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MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC WORKS & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OCTOBER 17, 2022 AUDITORIUM Present: Councilmembers Rader, Bullock& Baker Also Present: Councilmember Marx, Engineer Papke, Law Director Vargo, Chief Assistant Law Director Swallow, Director Leininger, Public Works and Building & Housing staff, Clerk Bach, Deputy Clerk Lascu taking minutes Approval of the minutes of the October 3, 2022 meeting of the Public Works & Sustainability Committee. Motion by Chair Rader, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to approve the minutes from the committee's last meeting. All in favor. Motion passed. ORDINANCE 30-2022 -AN ORDINANCE to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council enacting Section 1306.76 Backflow Prevention and Cross-Contamination Control to provide an effective means for protecting the public water system from contamination due to backflow of contaminants through the water service connection into the public water system. (1st read and referred to PWS 9/19/22; 2"d reading 10/3/22) Chief Assistant Law Director Swallow explained the reasoning behind Ordinance 30-2022 and why it was necessary. Last summer Public Works staff met with the Ohio EPA regarding its regular audit of the city's drinking water and discovered deficiencies with backflow enforcement. Ordinance 30-2022 ensures that the city is in line with state code on the issue. Chair Rader noted he reviewed the ordinance and sought commentary from Building & Housing and Public Works staff. Ms. Swallow indicated the Law Department met with the Building & Housing and Fire Departments to discuss specifics and found that assigning the duties required by the ordinance best fit into Building & Housing, as the city does not have a Water Supply Department unlike other municipalities. Law then took the Ohio EPA recommendations and drafted it into the current code. Councilmember Baker asked whether the legislation changes the department's practices or whether it merely catches policy up to current practice. Ms. Swallow noted that the city could be doing a better job of getting annual backflow inspection reports back from plumbers and documenting those inspections. The new code helps the Building Department do both of those things. Councilmembers asked various questions regarding residential backflow. Building Department staff stated the main concern is to prevent lawn fertilizers from coming back into the potable water supply via a residential irrigation system. 1