13703692, 62-555.330 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

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Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 13703692

Notice of Proposed Rule

Department:

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Chapter:

PERMITTING, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS

Overview

RULE:

62-555.330	Engineering References for Public Water Systems
62-555.360	Cross-Connection Control for Public Water Systems
62-555.900	Forms and Instructions

PURPOSE:

These rules are being amended to significantly reduce the overall regulatory burden of cross-connection control requirements on community water systems (CWSs) and their residential customers by: (1) allowing a dual check device to be used as backflow protection at residential service connections from CWSs to premises where there is any type of auxiliary or reclaimed water system; and (2) allowing biennial instead of annual testing of backflow preventer assemblies required at residential service connections from CWSs. Also, these rules are being amended to clarify, and thus, achieve more consistent compliance with, cross-connection control requirements for public water systems (PWSs). Furthermore, these rules are being amended to require large CWSs—i.e., CWSs serving more than 10,000 persons—to submit cross-connection control program annual reports using a brief new two-page form. The new reporting requirement will be a slight additional burden on large CWSs, but the annual reports will enable the Department to better ascertain the operational adequacy of large CWSs and more efficiently conduct sanitary surveys of large CWSs. (About 91% of the Florida residents who obtain their drinking water from a CWS are served by a large CWS even though large CWSs comprise only about 14% of the total number of CWSs in Florida.)

SUMMARY:

Rule 62-555.330 is being amended to incorporate the current or third edition of American Water Works Association (AWWA) Manual M14 instead of the second edition of this manual, which is no longer available from the publisher. Subsection 62-555.360(1) is being amended to clarify that cross-connections are prohibited except where an appropriate type of backflow preventer is installed; to clarify that a PWS may interconnect to another PWS of the same type without installing a backflow preventer; and to clarify appropriate types of backflow preventers for various applications. Subsection 62-555.360(2) is being amended to require that only CWSs must establish and implement a cross-connection control program; to clarify that the purpose of a CWS cross-connection control program is to protect the CWS from contamination caused by cross-connections on customers’ premises; and to add Tables 62-555.360-1 and 62-555.360-2. Table 62-555.360-1 clarifies the minimum components that each CWS shall include in its written cross-connection control plan in order to accomplish recommended practices in AWWA Manual M14, and this table also modifies recommended practices in AWWA Manual M14 by allowing biennial instead of annual testing of backflow preventer assemblies required at residential service connections from CWSs. Table 62-555.360-2 clarifies the categories of customers for which each CWS shall require or provide minimum backflow protection at the water service connection in order to accomplish recommended practices in AWWA Manual M14, and this table also modifies recommended practices in AWWA Manual M14 by allowing a dual check device to be used as backflow protection at residential service connections from CWSs to premises where there is any type of auxiliary or reclaimed water system and at residential dedicated fire service connections from CWSs. Additionally, subsection 62-555.360(2) is being amended to require large CWSs to submit cross-connection control program annual reports using a brief new two-page form. Subsection 62-555.360(3) is being amended to clarify the action PWSs are required to take upon discovery of a prohibited or inappropriately protected cross-connection. Subsections 62-555.360(4) and 62-555.360(5) are being deleted as unnecessary because of the clarifications and modifications being made to subsections 62-555.360(1) through 62-555.360(3). Rule 62-555.900 is being amended to add new Form 62-555.900(13) to the list of forms in this rule. Both the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association Utility Council and the Florida Rural Water Association support all of the aforementioned rule amendments.
OTHER RULES INCORPORATING THIS RULE: 62-550.800, 62-550.824, 62-555.314, 62-555.315, 62-555.320, 62-555.325, 62-555.340, 62-555.348, 62-555.350, 62-555.405, 62-555.520, 62-555.528, 62-555.536, 62-610.419, 62-610.469, and 62-610.472, F.A.C.
EFFECT ON THOSE OTHER RULES: The amendments to Rules 62-555.330, 62-555.360, and 62-555.900, F.A.C., will not have any significant effect on the other rules cited above.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY:

403.086(8), 403.8055, 403.853(3), 403.861, 403.861(9) FS

LAW:

367.031, 403.086(8), 403.0877, 403.852(12), 403.853(1), 403.855(3), 403.861, 403.861(7), 403.861(17), 403.8615 FS

PRINT PUBLISH DATE:

1/28/2014 Vol. 40/18

COMMENTS:

From 1/28/2014 To 2/18/2014 (21 Days)
The public comment period for this notice has already expired.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

Ref-03326 Form 62-555.360(13)

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