Section 3745-95-04 - Where protection is required(A) For single property community water systems and for noncommunity water systems, an approved backflow preventer shall be installed at the actual or potential cross-connection, where in the judgment of the supplier of water or the director, a pollutional, system, health or severe health hazard to the public water system exists including the following: (1) Any situation that could allow backflow of process fluids.(2) In the judgement of the supplier of water or director, a premises has internal cross-connections that are not correctable or contain intricate plumbing arrangements that make determining whether or not cross-connections exist impractical.(3) A premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or re-established.(4) Facilities listed in paragraph (B)(5) of this rule and others specified by the director.(B) For all other community water systems, an approved backflow preventer shall be installed on each service line to the consumer's water system serving the premises where in the judgement of the supplier of water or the director, a pollutional, system, health, or severe health hazard to the public water system exists including the following:(1) Premises where any situation exists that could allow backflow of process fluids.(2) Premises having internal cross-connections that, in the judgment of the supplier of water or director, are not correctable, or contain intricate plumbing arrangements which make it impracticable to determine whether or not cross-connections exist.(3) Premises where, because of security requirements or other prohibitions or restrictions, it is impossible or impractical to make a complete cross-connection assessment.(4) Premises having a repeated history of cross-connections being established or reestablished.(5) The following specific types of facilities unless the director determines that no severe health, health, system or pollutional hazard to the public water system exists:(a) Hospitals, mortuaries, clinics, nursing homes.(c) Piers, docks, waterfront facilities.(d) Sewage treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, or storm water pumping stations.(e) Food or beverage processing plants.(g) Metal plating industries.(h) Petroleum processing or storage plants.(i) Radioactive material processing plants or nuclear reactors.(k) Bulk water loading, including but not limited to, bulk water loading stations and temporary use of fire hydrants.(l) Others specified by the director.(C) The following requirements apply to premises that have an auxiliary water system on the real property, on or available to the premises, that is owned or under control of the consumer or public water system:(1) The supplier of water shall document, in writing, through an onsite inspection conducted or caused to be conducted by the supplier of water, every twelve months that there is no connection or means of connection between the public water system or a consumer's water system and the auxiliary water system as prohibited by paragraph (B) of rule 3745-95-02 of the Administrative Code.(2) For single property community water systems and noncommunity water systems, an approved backflow preventer shall be installed within the supplier of water's premises when and where appropriate to mitigate the hazard at the actual or potential cross-connection. For all other community water systems serving customers through service connections, an approved backflow preventer shall be installed at the service line.(3) For community water systems, other than single property community water systems, the requirement to install an approved backflow preventer may be waived at the discretion of the supplier of water if the supplier of water does all of the following: (a) Determines that the auxiliary water system is on the real property but is not on the premises.(b) Determines, on a case-by-case basis, that the installation of an approved backflow preventer on a service connection is not required in consideration of factors including, but not limited to, the past history of cross connections being established or re-established on the premises, the ease or difficulty of connecting the auxiliary water system with the public water system on the premises, the presence or absence of contaminants on the property or other risk factors.(c) Requires the consumer to sign an agreement which specifies the penalties, including those set forth in rule 3745-95-08 of the Administrative Code, for creating a connection between the public water system and the auxiliary water system.(d) Conducts or causes to be conducted an inspection at least every twelve months to certify that no connection or means of connection has been created between the public water system and the auxiliary water system.(e) Maintains an inventory of each consumer's premises where an auxiliary water system is on or available to the premises, or on the real property adjacent to the premises.(f) Develops and implements an education program to inform all consumers served by the public water system about the dangers of cross-connections and how to eliminate cross-connections.(4) Provisions in paragraph (C)(1) of this rule may be waived for an auxiliary water system if any of the following conditions are met: (a) An auxiliary water system is accepted as an additional source by the supplier of water and the source is approved by the director, in accordance with paragraph (B) of rule 3745-95-02 of the Administrative Code..(b) The connection to the auxiliary water system is an approved connection for dual water supplies, in accordance with paragraph (B) of rule 3745-95-02 of the Administrative Code and conforms to the following: (i) An approved backflow preventer is installed at any point of connection between a public water system or a consumer's water system and the auxiliary water system.(ii) The connection meets the requirement in paragraph (B) of rule 3745-95-05 of the Administrative Code.(c) The connection to the auxiliary water system is for fire protection purposes only and meets the requirements set forth in paragraph (C) of rule 3745-95-05 of the Administrative Code. Replaces: 3745-95-04
Ohio Admin. Code 3745-95-04
Effective: 10/10/2022
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 10/10/2027
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 6109.04
Rule Amplifies: 6109.04, 6109.13, 6109.03, 6109.01
Prior Effective Dates: 07/01/1972, 11/26/1980, 05/01/2003, 08/15/2018