§ 15.01.790. Testing water lines.

A.

General requirements. Any and all water lines that are replaced, installed, or repaired, to include fire hydrants, shall be tested and flushed as outlined in this section.

B.

Testing. Tests shall be made upon completion of system installation, replacement, repair, or any valved portion thereof All tests shall be made at the expense of the contractor and in the presence of the city engineer or the city water superintendent.

Lines shall be slowly filled with water venting off all air. If required, taps shall be provided at line high points to bleed off the air and after testing these shall be plugged. A minimum pressure fifty percent in excess of the maximum line operating pressure shall be maintained on the portion being tested for a minimum period of two hours, using hydraulic means to maintain the pressure. Maximum leakage during the test shall not exceed one-half gallon per inch of diameter per one thousand feet of pipe. Suitable means shall be provided by the contractor for determining the quantity of water lost by leakage under the test pressure. No pipe installation will be accepted until the leakage is less than the allowable.

C.

Flushing. After pressure testing all pipelines shall be flushed. Flushing shall be accomplished through hydrants or, if a hydrant does not exist at the end of the line, the contractor shall install a tap of sufficient size to provide for a two and one-half foot per second flushing velocity in the line. The following is the flow quantity required to provide a two and one-half foot per second flushing velocity:

Pipe Size (in.)	Flow (gpm)
2	25
4	100
6	220
8	390
10	610
12	880
16	1567

 

(Ord. No. 2007-07-31, §§ 9.9—9.9.3, 7-10-2007; Ord. No. 2010-11-24, § 2, 11-23-2010)