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Ohio Laws and Rules
(A) Cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall be watertight with a smooth, clean interior surface. All concrete tanks shall be made of materials and constructed in accordance with ASTM specifications C 913. All plastic or fiberglass tank materials shall meet NSF standard sixty-one. All joints, connections, and other seams between component parts shall be sealed with nontoxic waterproof material that meets NSF standard sixty-one or equivalent to prevent the loss of stored water and the infiltration of surface or ground water.
(B) Cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall be easily accessible for cleaning. Partitions, baffles, or similar structural features shall be constructed of nonabsorbent, easily cleanable materials, free of spalls, cracks, or crevices which may entrap unwanted matter.
(C) The capacity of cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall be adequate to meet the intended needs of the household. No new cistern of less than two thousand five hundred gallons capacity per dwelling unit, shall be installed. No new hauled water storage tank of less than one thousand gallons shall be installed.
(D) Inlets to cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall be of sufficient size and design to dissipate the pressure of the influent stream and minimize the stirring of any settled solids.
(E) Cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall be set level and at an adequate depth or location to prevent frost heave. The bottom of the excavation shall be continuous, relatively smooth, and free of rocks. The bottom of the excavation shall Have a minimum of four inches of sand or similar granular material. Tanks shall not bear on rock ledges. Backfill shall be free of any large stones or debris, and shall be equally placed around the tank in uniform compacted layers of less than twenty-four inches. Earth cover shall be graded to prevent water from standing over the cistern or hauled water storage tank.
(F) Manholes or risers shall be sealed to the top of the cistern or hauled water storage tank, have an opening of a minimum diameter of twenty-four inches and shall be constructed of the same or compatible material as the cistern or hauled water storage tank. The manhole opening shall have a watertight cover with edges projecting a minimum of eight inches above the level of the surrounding surface. The edges of the manhole or riser cover shall overlap the curb and project downward a minimum of two inches. The covers shall be secured to minimize the danger of contamination, accidents, and unwarranted entry.
(G) Cistern and hauled water storage tank outlet drains and overflow pipes shall be a minimum of four inches in diameter and not be connected to any sewer, soil pipe, building drain, or other waste pipe. Outlet drains and overflow pipes shall be equipped with noncorroding animal guards with a maximum opening of forty-three thousandths of an inch. Such drains are to discharge at a point free from flooding through an atmospheric break to prevent backflow. For purposes of this rule atmospheric break means an unobstructed vertical separation in the open air between the lowest opening of any pipe or faucet supplying water to, or draining from a holding tank, plumbing fixture, or other device and the highest flood level of the receiving drain or area.
(H) Cistern and hauled water storage tank vents and other openings shall be constructed and protected with noncorroding fly screen or guards with a maximum opening of forty-three-thousandths of an inch, so as to prevent the entrance of animals, insects, or other contaminating material. All vents shall be inverted. Cisterns and hauled water storage tanks with inlets and outlets to the open air need not be vented.
(I) Fittings and couplings which extend through the walls or the cover of cisterns and hauled water storage tanks shall all be cast-in-place, by the manufacturer. Couplings shall be made of either cast brass or galvanized cast iron or flexible pipe to manhole connectors conforming to ASTM C-923, or shall be two-piece friction clamps or longitudinally ribbed plastic so as to prevent turning in place and the entry of contamination or loss of stored water.
(J) A minimum of one above-ground roof washer or filtering device shall be provided on each cistern. The above-ground roof washer or filtering device shall be provided with an above-grade and easily removable debris trap with a minimum screen opening of one-quarter inch. The debris trap shall be installed in-line prior to the roof washer or filtering device and designed to catch or entrap the larger debris before it enters the filter or cistern tank. The top of the roof washer or filtering device shall extend above the ground a minimum of eight inches and have outlets of a minimum of four inches. All collected rain water shall first pass through the debris trap, then the roof washer or filtering device prior to entering the cistern. Several inches of one half inch to three quarters inch of washed gravel, or an equivalent filtering media or filtering device capable of removing larger particles may be used in each roof washer. There shall be at least one roof washer or filtering device at least fifteen inches in diameter and thirteen inches in height with at least a ten gallon capacity for every fifteen hundred square feet of roof area. All roof washers shall have a diversion valve or flap which shall be equipped to divert the first ten gallons of rainfall runoff per one thousand square feet, from the roof away from the cistern.
(K) Cistern and hauled water storage tank inlet and fill pipes shall be of a minimum diameter of four inches and shall be protected against contamination at all times. The fill pipe shall be equipped with a secured and watertight cap or cover and extend above the ground a minimum of eight inches.
(L) The water intake for the pump in the cistern and hauled water storage tank shall either be attached to a flotation device and be located a minimum of four inches below the surface of the water, or shall be otherwise designed to maintain the required depth settings in the water. Submersible pumps may be used as the water intake and need not be attached to a flotation device. However, at no time shall the water intake for the pump be located less than twelve inches from the bottom of the cistern or hauled water storage tank.
(M) Water obtained from cisterns shall be continuously disinfected as prescribed in rule 3701-28-09 of the Administrative Code.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 12/23/2004 and 11/15/2009
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3701.344
Rule Amplifies: 3701.344
Prior Effective Dates: 1/1/1981, 1/1/2000