thefts, when combined
with the labor costs involved in replacing the stolen equipment, could cost the
district's customers as much as $15,000. “These thefts affect everyone because
we have to pass the costs of replacing these materials and equipment to our
customers,” said Charlie Bailey, the district's operations manager. “As a
result, we are calling on all of our customers to contact the police and the
district whenever they observe suspicious activity involving fire hydrants,
valves and other installations by individuals who are not wearing district
uniforms or who do not have a YVWD repair truck nearby. ”Recent thefts, which
are apparently driven by the rising cost of brass and copper, include fire hydrants and brass backflow valve covers in
downtown and residential areas as well as copper wiring from gated district
installations. The fire hydrants alone cost more than $1,000 a piece.
“I
only know of two fire hydrants being stolen from the district in the past 33
years,” Bailey said. “But we've had nine fire hydrants stolen in the past six
months alone. This is clearly happening because of the significant increase in
brass and copper scrap values.” News Mirror, Feb. 14,
2008
Lone Grove
water still off for some residents "Two weeks after the local water service was shut down after weed killer contaminated the system, nine
homes remained without water Tuesday. Charges could be filed against the company
responsible for the contamination and will be considered after water service is
fully restored. The town, eight miles west of Ardmore, with an estimated 1,300
water customers, has been having major water problems since Jan. 23, when a
business owner inadvertently siphoned a concentrated weed
killer cocktail into the city's water supply while he was trying to dilute the
herbicide concentrate inside a spray rig. A water main break, which
created a backflow in the water lines, caused the chemicals to be sucked into
the water system. Cindy Worrell, who lives in one of the nine houses still
without water, said her biggest concern Tuesday evening was the inconvenience of
not being able to bathe, wash dishes or eat at home, or even flush her toilets
without dumping bottled water into the tank. Her long-term concerns, however,
are just as pressing. Like other residents in the city, both Worrell and her
live-in mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, drank the contaminated
water before they were notified of the danger by city crews. ...While Worrell
and her neighbors wait to get more test results from the state Department of
Environmental Quality, the owner oB the pesticide company believed to be
responsible for the damage may be facing charges. Jack Carson with the
state Agriculture Department, said both his department
and environmental officers are dealing with the immediate issue of getting the
water clean. As soon as that is taken care of charges will be considered in the
next two weeks." Newsok.com, Feb. 6, 2008
"An
individual's lawsuit against Defiance City Hall concerning installation of a
water system device has been dismissed. Frederick Hoffman, 600 Holgate Ave., had
filed the suit in Defiance County Common Pleas Court on Dec. 8, 2006, asking
that City Hall comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations
concerning the installation of backflow preventers. Numerous property owners in
Defiance were sentletters stating that such devices -- which eliminate the
possibility that water can backflow into the city's system when pressure levels
drop -- had to be installed. But Hoffman, who received a letter for his business
(Rick's Wrecker Service, 1071 Holgate), contested the order. He argued that,
according to state law, the devices are only required for certain businesses,
such as hospitals, chemical plants and car washes. Hoffman called the
requirement cited in the letters "arbitrary and expensive." Although his expense
would have been less than $1,000, he said collectively the requirement would
have cost affected city water customers much more... ...For the city's
part, Defiance law director David Williams said the suit filed by Hitchcock
didn't demonstrate that the plaintiff was entitled to relief. "The Ohio Rules of
Civil Procedure require a complaint to set forth a 'short and plain statement'
of the plaintiff's cl`im demonstrating that the plaintiff is entitled to
relief," said Williams. "The complaint ... did not, in my judgment, comply with
this requirement. Even after wading through page after page of material, I
couldn't see where the 'complaint' alleged anything that would entitle Mr.
Hoffman to legal relief." Williams said he filed two motions, rather than
answering the complaint. "One asked that all of the irrelevant material be
stricken from the complaint," he explained. "The other asked that the entire
action be dismissed because the complaint, assuming every word of it to be true,
failed to demonstrate that Mr. Hoffman was entitled to legal relief." ...While
the case has been Aismissed, Hoffman said he isn't sure whether he will refile.
He recently attended a city council water committee meeting in which the
backflow preventer issue was discussed. And, he said two councilman (Steve
Hubbard and Gary Butler) questioned whether regulations require backflow
preventers to be installed. Hoffman said he was sent a letter by City Hall
several years ago about the backflow preventer requirement, indicating that he
had a specified time to install one or have his water shut off. Although Hoffman
did not install a preventer, his water was never shut off, he said. However, he
says he has a non-testable double check valve. Hoffman added that other
businesses sent letters also did not install backflow preventers. City Hall had
‰ announced a concerted effort in April 2002 to make sure backflow preventers
were installed not only in commercial properties, but residential properties as
well. These were required when any improvements were made to the home. But city
officials have put the backflow issue on hold while they review a related
ordinance." Crescent-News, Jan. 28, 2008
Expert Sees Risks in Grey Water "Just as Georgians are turning to a relatively simple way to save
water inside the home, a prominent UGA professor issues a warning -- that grey
water, household waste water excluding water from the toilet, the dishwasher and
the kitchen sink, can be harmful. It's a simple way to save: re-use the water
from your shower, or your bathroom sink, or your washing machine on your plants
and trees. University of Georgia hydrologist Dr. Todd Rasmussen said he has a
problem with that. “There’s always a risk to public health from blood, from
fecal material, as well as from meat products that would have some kind of
pathogenic contribution to it," Rasmussen said. Others are not quite ready to
throw the bathwater out with the bathwater. “Well, grey water certainly has its
place in conserving potable water use inside of a household," said Bryan Wagoner
of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. "And it can be a significant
amount of water savings, if it's done properly." An average home can realize
huge water savings with a grey water system installed by a licensed plumber.
“With proper disinfection and backflow prevention devices," explained the GAWP’s
Wagoner. "(It) can save an average household up to 250 gallons a week just by
using washing machine and bath water." ...According to the Georgia Association
of Water Professionals, there are no documented cases of illness from a properly
installed grey water system. Before installing one in your house, be sure to
check with your county health department. To be safe, if you are collecting grey
water and not using it the same day, put in a few drops of bleach. The bleach
will kill the germs, the water will be fine for your plants, and you won't have
to toss anything out with the bathwater." 11Alive, Nov.27,
2007
Utilities board reviews backflow options "When a cross-connection
occurs, untreated water can flow back into city water, possibly causing a
hazardous situation for anyone drinking it. To minimize the potential for such
accidents, the state requires cities to have residents install backflow
prevention devices. Ultimately, some or all North Port homeowners will be
required to have the devices installed at their homes (at the meter) and
inspected annually. The devices have been installed by contractors at homes
built since 2001, but annual testing hasn't taken place. Commissioners will
ultimately decide which residents must have backflow protection and how to
implement the testing program. They supported the idea of an ordinance, but have
not yet decided which of three options to adopt. The first option would require
customers to contract directly with a plumber to install a backflow prevention
device, as well as a certified tester to test the water quality. Option two
would use contractors employed by the city to both install the device and test
the water. Customers would be charged a fee, but that amount would be spread
over the course of a year. Customers would also be allowed to opt out of the
program. City staff would enforce the program under option three, as well as
test the water. After a recap of the presentation to commissioners, Public
Utilities Advisory Board members preferred option two, especially after learning
option one is typically more expensive. Rob Bolesta, an environmental engineer
hired by the city, said option two is a win-win for the customer. "Option one
may (require customers to) pay $80 or more for an annual test," he said. "With
option two, customers may pay $30 a year. We don't have hard numbers, but it's
amortized over the year, so customers would pay maybe $2.50 a month. That's
doable."" Sun-Herald, Dec. 26, 2007
Is county using city's water? Port Richey may have solved the case of missing
water. "Jim Mathieu thinks he's found the culprit of the city's missing water:
Pasco County. "We're about 99 percent sure," said Mathieu, interim city
manager. To see if Mathieu's assumptions are true, workers plan to shut off the
water for about an hour early this morning to test a location where the city and
the county's water lines are in close proximity: Gulf View Square mall. "There
are numerous old pipes in our system below the mall," Mathieu said. "We'll
definitely know if there's a double tap." Mathieu estimates the water loss has
cost the city about a half-million dollars a year for at least the past three
years. If it has been going on since the mall was built two decades ago, Mathieu
said he has no problem asking the county for millions in back pay. ...Problems
with Port Richey's water surfaced a few months ago. Mathieu ran a report to see
if the city's water was being used efficiently and discovered about 25 percent
of its water was unaccounted for. Since then, Mathieu and the city's utility
department have been looking for the source of the water loss. On Thursday,
Mathieu and workers from Port Richey and Pasco County's utility departments met
to discuss the issue. ..."We are glad to help and don't believe there is an
issue," he said. "My people in the field don't believe there's any
cross-connection like that. We're pretty familiar with the distribution system
we have out there." ...Mathieu said Thursday he thinks it's possible that long
ago, someone made a mistake connecting the mall's water lines, which are
supposed to be provided by the county. "What probably happened is, when the mall
was built or sometime thereafter, they connected to our line instead of the
county," he said. "Whenever a connection is made, somebody has to sign off on
it. If that's the case, somebody made a mistake."" Stª Petersburg Times, Dec.
14, 2007
Rosenberg sets backflow permit fee at $10
level "Some 500 residences and businesses in Rosenberg that were placed
under another permit fee during last week's City Council meeting got a bit of
good news Tuesday night - a lower-than-predicted price of $10. In order for the
city's water system to be in compliance with the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, Rosenberg must keep a record of annual tests on backflow
preventive assemblies, which are designed to keep contaminated water from
siphoning back into the public water system. To maintain those records, the city
requires a permit before the tesôs are conducted by a TCEQ-certified tester.
John Maresh, the city's utility director, told Council last week that the permit
fee would likely fall between $15 and $25, but his proposal Tuesday night
brought the figure down to $10. The city will also provide property owners with
a list of certified inspectors." Fort Bend Herald, Dec. 5,
2007
West Virginia's Revised 2007 Cross-Connection and
Backflow Prevention Manual "...Regulations require each public water supplier to develop and
maintain a cross-connection control program in order to provide some
control over water in the distribution system. This manual is
provided by the West Virginia Division of Health and Human Resources, West
Virginia Bureau for Public Health, to be used as a reference document and
training manual for public water supply personnel, health officials, plumbers
and others involved in water supply distribution systems. As a supplement
to the Regulations, this manual presents the basics of backflow theory, as well
as, practical applications for cross-connection control." West Virginia Office
of Environmental Health Services, April 2007
Famous
NYC Restaurant Closed For Rodents, Roaches (and cross-connections)
"A famous New York
eatery has been„closed by the Health Departmentafter failing its second
consecutive health inspection in a month, officials said said. Serendipity
Three, located at East 60th Street, was shut down by the Health Department after
two inspections revealed rodent and Cly infestation and conditions cJnducive to
pest infestation, including stagnant water in the basement, health officials
said. Inspectors Wednesday observed a live mouse, mouse droppings in multiple
areas of the restaurant, fruit flies, house flies aÎd more than 100 live
cockroacLes, inspectors said. The small restaurant can often have an hours-long
wait for people waiting for ice cream, hot dogs and its other famous treats. The
restaurant has been immortalized in several movies, including one bearing its
name. Violations were cited during an October inspection in the following areas:
* Plumbing not properly installed or maintained;
anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required;
equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or
not functioning properly. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or
conditions conducive to vermin exist. (and more...)" msnbc.com, Nov. 15,
2007
Backflow Prevention Program Brochure "Providing safe drinking water to Sarasota County is our highest
priority. Regulated by Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we follow strict standards to ensure that
the public drinking water supply remains safe. Our customers also have a
responsibility to help keep the public water supply safe. Here’s how. Wherever a
source of water exists on your property, like a well or pond, other than the
county’s own public water supply, the possibility for contamination could occur.
To avoid contamination,
backflow preventers are required whenever there is an actual or
potential hazard for a cross-connection." Sarasota County Florida,
scgov.net
Prior
contamination cause of boil order - Connection from contaminated tank likely
cause "The cause of the bacteria contamination that
caused last weekend’s boil order is believed to be a holdover from a similar
contamination incident two weeks ago. A cross connection
between the two tanks likely allowed water contaminated in the earlier incident
to make it into the system’s second storage tank on Mary Dunn Road. The
earlier contamination put the larger and newer of the two tanks off-line for
repairs and cleaning. The need for adequate water pressure in the system kept
the smaller tank in service despite the positive contamination test. Had the
other tank been available to maintain fire flows, the smaller tank could have
been isolated and the boil order would not have been needed, according to
information presented at the Hyannis Water Board meeting Tuesday afternoon. The
boil water order issued Saturday for those connected to the Hyannis water system
was lifted Monday afternoon by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
...The repairs to the tank, including holes in a roof vent cover believed to be
the source of outside contaminants, are now completed. The tank will now be
cleaned, chlorinated, refilled and tested at least twice before it is allowed to
be brought back online. Keisjer said that the source of contamination for the
smaller tank is believed to be water from a cross connection with the
now-off-line larger tank." BarnstablePatriot.com, Nov. 16,
2007
Public
Utilities employee is suing over an alleged incident that left him covered in
crap "Three weeks into his job as a pump
maintenance worker at Seattle Public Utilities, Dan Dunlop went to a U District
facility to learn how to fix a wastewater pump. He and a superior, Leonard
Wheeler, turned off the pump, at which point Wheeler left for another part of
the station, giving Dunlop instructions to stand in front of the pump and
monitor it for unusual activity. Dunlop stared at the pump. Suddenly,
sewage sprayed out of it and onto his face. "I got totally soaked in effluent.
Effluent is a nice word for poo," says Dunlop, who believes Wheeler turned the
pump back on knowing it would spurt all over him. Wheeler came back laughing,
says Dunlop. "He was like, 'Well, I guess that's your initiation!" Dunlop
still works for SPU as a maintenance worker, though he isn't enjoying the job
very much. In September, he filed a lawsuit against SPU and Wheeler, seeking
claims for emotional damages, violation of a whistle-blower act, and other
grievances. ...More seriously, Dunlop says that devices
meant to keep sewage from entering the city's drinking-water supply consistently
failed inspections in 2006 and 2007, which he claims SPU has yet to remedy. Last
year, SPU had Dunlop test its backflow assemblies, which are intricate
valve-and-pipe devices that help prevent contaminants from entering potable
water. Dunlop decided that 11 assemblies weren't up to code. He didn't test all
of them to see if they were working properly, but instead failed them outright
because of improper design and location, such as in flood-prone pits or rooms
containing toxic fumes. As Dunlop points out in his lawsuit, this runs afoul of
state regulations because assembly units contain air vents. Backflow assemblies aren't the only safeguards in the system, but
they are important enough that the state requires them at all wastewater
facilities. Yet as of August, 40 such Seattle locations didn't have any
assemblies installed. The state has given SPU a Nov. 19 deadline to install the
missing devices or come up with a plan to do so. In
September, Dunlop failed many of the same assemblies that he did in 2006, which
compelled SPU to get a second opinion. "They sent another tester out, and he
went out and passed them," says Dunlop. "It's just a complete snow job, that's
what it is." Seattle Weekly, Nov. 7,
2007
Old pipe investigated in WPB water
woes "West Palm Beach — An 80-year-old pipe buried 12 feet underground
at the city's water treatment plant might have been a major factor that led to a
fecal bacteria outbreak and a 10-day boil-water order, officials with the Palm
Beach County Health Department said on Monday. The 36-inch pipe, which leads
directly to a tank from which water is pumped out to homes and
businesses, might have been short-circuiting a key
part of the treatment process by sending some water through the system before it
had enough time to be disinfected properly. Not
all of the drinking water that comes from the plant would have flowed through
the pipe, even if it wasn't sealed as it should have been. A thorough
examination of the pipe is scheduled for this morning to determine whether it
was sealed - and, if it wasn't, how much water was running through it, health
department officials said. They called the old pipe a big discovery. "It's the
major smoking gun," health department director Dr. Jean Malecki said on Monday.
"The pieces are going to start to fit together. But have we turned over every
stone? No, we've got a ways to go." Malecki said the health department was
considering going to court to order the city's water service area to be
transferred to county water if necessary, but she said it didn't appear that it
would be. A county spokesman said that could be done "with the flick of a
switch." City officials acknowledged that, if the pipe wasn't plugged as it
should have been, it might have contributed to the outbreak. "This is a good
thing that we found this," Mayor Lois Frankel said. "Whether this was it, we
really don't know." On Sunday, the pumps were shut down at the tank connected to
the old pipe, forcing the city to rely on other pumps. ...While city officials
have said the boil-water ordeal has spurred close examination of their own
operations, they have been slow to acknowledge that their system had a direct
role. During the boil-water period, the city identified a commercial laundry
business, Gold Coast Linen Services on North Dixie Highway, as a potential
source of the contamination. The business was cited for having a pipe that
bypassed a valve preventing contaminants from entering the city's water system.
Gold Coast officials always denied that they could have caused the
contamination. Co-owner Woody Ostrow was astounded Monday to learn that the city
might have had errant piping ñ the very thing Gold Coast was blamed for. "It's
amazing - exactly what they accuse us of, they are doing on a much larger scale
in their own plant," he said. "When you need a scapegoat, you don't look at
yourself. Very interesting." Frankel said the business will never be exonerated.
"They will never be cleared because they had an illegal system there," she said.
"Whether or not they were a cause or contributed or were going to be a cause,
that may never be known." Malecki said the business was not the major cause.
"There were probably issues with the laundry - who knows? - but that is not the
major smoking gun here," she said." Palm Beach Post, Nov. 5,
2007
Livingston blasted by appeal court over Foster
Farms water "• Judges say city
overstepped authority • City needed facts, not beliefs, for its actions
The government needs facts, not just belief that a company is violating the law
before trying to inspect it wall to wall, the Fifth District Court of Appeal
says. In a ruling upholding a Superior court decision in favor of poultry
producer Foster Farms of Livingston, the court says the city’s request for an
inspection warrant for the plant for unspecified code violations was not based
on facts. Rex Wyatt, the chief building official for the Central Valley city,
“relied on unauthenticated “newsletters” from Foster Farms, which are
inadmissible hearsay; statements from an unidentified ex-employee of Foster
Farms, which are inadmissible hearsay; statements from unidentified city
employees, which also are inadmissible hearsay; and numerous conclusions based
on his beliefs, which are inadmissible due to Wyatt’s lack of personal
knowledge,” the appellate decision says. What may have been the real issue, says
the decision, is a dispute between Foster Farms and the city over what kinds of
water backflow prevention system needed to be used at the plant. “Our extensive
review of Wyatt’s declaration demonstrates that it was lacking in factual
support for his belief that Foster Farms may have performed activities without
obtaining the necessary permits, or that any nonconforming condition existed at
the facility,” the court says." CVBT, Nov. 5, 2007 (see
the original story below)
Judge keeps Foster Farms' water on "City water will keep flowing
to Foster Farms, at least for now. Judge Richard Spann, who was visiting from
Los Angeles, delayed a ruling until Tuesday, when a Merced County judge will
hear the case. Spann filled in because some local judges are vacationing. "I
want to make sure judge unavailability doesn't cause a factory shutdown," Foster
Farms attorney Carmine Zarlenga said. Before Friday's hearing, city of
Livingston officials said they would turn off Foster Farms' water today unless
the poultry company agreed to their water protection requests. Water safety vs. business
Foster Farms attorneys requested that a judge force the city to keep
water flowing to the property while the lawsuit is settled. The poultry company
is suing the city about what type ofwater protection should be installed on
pipes to the factory. After the hearing, Zarlenga said the judge recognized the
company's water supply as an important issue. "I'm standing here very happy that
a poultry processing plant with 3,300 employees is not being shut down," he
said. ...At the core of the lawsuit is what type of
protection should be installed on the water supply going to Foster Farms' plant.
The protection is for the threat of backflow, which occurs when contaminated
water flows the wrong direction in pipes. It's caused by pressure drops or pipe
breaks. City officials want air-gap protection, which they say is fail-safe.
Foster Farms officials said reduced-pressure devices are the industry standard
for the situation. Foster Farms spokesman Tim Walsh said in June that the
city's plan would cost $3 million to install and Foster Farms' plan would cost
$200,000." Modesto Bee, July 31, 2006
Tennessee Town
Runs Out Of Water in Southeast Drought "As
twilight falls over this Tennessee town, Mayor Tony Reames drives up a dusty
dirt road to the community's towering water tank and begins his nightly ritual
in front of a rusty metal valve. With a twist of the wrist, he releases
the tank's meager water supply, and suddenly this sleepy town is alive with
activity. Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run. About three
hours later, Reames will return and reverse the process, cutting off water to
the town's 145 residents. The severe drought tightening like a vise across the
Southeast has threatened the water supply of cities large and small, sending
politicians scrambling for solutions. But Orme, about 40 miles west of
Chattanooga and 150 miles northwest of Atlanta, is a town where the worst-case
scenario has already come to pass: The water has run out. The mighty waterfall
that fed the mountain hamlet has been reduced to a trickle, and now the creek
running through the center of town is dry. ...The town has received a $377,590
emergency grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Reames hopes will
be Orme's salvation. A utility crew is laying a 2 1/2-mile pipe to connect Orme
to the Bridgeport, Ala., water supply. The work
could be finished by Thanksgiving. "It's not a short-term solution," Reames
says. "It is the solution." He says the crisis in Orme could serve as a
warning to other communities to conserve water before it's too late. "I feel for
the folks in Atlanta," he says, his gravelly voice barely rising above the sound
of rushing water from the town's tank. "We can survive. We're 145 people. You've
got 4.5 million people down there. What are they going to do? It's a scary
thought."" FoxNews.com, Nov. 1, 2007
Thieves Steal Water
Devices From Apartments (Video Report included) "28 Backflow Preventers Stolen In Past 2 Weeks... Police
in Lauderhill and neighboring Lauderdale Lakes said there have been more than
two dozen thefts of devices used to direct the flow of water from city pipes
into apartment buildings. A total of 28 backflow preventers have been stolen
from apartment complexes during the past two weeks, including eight taken from
various apartments in Lauderhill during the night Tuesday. Without the devices,
residents are left without water in their buildings. It also causes flooding
around the pipe. Police are unsure how the devices are being removed, but
they do have a few ideas as to why. "Two theories: One, they could be
reselling the preventers for plumbing, maybe new construction or retrofitting,
whatever projects they might be working on, but more than likely they're
probably selling the metal because they're made of copper," said Lauderhill
police Lt. Rick Rocco." Local10.com, Oct. 30, 2007
Copper Sting Snares
Seven "Targeting the "middleman" in a recent spree
of copper thefts, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday arrested
seven people on charges of buying stolen metal. The arrests at two scrap yards
and two private homes - where detectives had received tips that illegal activity
was taking place - culminated a six-week sting operation dubbed "Operation Hot
Wire." ..."This was an effort to go after the middleman, the people buying
stolen copper," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube. "We told these people
this stuff was stolen, and they took took it anyway." Two years ago, copper was
being sold for about $1 per pound. On Wednesday, copper closed at $3.45 per
pound in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price increase has
fueled a nationwide epidemic of copper theft from businesses and residences,
according to sheriff's Sgt. John Andrews. Manatee County has been hit so hard,
the sheriff's office this summer assigned two detectives solely to investigate
copper thefts. Most recently, thefts of copper and brass backflow preventers
have frustrated victims and investigators. A backflow preventer keeps wastewater
from being sucked back into water supplies. ...In September, someone was brazen
enough to steal the backflow preventer from the rear of the sheriff's office's
headquarters, leaving employees without water for hours." Bradenton Herald, Oct.
25, 2007
A Plumbing We
Will Go Just for fun, a hilarious 18 min. video...
The Three Stooges classic representation of how "cross connections" can
be created by "plumbers"... According to Moe.. "Who says you
need brains to be a plumber"... "To escape the police, the stooges pose as
plumbers and are hired to fix a leak in a fancy mansion. They wind up crossing
the electrical system with the plumbing and generally ruin the place. One
memorable scene has the lady of the house tuning into a television broadcast
from Niagara Falls as a torrent of water pours from the
set."
Mekorot
to shut water to towns without backflow devices "Backflow prevention devices prevent pesticides and fertilizers
from entering the national water system. “Starting today, Mekorot will cut off
the water supply to communities, gas stations, and factories that have not
installed backflow prevention devices that prevent pesticides and fertilizers
from entering the national water system,” announced Mekorot National Water
Company central district head Daniel Sofer. Backflow prevention devices are
installations that prevent the reverse flow of water from irrigation pipes into
the national water system. Their absence is liable to cause pesticides and
fertilizers found in irrigation water to enter the water system and reach
households. Sofer said that these substances are liable to be toxic, causing
illness and even death, even in locations far from the source of the substances.
Mekorot says that it announced the nationwide campaign for the installation of
backflow prevention devices three months ago, in the wake of numerous complaints
of contaminated water. Sofer estimates that 60 farms, gas stations, and
factories in the central district alone, 10% of the farms in the area, have not
yet installed the backflow blockers." Globes, Oct. 17,
2007
Water, Think Before You Drink 4 minute
You Tube video examines
the dangers of hospital cross-connections... "Water,
It's not as safe as you may think. You need to make sure you are protected from
cross connections!
West
Palm Beach lifts boil-water order "Coffee flowed
again at the Starbucks in CityPlace in West Palm Beach on Sunday, hours after a
nine-day boil-water restriction was lifted for the remainder of the city. City
administrators lifted the order Sunday for all areas north of Okeechobee
Boulevard, even as the city's 600-mile water distribution system was still being
flushed with bacteria-killing chlorine. But as life returned to normal in the
affected area, the investigation into a laundry company's possible role in the
contamination continues. ...On Friday, inspectors zeroed in on a commercial
laundry, Gold Coast Linen Services at 1811 N. Dixie Highway, as a possible
source of the fecal bacteria. At that time, the city lifted the boil order for
Palm Beach, South Palm Beach and all parts of West Palm Beach south of
Okeechobee Boulevard, areas served by the city's water system. ...City
inspectors and engineers have said the laundry business may have made an illegal
hookup between its well water and the city water system. "There's definitely a
cross connection to the business," Rearden said. But the laundry's owner,
Alliance Laundry Services, said Sunday that tests performed by the city, the
state Health Department and another lab found the water at the business free of
E. coli bacteria. "We feel vindicated," said Bob Raphael, president of Alliance,
in a statement. "Safety is priority number one. We employ 175 people in West
Palm Beach and want to be goÊd corporate citizens as well." Rearden said he has
not seen the results from the tests and couldn't comment. He stressed that the
city, the state health department and South Florida Water Management District
are continuing their investigation. "We hÁve to do our due diligence," he said."
Sun Sentinel, Oct. 11, 2007
Commercial
laundry tied to West Palm boil water order "A
commercial laundry business with an illegal hookup between its well water and
the city water system is "highly suspected" to be the source of the fecal
bacteria contamination that has had residents boiling water for the last eight
days. Late Friday the boil-water order for Palm Beach, South Palm
Beach and West Palm Beach south of Okeechobee Blvd. was lifted. Test samples
taken from these areas have never shown contamination. ...City officials
confirmed this afternoon that they are investigating Gold Coast Linen Services
at 1811 North Dixie Hwy as the "potential source." Engineers have sealed the
laundry off from the city water supply to prevent further
contamination. It will take at least another day before tests taken
Friday morning can confirm that the laundry's old well is contaminated with
fecal bacteria and was the source that contaminated the city's water
system. "We feel we have found the source, but
we can't rest until we have looked at everything else twice and thrice,"
said Nigel Grace, a vice president with Malcolm Pirnie, an engineering firm that
is consulting with the city. Grace added, "If this is the source of the
contamination, then the threat has been terminated." Bob Raphael,
who recently bought the laundry with other partners, could not be reached for
comment. City inspectors working to solve the mystery of the contamination
source noticed the laundry had significantly and inexplicably reduced its water
consumption over the last month, which prompted inspectors to search the laundry
this morning. Inspectors and engineers found an
"illegal connection" between a well the 80 year-old laundry once used and the
city water system. The connection had been hooked up within the past
month, said Grace. "We have no hard data yet but the cross connection existed and was of a magnitude that it's
highly suspicious," said Grace, adding "There was a
cross connection tying into the city system without backflow prevention that
would prevent the well water from going into the city water."
Grace said the well had been idle for years, which could have allowed a buildup
of bacteria that was then suddenly released into the city water supply.
Since Friday the city has been flushing the 600-mile distribution network with
chlorine to kill the bacteria. Grace confirmed that the latest city tests have
shown a steady decline in the amount of fecal bacteria in the system.... Sun
Sentinel, Oct. 5, 2007
New
experts take fresh look at West Palm's water woes "A team of county and university experts joined with the city
Thursday in an all-out blitz to try to find the cause of a fecal bacteria
outbreak that has the city entering a second frustrating week under a boil-water
order. Mayor Lois Frankel expressed hope that the order could be lifted as soon
as Saturday - and maybe even late today for parts of the city where no bacteria
has been found - depending on feedback from the Palm Beach County Health
Department. But the city's two previous estimates for an end to the order
proved to be overly optimistic. And officials with the county health department,
which makes the final decision, were careful not to give a time frame. ...Health
department officials said they were awaiting two key reports: More certified
data from the city showing citywide test results and the conclusions of the
water experts who are working furiously to observe the city's water system and
find possible causes of the outbreak. The outside experts, working under the
guidance of Assistant City Administrator Ken Rearden, plan to scour the city's
water plant and water distribution system, then put their heads together to
figure out what went wrong. ...Beaudet said an outside contamination source or
problem with the city's system - or even both - remain as possibilities. "We
can't rule out some cross connection or source contamination, and we cannot yet
rule out some issue with the water distribution system," he said." Palm Beach
Post, Oct. 5, 2007
Tainted-water
puzzle spurs look at building sites "As the city
endures its fifth day under a boil-water order today, inspectors are zeroing in
on a narrow group of downtown construction sites, including the city's own
parking garage next to the City Center government complex, as possible sources
of fecal coliform contamination. The water that left the city's main treatment
plant on Clear Lake had tested clean, but a short distance away, samples pulled
Wednesday tested positive for the bacteria. Based on the flow of water mains,
the garage site west of Quadrille Boulevard at Clematis Street appeared to be
one possible hot spot, said Darrel Graziani, administrator of the environmental
health section in the Palm Beach County Health Department. ...Hospitals and
health officials reported no confirmed illnesses related to the bacteria
outbreak. ...It isn't known when the boil-water order - which also covers Palm
Beach and South Palm Beach - will be lifted, but city officials were hoping for
Wednesday. ...Once that happens, though, the mystery of where the bacteria
came from still might not be solved. Ken Rearden, the city's assistant
administrator over utilities, called it "a big mystery." "You never know what
you're going to find until you start turning over the rocks," said Nigel Grace,
a city consultant. "Hopefully we'll find a smoking gun." Mayor Lois Frankel said
the city garage site is no longer under deep suspicion because backflow
preventers, which keep contamination from intruding into water pipes, have been
tested and are working. Water meters at the site have not registered any signs
of contamination. ...Construction sites can be problem areas because they
require tapping into the water supply in a way that doesn't allow water to flow
backward and protect against low pressure in the mains. A device called a
backflow preventer is supposed to provide a safety net in case city water
pressure drops. Health officials plan to look at how the city is maintaining its
meters and backflow prevention devices, Graziani said. ...Aside from the
attention on construction projects in the downtown, city workers say they're
checking every nook and cranny of their system. They checked water-storage tanks
for cracks that could have allowed contamination to seep in, and they drained
the tanks so they would be refilled with water fully treated by the increased
chlorine levels. And Wednesday, a water plant operations expert will fly in from
Pennsylvania to examine the city's plant - its system for adding treatment
chemicals, its filters, its record-keeping. But plant officials believe the
problem is not at the plant, because the positive samples have been found in
only one general area. "It would be through the whole system, and we're not
finding it through the whole system," said Coy Mathis, an assistant utilities
director with the city. While the city worked to clear the water system with a
chlorine flush, the health department launched a separate inquiry. ...the focus
now is returning the water supply to safety. "We may never know the exact cause
of this," he said." Palm Beach Post, Oct. 2, 2007
Dental
Unit Water Quality "...Despite
a lack of documented adverse health effects, using water of uncertain
microbiological quality is inconsistent with infection control
principles. Levels of contamination in water from untreated systems can
exceed 1 million colony forming units per milliliter (mL) of water. Untreated
dental units cannot reliably produce water that meets drinking water standards
(fewer than 500 CFU/mL of heterotrophic water bacteria). Even using source water
containing =500 CFU/mL of bacteria (e.g., tap,
distilled, or sterile water) in a self-contained system will not eliminate
bacterial contamination in treatment water if biofilms in the water system are
not controlled. Removal or inactivation of dental waterline biofilms requires
use of chemical germicides." CDC, Aug. 7, 2007
Backflow Prevention and the Dental Operative Unit "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has been asked by the American Dental Association (ADA), state and local
health departments, and local water regulators to provide guidance and
scientific information regarding the risk of contamination from
cross-connections from the dental operative unit. The dental operative unit is a
medical device at each dental chair through which water and compressed air flow
during dental procedures. Cross-connections are the links through which
contaminated materials may enter a potable water supply system when the pressure
of the polluted source exceeds the pressure of the potable source (e.g., during
a water main break). ...Possible sites for cross-connection in the dental
operative unit are the cuspidor, high-speed handpiece, and air/water syringe.
...One concern expressed during meetings with local water regulators is the
possibility of contamination of public water supplies with blood-borne viruses
such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—the virus that causes acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Scientific evidence indicates, however, that the
route of transmission of blood-borne viruses is through intimate contact with
blood or other potentially infectious body fluids. Transmission of bloodborne
diseases has not been reported through the use of any type of water source and
is considered highly unlikely." CDC, Aug. 7, 2007
Metal
thefts extend to new devices... Recent thievery leaves some area businesses
without running water "Copper
thieves have found another inventive way of stealing public property to sell on
the black market, city officials say. During the last three months, six
copper-and-brass backflow devices designed to control water pollution have been
stolen from businesses. The devices cost the city up to $350 each and two hours
of staff time to replace. "It is becoming a problem," water superintendent
Erik Nugteren said. A rash of copper thefts have cost the city and state nearly
a half-million dollars recently as thieves have ripped out more than 6,000 feet
of electrical wiring for freeway and municipal streetlights. Vandals also stole
metal from the city's memorial to veterans. But taking backflow devices,
which requires sawing into an active water pipe, demonstrates a new level of
desperation, officials say. Not all crooks have figured out how to cut off a
building's water supply before removing the devices, and have left devices half
cut and leaking water. There are about 2,000 backflow devices in Vallejo, the
majority of which are a small variety more vulnerable to thieves..." Vallejo
Times Herald, Sept. 22, 2007
Plainfield
Twp.: Board studies drinking water rules "Township
Board members say they want to strengthen ordinances to keep drinking water
clean. The proposed amendment would require an inspection of all backflow
prevention devices, which protect water supplies from contamination, 30 days
after installation. Subsequent tests would be completed annually, or as required
by the township in accordance with state Department of Environmental Quality
requirements. The proposed ordinance also would authorize the township to enter
at "any reasonable time" to inspect industrial and commercial buildings that use
its water distribution system. Water customers would be required to provide
information of the piping systems on their properties. ...the township's
cross connection inspector ...said current ordinances don't require the
testing...." The Grand Rapids Press, Sept. 14, 2007
Some
may get a break for plumbing - The county may share the cost of backflow valves,
used for lawn watering "The county may be able to
help senior citizens and low-income families pay for pricey plumbing
requirements, commissioners said last week. County Commission Chairman Jim
Norman asked staffers to look into creating a program to help pay for backflow
valve installation, which can cost around $600. A county ordinance requires
residents to install the valves if they use reclaimed water, wells or lakes to
water their lawns. The valves prevent cross connections, which can allow
contaminated water to enter the county's system. "We're trying to make that
safety element more affordable," Norman said. Commissioners unanimously
supported his motion to research the possibility. Their vote came after a
presentation from attorney Gerald Buhr, who specializes in utility law. He said
Hillsborough County's backflow prevention ordinance follows state and federal
laws. "Based on my experience, I don't believe it is heavy handed," he said."
Brandon Times, Sept. 14, 2007
Montana Water Center
Contamination Explorer ("Click
on an image to learn how to order the free CD-ROM or to download the program
right away and install it on your computer.") "NEW! Contamination Explorer, intended
for operators and junior-level regulatory officials, focuses on contamination
issues for public drinking water systems. Biological sources of contamination
are highlighted, with a primary emphasis on ways that operators can avoid
introducing contamination into their systems. Realistic 3D animation allows the
user to fully understand complex microscopic issues relating to system
contamination." Release Date: April 2007
Thieves Target Toilet
Flush Valves In Broward "3 Accused Of Stealing
$2,000 Worth Of Flush Valves From Park, Restaurant Bathrooms... Three
people are being held on charges of stealing about $2,000 worth of brass toilet
flush valves from park and restaurant bathrooms in Broward County. Police said
the three were found with receipts from a metal scrap yard in their car.
Removing the valves means people can't flush the toilets. Replacing them costs
hundreds of dollars. Officials said a global shortage of copper, aluminum,
nickel and other materials has driven up the demand and prices for all metals.
Throughout South Florida, numerous bronze vases on headstones and brass devices
that prevent backflow on water lines have also been believed stolen and sold as
scrap metal." Local10.com, Aug. 31, 2007
Pressue
rises in backflow valve fight "David Brown held
stacks of complaints and pages of computer printouts. For weeks he had
researched the county's backflow prevention ordinance, lobbied commissioners and
urged neighbors to fight back. But on a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of his
battle, the 69-year-old retiree from Sun City Center paused at a lectern and
read his horoscope to county officials. The power of convincing others is due to
your excellent manners, enthusiasm and cultured outlook. Don't step on people's
feet, even with a smile. He grinned and ripped off the wrapping paper on a box
beside him. Then he pulled out a large white sheet cake, covered with
butterscotch frosting and an elaborate decoration: "Happy Birthday, Bob!" At the
bottom, Brown had used icing to draw his recipe for disaster: a house, a piece
of plumbing and poison pumping into the public water supply. "The skull and
crossbones are the people who are going to die if you don't change the
ordinance," he said. "Bob" is Robert DiCecco, Hillsborough County's cross
connection control coordinator. He turned 61 last week - about three months
after violation notices started popping up in Brown's neighborhood. The piece of
plumbing is a backflow valve, which the county requires residents to install if
they use wells or lakes to water their lawns. It prevents cross connections,
which can allow contaminated water to enter the county's system. Purchase and
installation costs total around $600. DiCecco says the county's backflow valve
requirements stem from a federal law. He said that's the only approach that will
work to protect the public water supply. And he said the valves provide no
greater opportunity for terrorists than an indoor faucet. "We don't have a
choice," he said. "It's not something you can just turn off because you don't
want to do it." But Brown sees things differently. The retired computer
programmer turned inventor says people can steal the street-side valves or use
them to pump poison into the water system. And he has a demonstration to prove
it. "For terrorists and vandals and disgruntled people, these things are a
godsend," he said. Concerns about the valves extend beyond Sun City Center.
Several residents in Apollo Beach who recently received notices of violation
from the county have also started speaking out, claiming the ordinance places an
unfair financial burden on residents. "If it's necessary to put backflow
protection devices in, the county ought to eat it," Jerry Tootle, 67, of Apollo
Beach told county officials last week. "It's your water." After more than 30
residents in the Symphony Isles neighborhood received violation notices several
weeks ago, Jeff Wortner worked with a local plumbing company to negotiate a
better installation deal. But the 46-year-old Symphony Isles resident said it's
unfair only to require those with irrigation systems to hook up. Anyone with a
garden hose, he said, is just as likely to contaminate the water supply. "I
think every house should have one. I think they're a good thing to have to
protect the drinking water," he said. "And I think the county should step up and
provide them as part of the service."" St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 31,
2007
Public Health
Significance of Cross-Connections "Public Health Officials have
long been aware of the impact that cross-connections play as a threat to the
public health. Because plumbing defects are so frequent and the
opportunity for contaminants to invade the public drinking water through
cross-connections are so general, enteric illnesses cause by drinking water may
occure at most any location and at any time. ...documented cases of
cross-connection problems illustrate and empHasize how actual cross-connections
have compromised the water quality and the public health." EPA
Cross-Connection Control Manual, Chapter 2
Oakland County Drain Commission Cross Connection
Program "...The OCDC program has
included commercial/industrial customers for many ye@rs and has recently been
updated to incHude residential customers. This update occurred in response to
changes in State regplations in an effort to better Protect potable (drinking)
water systems from potential contamination. . .This program is run in accordance
with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the State of
Michigan Public Act 399, 1976 Rule #325.11401 through Rule #325.11407 of the
Administrative Code. This program has been approved by the HDEQ and has been in
effect in Oakland County since 1976. ...The program... ...expanded in 2002 to
include residential homes. ....will work with you in every way possible, but if
a customer refuses to cooperate and have the devices installed and/or t@sted,
the final step is that the water will be shut off until the devices are in
compliance. There are also penalties (monetary fines and/or jail time) that
are outlined in the local ordinances." Oakland County Drain
Commissioner
RECLAIMED WATER: HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR BACKFLOW
PREVENTION PROGRAM? "Water is one of those commodities we just can't do without.
Unfortunately, most of us tend to take our water for granted -- at least until
recently. Water restrictions created by the recent drought and saltwater
intrusion, common to coastal areas of the state, have forced us to look at how
we are using our drinking water. That is why, in principle, reusing treated
wastewater is a great idea. Nonetheless, water reuse will have a significant
impact on your backflow prevention program when public health concerns are
considered." by: Robin L. Ritland and Les O'Brien, May 30, 1991 (TechZone
Ed.: This 13 year old report by O'Brien & Ritland was
prophetic, utilities need to re-read and very seriously consider the
ongoing issues)
Surveillance for Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks - United States, 1999-2000, CDC's MMWR, Nov. 22, 2002 / Vol. 51 /
No. SS-8
THE ISSUE: CROSS-CONNECTION CONTROL AND BACKFLOW
PREVENTION, (double click link to google then pdf or html files) The Green
Paper, March 3, 2003, Pennsylvania Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution
Control and Conservation Committee Report...
CDC Fact Sheet; Infection Control:
Backflow Prevention and the Dental Operative Unit
Backflow Incidents & Articles, Archived by the ABPA, updated April 13, 2004
Municipalities, States, Nations, and
Associations Respond With Backflow Prevention Programs....
Oakland County Michigan Implements Residential
Backflow Prevention Inspections
Cross Connection Control Begins at
Home
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality - MDEQ
Cross Connection Control Manual 3rd Edition
Revisions
2nd Edition - Archived
Lincoln
Nebraska's Municipal Cross Connection Control
Program offers extensive on-line resources,
a residential survey
form, colorful
informative brochure, Working Together for Safe Water Video, and much more..
Municipal Backflow Prevention Program Customer
Policies & Brochure, Sydney
Australia
New York State Residential Cross-ConJection
Control Policy for Sinæle or Dual Family Customers
Cross-Connection and Backflow
Prevention Manual "The goal of a good public water supply system is to provide clean
and safe drinking water to its customers. However, it is not enough to
merely treat the water and meet regulatory standards. The water must also
be protected in the distribution system so that it remains free of
contamination. Cross-connections and backflow pose dangers to drinking
water and public health once the water enters the distribution system.
...Regulations require each public water supplier to develop and maintain a
cross-connection control program in order to provide some control over
water in the distribution system. This manual is provided by the Bureau for
Public Health to be used as a reference document and training manual for
public water supply personnel, health officials, plumbers and others
involved in water supply distribution systems." West Virginia Bureau
for Public Health
EPA's Cross-Connection Control Manual (4.3 mb
Pdf file)
Drinking Water and Health: What you need to
know, EPA 816-K-99-001
Historical Documents Related to
Backflow Prevention
The History of
Drinking Water & Plumbing,
Backflow
Prevention & Cross Connection Control
A Collection
Including Articles, Reports, and Lists Concerned with
Historic Safe Water
Practices to Modern Public Health Laws,
Plumbing, Building, & Related Codes
NYC
street excavation around the early 1900's
All names, linked pages, logos, registered
trademarks, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. We are
not responsible for typographical or "404" errors.
Pictures and text excerpts are for
illustration & review purposes only
Plagues & Epidemics....Perhaps the
first backflow incident?..A must read summary of why backflow prevention &
cross connection control programs and efforts are essential. Plumbing
& Mechanical Magazine, July 1988 at theplumber.com
Babylonia
Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine, July 1989 at
theplumber.com
Egypt P & M
Magazine, July 1989 at theplumber.com
Crete P
& M Magazine, July 1989 at theplumber.com
Greece P & M
Magazine, July 19˜9 at theplumber.com
China
(Reuters) Beijing July 26, 2000 - at
theplumber.com
Jerusalem P & M
Magazine, July 1989 at theplumber.com
Pompeii P & M
Magazine, July 1989 at theplumber.com
Roman and English Legacy P
& M Magazine, July 1989 at theplumber.com
A History of Plumbing Engineering,
P & M Engineer, 06/09/2000
America.........Plumbing &
Mechanical Magazine, July 1987 at theplumber.com
California....... The High Pressure
Water System, Oct. 1925, Museum of the City of San Francisco
Brief History of Drinking Water,
American Water Works Association
Historic Milestones in Drinking Water
History, Alaska Div. of Environmental
Health
Evolution of Plumbing,
at plumbing-info.com
Vol.1 Num. 1
(July 1984) of "Backflow Prevention" (14mb pdf download), The
first monthly publication about backflow prevention issues.
Cross Connection
Program: Protecting the Quality of Our Drinking Water "...During the 1950's there were attempts to regulate high rise
buildings with gravity water tanks located on top of the structures. Quirinomous
fly larvae were growing in these tanks and there was concern that they could be
drawn into the City's water system under backflow conditions. The flies were
also found within the various building water
systems..." www.slcgov.com, February 23,
1999
History In-The-Making, Recent Centuries Ongoing Facts, Figures,
Incidents,
and Events in
Backflow Prevention & Cross Connection
Control:
One Hotel's unprotected Cross
Connection with a
sewer allowed Entomoeba histolytica to become the agent for a dramatic backflow
incident at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933...1000 cases of severe illness and
58 deaths....FDA Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins 1992
(Bad Bug Book)
Two instances of ethylene glycol
intoxication due to
contamination of water systems' cross-connections, CDC's MMWR,
36(36);611-4
4 Deaths & 240 sick attributed to E. Coli backflow through a cross
connection... Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol 1, # 2
1995
7
Backflow "incidents" and recent articles, compiled by the ABPA
15 Responsibilities,
a Cross-connection Control Supervisor's Checklist, by Les
O'Brien, CET
20 Documented incidents of cross-connections between re-used/re-cycled water systems & potable
water lines, Safewaterreuse.org
25 Facts about Water, AWWA
35 Case Histories
of Selected Backflow Incidents, University of Florida
TREEO Center
49 students seriously ill with methemoglobinemia
attributable to nitrite contamination of potable
water through boiler fluid additives. Defective backflow preventer
source of the cross-connection, CDC's MMWR, 46(09);2202-204
81 Dangerous Cross-Connections,
U of M Engineeering Bulletin, 1943
Outer Space
NASA , May 2001 at theplumber.com
Report on Main Breaks
Water distribution system safety issues discussed,
11-21-89 -- Museum of the City of San Francisco
-->
TechZone Departments
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is both an open-source application and ongoing project. IT IS FREE!!! The product is a multi-platform (windows, mac, linux, and
other versions), non-proprietary office productivity suite compatible with all
major file formats. We use the Linux & Windows versions of it's
spreadsheet and word processor here at Midwest Backflow
Prevention to keep track of 11+ municipalities' cross connection inspection
data , generate correspondance and reports. More specific info
related to it's use in backflow prevention programs will be posted
soon......
Backflow Prevention & Cross-Connection Control
Basics, Waterborne Diseases, and Chemical Contaminents
Industrial Backflow and Cross Connection Incidents, Florida Dept.
of Environmental Protection
Backflow Prevention Education / Training
Programs and Resources
The following sections are being
revised and updated, pardon any broken links please.....
Municipal
Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control Programs
State,
Provincial, or Regional Backflow Prevention & Cross Connection Control
Regulations
National Backflow
Prevention and Cross Connection Control Policies
Government Agencies'
and Universities' related to Backflow Prevention & Water Quality Issues
Backflow Prevention and
Cross-Connection Control Related Associations, Foundations and Networks
Backflow Prevention
Device Testing, Certification, Survey Education Issues, and
Resources
Any comments or questions about this site,
or inquiries about
available backflow prevention programs or cross connection inspection
& training services
can be directed to the staff of the
Backflow Prevention Techzone
and
Midwest Backflow
Prevention
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logos, registered trademarks, and trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. We are not responsible for typographical or "404" errors.
Pictures and text
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