Chapter 7 - Water and Sewer
EXHIBIT "A" New Main Procedure
JULY 25, 1980
New watermains, firelines, and services six (6) inches in diameter and larger must be hydrostatically pressure and leak tested, flushed, disinfected, and bacteriologically examined before being served by the Town of Normal Municipal water system.
Procedures for installation and inspections are as follows:
- Construction of new mains shall not commence until the party contracting and requesting the new main has filed an acceptable performance bond or escrow account similar to what is required in the Town's Subdivision Code for bonding new construction. Included in the bond shall be the cost of replacing all public property, in public right-of-way or easements. Where mains are to be constructed on the owner's property and maintained by the owner, only the cost of inspection shall be included in the bond or escrow account.
- Taps to City mains will be made by the Normal Water Department. No taps will be made until a set of acceptable plans showing all proposed new watermains, valves, fire hydrants, meters, and services are on file in the Water Department office.
- Foreign material shall be prevented from entering the pipe while it is being placed in the trench. During laying operations, no debris, tools, clothing, or other material shall be placed in the pipe. At times when pipe laying is not in progress the open ends of pipe shall be closed by a water-tight plug. All trenches must be pumped dry preceding any pipe laying operations.
- Upon completion of the pipe laying operation hydrostatic
pressure and leak testing must be accomplished. All water used
for the test must be potable, containing a chlorine residual
of not less than .2 parts per million.
Criteria for basis of acceptance of the pressure and leak tests are according to ANSI/AWWA C600-77 standards as follows:
- Hydrostatic pressure shall be 90 PSI for at least two
(2) hours duration and shall not vary by more than + 5 PSI.
Before applying the specified test pressure, air shall be
expelled completely from the pipe.
- Allowable leakage is determined by the following formula:
L = ND sqrt(P)
7400
in which L is the allowable leakage in gallons per hour, N is the number of joints subjected to the test; D is the nominal diameter of the pipe, and P is the average test pressure during the test in psi. - After hydrostatic testing has been successfully completed
the main must be flushed, attaining a minimum velocity of at
least two (2) feet per second. Flushing must continue until
all particulate matter and discoloration has been removed.
- Disinfection following flushing must be accompanied by either
the continuous feed or slug method. The tablet method is not
acceptable and is not to be used except with the expressed written
permission of the Director of Water. A chlorine residual of
at least fifty (50) parts per million must be attained initially
and twenty-five (25) parts per million residual present after
twenty-four (24) hours when the preferred continuous feed method
is used. If the slug method is used, three hundred (300) parts
per million must be retained for a minimum of three (3) hours,
or five hundred (500) parts per million retained for thirty
(30) minutes. Attainment of initial and final chlorine residuals
must be verified by the Water Department.
- After disinfection, bacteriological testing must be done
to insure the public health of the main. All samples must be
collected by a designated sample collector of the Normal Water
Department and tested at an EPA approved laboratory.
No new watermains or extensions thereto will be approved for public use until permits, if required, have been obtained from the Illinois EPA, and all of the above criteria has been successfully completed.
All visible leaks are to be repaired regardless of the amount
of leakage.
All tests must be scheduled, and witnessed by the Normal Water
Department.
(Adopted 9/21/81)