POLICY STATEMENT 49
CONTROL OF OPERATION OF WATER VALVES AND FIRE HYDRANTS

Prepared by:                             Scott Hecht
Supersedes:                              6/23/94
Adopted by Council:               10/30/14
Effective:                                 10/30/14 

POLICY PURPOSE:

To minimize interruptions of fire protection and customer water service. 

DEFINITIONS: 

Person: Anyone seeking permission to operate any water valve on a Town owned water main including, but not limited to, plumbers, utility contractors, roadway and/or grading contractors, businesses, homeowners, and Town of Cary employees.

Emergency:  A situation or occurrence of a serious nature (such as a water break), developing suddenly and unexpectedly, and demanding immediate action.  

Town:  Town of Cary, Wake County, North Carolina  

Town of Cary Employee:  Any person classified as a permanent or temporary, full-time or part-time employee on the Town of Cary payroll records. 

Valve:  Any type of valve in the Town of Cary water system including but not limited to:  main line valves, blow off valves, fire hydrants, and fire hydrant leg valves.  Note:  Fire hydrant leg valves are to be operated only with the permission of the Cary Fire Department. 

COVERAGE: 

This policy, upon adoption by the Town Council, shall be applicable to any Person who wishes to interrupt the normal flow of water in any Town owned water main, for any reason, by operating a water valve. 

Said Person shall secure authorization in the following manner before any valve is operated. 

I.  Normal Situations: 

  A.  The person shall contact The Public Works or the Utilities Department and request authorization to operate any water main valves.  No valve shall be operated without prior permission from the Town of Cary.  Under normal conditions The Public Works or the Utilities Department will dispatch an employee to operate the valve. 

  B.  If authorization is granted by the f Public Works or Utilities Department for the Person to operate the valve, the Person will be issued a Water Valve Operations Permit after furnishing the following information:

      1.  Company name and phone number

      2.  Valve location

      3.  Estimated time that valve will be closed 

      4.  Estimated time valve will be reopened

      5.  Name of foreman on the job site  

The Water Valve Operations Permit must be kept on the job site at all times and must be available upon demand to any authorized Town of Cary representative.  The Department of Public Works will notify other Town departments that may be affected.

     C.   The Public Works or the Utilities Department will inform the Fire Department, Communications Center, and Customer Service Center of the Finance Department of the areas where water service will be interrupted, the day and time that the interruption will occur and the estimated duration of the interruption. 

    D.  In non-emergency situations, the Person shall ensure that each water customer in the affected area is contacted and given an individual written notification at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to operating any water valve.  A written Water Service Interruption Notice will be available at the Public Works Department for such use.  Persons shall use this form letter and shall complete the necessary information on the form letter which tells the water customer the date and time that the water service will be interrupted and the estimated duration of the interruption.  The written notice shall be left at any residence or business at which direct contact with the water customer could not be made. 

    E.  After restoration of water service to an area, the Person must immediately inform the Public Works Department that the water service has been restored.  The Public Works Department will inform other Town departments of the restoration of water service. 

II. Emergency Situations: 

For any situation which requires a sudden shutdown of any water main, the person operating the water valve will take the following steps:

     A.  Immediately notify the Public Works Department and the Communications Center. 

    B.  If practical, the Public Works Department will notify all water customers in the areas that will be without water.  Written notification will be left at any residence or business that could not be personally contacted.  If the area is too large, personnel will be available by phone to assist with any questions.  

    C.  When the water service has been restored, immediately notify the Public Works or the Utilities Department and the Communications Center. 

III.  Penalties: 

    A.  Civil 

      1.  Any violation of this section shall subject the offender to a civil penalty in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) to be recovered by the Town in a civil action in the nature of debt if the offender does not pay the penalty within the prescribed period of time after they have been cited for the violation.  

      2.  The offender shall be issued a written citation by delivery in person or mailed by certified or registered mail.  The civil penalty must be paid within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of written citation by the offender. 

      3.  Each individual violation shall be a separate and distinct offense. 

      4.  Notwithstanding this article, the provisions of this section may be enforced by an appropriate equitable remedy issuing from a court of competent jurisdiction.

   B.  Criminal 

In addition to, or in lieu of, the remedies authorized in subsection (1) above, any violation of this section may be prosecuted as a criminal matter. 

WATER VALVE OPERATION PERMIT

Company:_____________________________________Phone:_____________________

Location:________________________________________________________________

Foreman’s Name:_________________________________________________________

Date valve will be closed:            _________________________

Time valve will be closed:      _________________________

Time valve will be reopened:  _________________________

The above named are hereby authorized to operate the requested valves upon fulfillment of all sections of the Town of Cary Policy 49.  This permit is valid for _____ working day(s) from the date below and must be renewed for further compliance.

Authorized by:  _________________________

Date:                 _________________________

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 

WATER SERVICE INTERRUPTION NOTICE

The water service in your area will be interrupted from _____ am _____ pm to _____ am _____pm on __________________, 19___. 

After your water service has been restored please check your water quality before using your washing machine or dishwasher.  If your water appears cloudy simply run your taps for a few minutes to let the air in the line escape. 

If your water appears to be a rust color and contains any sediment and it does not clear up after running your taps for a few minutes, please call The Public Works Department at 919-469-4090 and a representative will gladly check the main line for sediment and will flush the main line clear, if necessary. 

If you have any questions concerning the work being performed on the water lines, please contact the following Contractor.

Contractor’s Name:  _________________________

Phone Number:        _________________________

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your cooperation in this effort.