New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 16 - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE › Chapter V - WATERWORKS CORPORATIONS › Subchapter A - SERVICE › Part 503 - Service Standards › Section 503.2 - System pressures

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) System
				  pressures. Minimum working pressure (the pressure under all conditions except
				  fire flows) in all portions of the water corporation's distribution system
				  should not be less than 35 pounds per square inch (psi). Additionally, for new
				  water plant construction designed to serve five or more customers, the minimum
				  design pressure should also be an amount that, upon calculation, would
				  theoretically be sufficient to maintain 15 psi at an 8 gallons per minute (gpm)
				  flow at the meter. If this condition is not met, but the pressure on the
				  company's main in the immediate area satisfies the 35 psi requirement (or has
				  been exempted from such requirement by the commission), it will be the
				  responsibility of the developer/owner of new properties requesting service to
				  make all modifications necessary to meet the pressure and flow standard
				  required at the meter. The maximum customer pressure at the building line
				  should be 100 psi, except where differences in elevation require pressure
				  higher than 100 psi in order to meet the minimum working pressure in other
				  parts of the distribution system. In such cases where the system pressure
				  exceeds 100 psi, the company should attempt to reduce the pressure to 100 psi
				  by creating a separate pressure zone or installing pressure-reducing valves in
				  the distribution system. If a company can demonstrate that this is impractical
				  due to excessive cost or engineering considerations, the customer will have the
				  option of installing an individual pressure-reducing valve. The customer
				  exercising this option will be responsible for purchasing, maintaining and
				  replacing such valve, and all costs associated therewith.
(b) Monitoring requirements. Each water
				  corporation shall have the necessary equipment to record an individual
				  customer's pressure and to make pressure surveys and record at least a 24-hour
				  continuous test. Each water corporation shall monitor the system pressure in
				  each pressure zone at or near the point of highest elevation in the zone, where
				  the lowest pressures can be expected to be experienced, and shall report to the
				  department on a monthly basis each instance when the pressure drops below the
				  minimum working pressure as previously specified for a period of four hours or
				  longer. Likewise, pressure will be monitored in each pressure zone at or near
				  the point of the lowest elevation in the zone where the highest pressures can
				  be expected to be experienced. This monitoring requirement may be satisfied by
				  using the readings taken at one of the water corporation's regular operating
				  stations provided that the water corporation can demonstrate that it can
				  accurately extrapolate the pressures at the highest and lowest elevations from
				  such readings.