HomeMy Public PortalAboutWatertown-Commercial Cross ConnectionYou as a restaurant or business owner must
protect your drinking water system and the
health of your employees, customers and
neighbors by preventing or protecting all
cross connections within your premises.
What is a cross connection?
A cross connection occurs whenever a potable drinking water
line is directly or indirectly linked with a nonpotable piece of
equipment or piping. Examples of nonpotable equipment typi-
cally found in a restaurant include dishwashers, hoodwashers,
air conditioning systems, fire protection systems, power wash-
ing systems, boilers, and post -mix beverage machines. Other
examples include lawn irrigation systems, HVAC systems, and
process equipment such as chemical mixing tanks.
Why should I be concerned?
An unprotected or inadequately protected cross connection
on your premises could contaminate the drinking water not
only in your business, but in the lines that supply neighbor-
ing homes and businesses. Severe illnesses and injuries - even
death - have resulted from cross connection contamination
events that could have been prevented. Such events have been
known to cause outbreaks of hepatitis A, gastroenteritis, Le-
gionnaire's disease, chemical poisoning and body lesions (from
exposure through showering). They also can rupture plumbing
fixtures and cause explosions.
What is my liability?
You are responsible for all unprotected or inadequately pro-
tected cross connections on your premises, and liable for any
damages or illnesses they may cause. In cases where business
owners have been proven to be at fault for cross connection
contamination events, judges and juries have awarded plain-
tiffs substantial monetary damages. Additionally, local and
state fines of up to $25,000 per day are possible if you fail to
adequately protect a cross connection and places the public's
health at risk or damages the environment.
What is my responsibility as a business owner?
You must have your facility surveyed by your local water de-
partment to determine if any cross connections exist. You may
want to expedite this process and get prepared for the water
department's survey by having your facility pre -surveyed by a
plumbing contractor. Each cross connection must be eliminat-
ed or properly protected by an appropriate backflow preventer.
All work done on the internal plumbing system of your facility
must be performed by a Massachusetts licensed plumber. Any
changes to your plumbing must be approved by your local
plumbing inspector and public water supplier as necessary.
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How can a cross connection contamination
event occur?
Nonpotable water or chemicals used in equipment or a system
can end up in the drinking water line as a result of back pres-
sure or backsiphonage. Backpressure occurs when the pressure
in the equipment or system such as a boiler or air condition-
ing unit is greater than the pressure inside the drinking water
line. Backsiphonage occurs when the pressure in the drinking
water line drops (due to fairly routine occurrences such as main
breaks, nearby fires, unusually heavy water demand, etc.) and
contaminants are sucked out of the system and into the drink-
ing water line.
But have things like that ever happened in
Massachusetts?
Yes, they have, and all too often despite the efforts of local
water suppliers and DER In one example, a restaurant manager
complained to the local water department about blue -colored
water coming out of faucets, the coffee system, and the soda
dispensing system. The water also had an odor and a bad taste.
The water department responded by performing a cross con-
nection survey at the restaurant. The survey revealed that the
source of the discolored water was a feed line that carried a
chemical drying agent to the dishwashing system. The feed line
had been improperly connected to the dishwashing system's
water supply line. Until the owner installed an approved back -
flow preventer, the restaurant was required to stop using the
chemical drying agent. Further investigation revealed that the
actual cause of the cross connection was a malfunction in the
soda dispensing system. The pump was continuously engaged,
creating suction within the restaurant's internal plumbing.The
chemical drying agent was sucked back into the dishwashing
system supply line, then throughout the restaurant. As a result,
several customers and employees drank the chemical -tainted
water and became sick.
What are the regulations governing cross con-
nections?
The Massachusetts Plumbing Code (248 CMR2.14) and the
Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations (310 CMR 22.22)
both require installation of backflow preventers at all cross
connections. Several types of backflow preventers are avail-
able: reduced pressure backflow preventers (RPs), double check
valve assemblies (DCVAs), air gap separations with tank and
pump arrangements, atmospheric vacuum breakers (AVBs),
pressure vacuum breakers (PVBs), and barometric loops. The
type of device that is appropriate for your business depends
on the degree of hazard associated with the particular cross
connection. All backflow preventers require a local plumbing
permit. Some devices - RPs, DCVAs and air gaps - also must be
approved by DEP or its designee before they are installed.The
DEP permit must be renewed every year. State regulations also
require periodic testing of RPs, air gaps and DCVAs to ensure
that they continue to protect the drinking water system and
public health. RPs and air gaps must be tested twice annu-
ally by the water supplier and once a year by an independent
certified backflow prevention device tester hired by the owner.
DCVAs must be tested annually by the water supplier.
What is the cost of providing adequate cross
connection protection in a restaurant?
The typical cost of a needed device in a restaurant is ap-
proximately $500, depending on the size and type, as well as
the plumbing configuration and water pressure within the
building. Since a backflow preventer may be the only barrier
between your customers and contaminated water, your invest-
ment in installing and keeping the equipment maintained
is minimal compared to the potential liability of a backflow
incident.
Where can I get more information?
The Watertown Department of Public Works (617) 972-6420 can
provide additional information or answer any questions that
you may have. The Massachusetts DEP Division of Water Supply
also has a number of helpful publications regarding cross con-
nections available at their website (www.mass.gov/dep).
This Program is sponsored by:
Town of Watertown, Department of Public Works
124 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA 02472
For Additional Information call us at
617-972-6420
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