By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
A loan the town of Levan is seeking for a pipeline
cannot go forward until the town adopts an ordinance for
cross-connections, or the allowance of harmful substances
coming into the culinary system by way of back flow or back
siphoning.
In the public hearing portion of the meeting, town
employee Jason Worwood read what a cross-connection
ordinance does. He said that the ordinance would give the
town the authority to check every homeowner to make sure
that they are not letting harmful water back into the hose
that might contaminate the system. It would also give the
town the responsibility to make the residents aware.
"What we are most concerned with is backflow," Worwood
said. Backflow is the reversal of normal flow of water
caused by either back pressure or back siphonage.
"Back siphonage would be my greatest concern in
Levan." Worwood said.
He said that an example of a potential problem would
be if the town drops pressure and a resident had left a hose
in their livestock watering tank, it could possibly siphon
that contaminated water back into the system.
He showed the council a tap that would need to be put
on all outside taps. It is a freeze-proof tap that would
keep the water from siphoning back up the hose.
He said that it would be the responsibility of each
homeowner to purchase this device for an approximate cost
between $6.00-7.00 dollars apiece.
Worwood said that the first thing they would do if the
ordinance passed would create public awareness and
prevention. He said this ordinance would ultimately protect
the customer as well as the point of distribution.
"We do everything we can to protect the distribution
system, but we don't necessarily know what the customers are
doing," he said.
He said that they would make a water system assessment
and go from there as well as helping residents become aware
of what they need to do and where to get the device for
their taps.
Worwood also pointed out that this ordinance would
give the town the authority to shut off anybody's water if
they did not comply.
Mayor Bob Shepherd said that in order to get the loan
for the pipeline they have to have this ordinance in place.
The council approved Ordinance 04-01 with a roll-call
vote.
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