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Council updates cross‑connection rules and adopts Indiana plumbing code for local enforcement
Summary
Tell City adopted Ordinance No. 12-41 to update cross-connection control definitions and enforcement and Ordinance No. 12-42 to adopt the Indiana Plumbing Code by reference; the ordinances require backflow prevention devices for certain circumstances and bring plumbing standards into the city's permitting regime.
Tell City’s Common Council adopted two interrelated ordinances updating water-safety rules and plumbing standards.
Ordinance No. 12‑41 revises the municipal code’s cross‑connection control provisions, clarifying technical definitions (air gaps, backflow, double-check valve assemblies, reduced‑pressure principal backflow preventers), specifying installation and inspection requirements for new facilities or instances of change in ownership or occupancy, and providing enforcement tools to require remediation when a backflow or hazard is detected.
Counsel read a definition into the record: “Any device or assembly approved by the Tell City Water Department for construction on or installation in water supply piping, which is capable of preventing contaminants from entering the public water supply distribution system.” The ordinance requires customers constructing new facilities to comply with the provisions and sets deadlines for device installation; it allows the city to require a reduced-pressure principal backflow preventer or air gap where appropriate.
Ordinance No. 12‑42 adopts the Indiana Plumbing Code by reference for new construction, additions and certain remodels; the code provisions will be available for review in the Clerk Treasurer’s office and apply when a permit triggers the plumbing-code requirements. Council suspended the rules for second and third readings of both ordinances and adopted them by voice votes.
The changes aim to reduce contamination risk to the public water supply, set inspection schedules, and align local permit requirements with state plumbing standards. Building or property owners undertaking renovations, ownership changes, or new connections should consult the water department and permit staff for device and inspection requirements.
