DECATUR — The Decatur Water Department now has the authority to enforce rules requiring certain businesses and other facilities to have backflow preventers in place.

Back-flow preventers keep water from flowing out of a private facility’s plumbing system back into the public water supply because of pressure differences. The Arkansas Department of Health requires them for certain businesses and facilities to prevent water supply contamination.

City council members passed an ordinance at the Feb. 11 meeting that will give the water department authority to turn off the supply to water customers who don’t comply with the rules after a certain period of time. It also requires the facilities to have their back-flow preventers inspected annually. The ADH asked the city to pass the ordinance, city utility director James Boston said.

The ADH provides a partial list of more than 18 types of facilities that require back-flow preventers, including automatic car washes, exterminators, vet clinics, fire systems containing chemical additives, hospitals and clinics, irrigation and lawn sprinkler systems, commercial laundries, commercial swimming pools, commercial farms and establishments holding livestock for sale or slaughter. Single family residences are exempt.

Boston said the city already requires businesses and facilities that need back-flow preventers to have them in place but doesn’t have the “teeth” to enforce the existing rules.

The new ordinance is required by the ADH. Under the ordinance, businesses and facilities that require back-flow preventers will have to submit a copy of their annual back-flow preventer inspection to the city. The city will have the right to turn off a customer’s water supply if they don’t comply with the ADH requirements.

Boston said that most Decatur water customers that require back-flow preventers already have them in place. He said he would ultimately like for all the inspections to be due at the same time and possibly offer customers reduced rate inspections at that time.

City councilman Bob Tharp asked how the ordinance would impact the community and customers.

Boston said the expense of inspections is solely the customer’s responsibility, but it is generally not a big-ticket item depending on the size of the business.

Boston said water customers would first be given a written notice and then given a time limit, ranging from 60 to 90 days, to bring their facility into compliance. There would be no fines for non-compliance but customers could face disconnection.

In emergency situations where dangerous contaminants were leaking back into the water supply, the customer’s water service would be discontinued immediately, he said.

“We’ll give folks a reasonable amount of time to comply. Most people should already have one,” Boston said.

In other business, city council members voted to re-sign Decatur’s contract with Empire Electric for street lights.

Decatur’s contract is renewed annually and resigned every 10 years.

Empire Electric puts up street lights and provides maintenance and repair for Decatur. The company charges the city a flat rate for each light, based on its size, plus a 9 percent fee.

News, Pages 1 on 03/06/2013