Fairfield Municipal Code Art. 22.40 Customer’s Equipment

The customer(s) shall, at customer’s own risk and expense, furnish, install, and keep in good and safe condition all equipment that may be required for receiving, controlling, applying and utilizing water. FMU shall not be responsible for any loss or damage caused by the improper installation of such water equipment, or the negligence, want of proper maintenance or wrongful act of the customer or of any of his tenants, agents, employees, contractors, licensees, or permittees in installing, maintaining, using, operating or interfering with such equipment. The customer shall be responsible for determining the pressure operation limits of customer’s fixtures and equipment and shall properly protect the same from a variance of water delivery pressures, including periods when for any reason whatsoever there is no water available.

(Ord. No. 2025-13, § 1 (Exh. A))

The owner of premises to be served shall install a control or isolation valve on the house piping between the water meter and the first valve outlet on the premises. When old premises, to which a service connection has previously been installed, are being altered, a control valve shall be installed by the owner, if such is not already provided. The customer shall not operate the meter stop or valve in the meter box at any time.

(Ord. No. 2025-13, § 1 (Exh. A))

Each water heater shall be equipped with a suitable pressure relief valve of a type and nature required by the California plumbing code and local building codes.

(Ord. No. 2025-13, § 1 (Exh. A))

In making plumbing connections, the customer is required to comply with the FMU regulations, the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water, and the United States Public Health Service. Any type of connection which may permit a back pressure or back siphonage or cross connection from any external source into the FMU facilities is prohibited.

If the customer’s premises are considered high-risk in accordance with the categories identified in the FMU’s Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook, or if the FMU determines the need for backflow prevention through the hazard assessment process conducted in accordance with the FMU’s Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook, the customer shall install a backflow prevention assembly on the customer’s side of the potable water system, as described in section 22.5, at the expense of the customer. FMU may terminate deliveries to any customer if it determines that the customer has failed to install and appropriately maintain required backflow assembly to protect the FMU facilities, and that a substantial risk to public health and safety, or potential risk to the water distribution system exists, whether or not the customer’s failure was willful or negligent.

To protect the public water supply from possible cross-connection or contamination from back pressure or back siphonage, an FMU backflow prevention assembly shall be installed. The type of assembly installed shall be as approved by FMU, and on the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research List of Approved Backflow Prevention Assemblies, as updated from time to time.

The approved backflow prevention assembly shall be installed in conformance with FMU installation requirements in the City standards and in a location accessible at all times to FMU for inspection. The costs of the approved backflow prevention assembly, its maintenance and inspection are the responsibility of the customer.

A previously installed backflow assembly which does not conform to current standards may remain in operation until such time as it requires replacement, fails annual test, any incidents of backflow have occurred, any changes are to be made to the premises it serves, or any change in use of the premises occurs. Should any one of the aforementioned events occur, the previously installed backflow assembly shall be replaced with a current approved assembly.

(Ord. No. 2025-13, § 1 (Exh. A))

FMU shall test and inspect all backflow prevention installations annually as required by the State Water Resources Control Board Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook and the City’s Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook. The City reserves the right to require testing at more frequent intervals, should the FMU director determine more frequent testing to be in the interest of public health and safety. The FMU director may reduce or suspend deliveries to any customer or other user of water if they determine that the customer or other user of water has failed to appropriately maintain required assemblies to protect the FMU facilities, and that a substantial risk of damage exists, whether the customer’s failure was willful or negligent.

In accordance with the FMU regulations, the City will notify each affected water user in advance when the tests are to be undertaken so that a customer representative may witness the tests if so desired.

All costs for annual testing, inspection, service, repair, overhaul, or replacement shall be at the expense of the property owner. Property owner shall be invoiced on a time and materials basis. Should the City determine testing at a more frequent interval is required, the property owner shall be invoiced on a time and materials basis only if the backflow assembly fails the test.

(Ord. No. 2025-13, § 1 (Exh. A))