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Katherine McGlaughlinResponse and Capacity Development TeamTexas Commission on Environmental Quality
Customer Service Inspections The “Missing-Link” in many Cross-
Connection Control Programs
Outline
• Texas Backflow Regulations– Overview
• Customer Service Inspection (CSI) requirements– Related requirements
Texas regulations
• Statute and Regulations:– Texas Health and Safety Code requires
‘protection of public water supplies’ from connection to water that is not ‘of safe and sanitary quality’
– The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) implements the regulations from Texas Administrative Code
What is a CSI?
– A direct inspection of private premises plumbing (water-distribution) on the customers side of the meter to ensure that the potable water is not vulnerable to contamination.
Purpose of CSI
• The purpose of a CSI is to determine if water service can be safely provided to a site without the risk of contamination. This determination is based on an inspection to identify and prevent:– Direct and indirect cross-connections,– Potential contamination hazards, and– Illegal lead materials.
Local Rules for CSIs
• Water systems and municipalities should have CSIs covered in local ordinances/tariffs/customer service agreements– [§290.46(i)].– These rules should grant the licensed
CSI authority to enter a customers premises to check for hazards.
When is a CSI Required?
• New construction• Material improvement, correction, or addition to
the private water distribution system, such as:– Significant changes to existing plumbing– A customer request for a larger meter– Drilling a private well, etc.
• When the water supplier believes there is a cross-connection, or other potential contamination hazard.
When is a CSI Not Required
• No material change to the plumbing• Construction connections• Temporary connections• Transfer of service/change in
occupancy• Mobile homes and manufactured homes
Scope of CSI
• Examples of Potential Contamination Hazards [§290.38(66)]– Bypass arrangements, Jumper connections,– Water-cooling towers, carbonated-beverage
dispensers, landscape irrigation systems– Removable sections or spools, and– Swivel or changeover assemblies
• Assessment of Hazards [§290.47(f)]
Scope of CSI
• Internal programs:– A CSI is used to determine whether an
internal program is adequate.
• An adequate internal cross-connection control program shall include an annual inspection and testing by a certified backflow prevention assembly tester on all backflow prevention assemblies used for health hazard protection. [§290.44(h)(1)(B)(i)]
Internal Protection vs. Premises–Isolation…Can you Choose?
• The use of a backflow prevention assembly at the service connection shall be considered as additional backflow protection and shall not negate the use of backflow protection on internal hazards as outlined and enforced by local plumbing codes. [§290.44(h)(5)]
What a CSI is Not
• A CSI is NOT a plumbing inspection– Plumbing inspections ensure compliance
with adopted codes and ordinances related to plumbing
– A CSI can be conducted in conjunction with a plumbing inspection, by a properly licensed individual
What if a CSI finds a hazard?
• If the CSI identifies a hazard, it must be removed or the connection must be equipped with an appropriate backflow prevention assembly– Texas rules include requirements for
testing, maintenance, and reporting [§290.44(h)(1), (4)]
Rule language requiring hazard protection
• As potential contamination hazards are discovered, they shall be promptly eliminated to prevent possible contamination of the water supplied by the public water system. The existence of a health hazard, as identified in §290.47(f) of this title, shall be considered sufficient grounds for immediate termination of water service. Service can be restored only when the health hazard no longer exists, or until the health hazard has been isolated from the public water system in accordance with §290.44(h) of this title. [§290.46(j)(2)]
Who can conduct a CSI?
• TCEQ issues CSI licenses• Texas State Board of Plumbing
(TSBPE) licensees include:○ Licensed Plumbing Inspector○ Licensed Plumber with a Water Supply
Protection Specialist (WSPS) Endorsement
CSI and the Cross-Connection Control Program
• CSI documentation [§290.46(j)]○ TCEQ Form 20699: Customer Service
Inspection Certificate○ Available on the TCEQ website
CSI Record Keeping Requirements
• CSI Certificates must be kept a minimum of 10 years [§290.43(f)(3)(E)(iv)]– Strong recordkeeping practices support water
systems by providing historical data – TCEQ recommends keeping CSI Certificates
indefinitely
• Alternate versions of Form 20699 must be approved by the commission
CSIs at RV Parks
• Graywater Tanks vs. Blackwater Tanks– TCEQ recommends water systems
perform periodic CSIs of RV parks within their service area○ Periodic means at a frequency determined by the
water system that best protects their potable supply from any new cross-connections or compromised BPAs
– Have appropriate protection based on hazard identification
CSIs at Mobile Homes
• Are CSIs required on mobile homes inmobile home parks?
○ No, unless it is suspected that there is a cross-connection or potential contamination source.
○ Due to plumbing standards under the Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards enforced by Department of Housing and Urban Development
CSIs at RV Parks & Mobile Homes
• Water systems can be protected from contamination from RV and Mobile home parks with either premises isolation or internal protection.
In Summary
• What is the importance of a Customer Service Inspection in relation to a Cross-Connection Control Program?
• What is the importance of a Cross-Connection Control Program in providing safe, potable water?
Take-home message
• CSIs identify risks and hazards that could cause drinking water contamination, and force accountability/action
• CSIs are the keystone of a successful cross-connection control program
• In Texas, they are not just a good idea, they are the rule
CCCP
Code Enforcement
Fire Marshall
Irrigators
CSIBPATs
PlumbingInspector
PWSCCCP Administrator
PWS Staff
Cross-Connection Control Program: CSIs are the keystone of a CCCP
Questions?
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