Current through September 16, 2024
Each public utility subject to the provisions of NAC 704.570
to 704.628, inclusive, shall comply with the following standards of
service:
1. For water resources, water
rights must be sufficient to supply adequate amounts of water to satisfy
existing commitments.
2. For water
production, the utility must be capable of producing, from surface water or
groundwater sources or by obtaining water from another utility, sufficient
quantities of water to meet the historic maximum daily demand of the
system.
3. For water distribution,
the distribution system of the utility must meet each of the following
requirements:
(a) Service connections from
the utility must not exceed the hydraulic capabilities of the system.
(b) The network of pipes of the system must
be capable of delivering maximum day demand concurrently with required fire
flows. Maximum day demand must be determined from historical records or, in the
absence of historical data, calculated by using a factor of three times the
average day demand. Requirements for fire flow and duration of the fire flow
must be established by the county or local agency having jurisdiction over fire
protection. In the absence of a local agency exercising jurisdiction over fire
protection, the requirements for fire flow must be established using the
International Fire Code, as adopted by reference in NAC
704.569.
(c) The distribution
system, in conjunction with production, storage and pressure control
facilities, must be capable of maintaining, during periods of maximum day
demand, a minimum residual pressure of 40 pounds per square inch throughout the
distribution system. Static pressure must not exceed 100 pounds per square inch
at the lowest elevation in any pressure zone. During periods of fire flow, the
residual pressure at any point in the distribution system must not fall below
20 pounds per square inch.
(d) To
deliver the quantity of water necessary to comply with the requirements of
public fire protection, the utility shall provide and maintain an adequate
quantity of hydrants at the prescribed spacing as established by the county or
local agency having jurisdiction over fire protection. In the absence of any
local agency having jurisdiction over fire protection, the spacing of fire
hydrants must be determined by using the International Fire
Code, as adopted by reference in NAC 704.569.
(e) The utility shall not allow the amount of
water lost from its distribution system because of leakage to exceed 10 percent
of the amount of water required for the system.
(f) All water sources must have a master
meter.
4. For storage,
the utility must provide water under both of the following circumstances:
(a) The utility must have the ability to
sustain a mechanical failure. If the single most critical pump is out of
service, the pumping facilities and above-ground storage of the utility must be
able to maintain the average daily flow rate plus the maximum required fire
flow rate for the required duration.
(b) The utility must have the ability to
sustain a power outage. To provide system reliability during a power outage,
the utility shall comply with at least one of the following:
(1) In a power outage, pumping facilities
with an alternative power source in conjunction with above-ground storage must
be capable of delivering the required fire flow demand for the required
duration plus maximum day demand for 1 day.
(2) Above-ground storage must be capable of
providing the required fire flow for the required duration plus the average day
demand for 1 day.
As used in this paragraph, "above-ground storage" means the
amount of water that is stored above an elevation which will maintain a
hydraulic gradient above 20 pounds per square inch at any point within the
distribution system during maximum demand.
5. For water quality, the quality
must meet all existing state and federal standards for purity.
6. For administration and management,
adequately trained personnel must be available to operate the utility under all
reasonable circumstances. Books and records maintained by the utility must
comply with the systems of accounts established for class A, B and C water and
wastewater utilities, as adopted by reference pursuant to NAC 704.561. Each
utility shall develop and carry out a written operation and maintenance
program, a cross-connection control program and an emergency plan containing
procedures unique to each system. Each utility shall have on file, at an office
maintained in the State of Nevada, updated drawings, maps or other permanent
records to aid in the operation of the water system. The utility shall make and
maintain a record of any repairs made to a distribution pipe that sets forth
the location of the leak, the date the leak was repaired, an assessment of the
cause of the leak and a description of the manner used to repair the
pipe.
Added to NAC by Pub.
Service Comm'n, eff. 10-26-84; A by Pub. Utilities Comm'n by R079-99, 11-16-99;
R047-02, 10-24-2002; R043-08, 9-18-2008; R036-10,
12-16-2010
NRS
703.025,
704.210,
704.660
