Int. No. 268-A
By Council Member Lander, Barron, Brewer, Chin, Vann, Williams, Mark-Viverito, Lappin, Nelson, Garodnick, Recchia Jr., Arroyo, Rodriguez, Van Bramer, Gennaro, Jackson, Levin, Eugene, Greenfield, Koppell and Koo
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to preventing water waste in buildings.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Statement of findings and purpose. Leaks and equipment malfunctions in buildings have the potential to waste a tremendous amount of water and can persist undetected for years. The council therefore finds that alarms and sub-meters attached to piping supplying water-using equipment will help building managers quickly detect such leaks and malfunctions, and save significant amounts of water from being wasted.
§2. Section PC 202 of the New York city plumbing code is amended by adding two new definitions to be placed in appropriate alphabetical order to read as follows:
WATER METER. A device that measures the flow of water supplied from a public water main to a building and that is used by the Department of Environmental Protection to bill for water supplied to the building.
WATER SUB-METER. A device, other than a water meter, installed on a water distribution pipe or makeup water pipe that measures the flow of water within a specified space and/or to specified equipment within a building.
§3. Section 606.5.4.1 of the New York city plumbing code, as added by local law number 33 for the year 2007, is amended to read as follows:
606.5.4.1 Water piping control and location. Water inlets to gravity house tanks shall be controlled by a ball cock or other automatic supply valve or emergency electrical cut-off so installed as to prevent the overflow of the tank in the event that the pumps filling the tanks do not shut off at the predetermined level or the street pressure rises to a point where it can fill the tank. The water inlet to a suction tank shall be controlled by a ball cock or other automatic supply valve. The inlet shall be terminated so as to provide an accepted air gap but in no case shall it be less than 4 inches (102 mm) above the top of the overflow. The outlet from a gravity tank to the distribution system shall be equipped with a strainer located at least 2 inches (51 mm) above the tank bottom to prevent solids from entering the piping system. All down-feed supplies from a tank cross connected in any manner with distribution supply piping in a building supplied by direct street or pump pressure, shall be equipped with a check valve on the main cold water down supply to prevent backflow of water into the roof tank. All roof tanks shall be equipped with a high water level alarm, at or slightly below the overflow, designed to activate when the ball cock, automatic supply valve, or emergency electrical cut-off fails.
§4. Section PC 606 of the New York city plumbing code is amended by adding a new subsection 606.7 to read as follows:
606.7 Water sub-meters required. Water distribution pipe lines serving a commercial cooking facility, commercial laundry facility or commercial gym or spa shall be equipped with at least one water sub-meter to measure the amount of water supplied through such lines to the water using equipment within such facility, gym or spa. Such water sub-meter shall be equipped with an electronic encoder with absolute or pulse-based output. Makeup water lines serving an evaporative cooling tower or swimming pool shall be equipped with at least one water sub-meter to measure the amount of water supplied through such lines to such cooling tower or swimming pool. Such water sub-meter shall be equipped with an electronic encoder with absolute or pulse-based output.
Exception. Swimming pools accessory to Group R-3 occupancies.
§5. Section 608.16.2 of the New York city plumbing code, as added by local law number 33 for the year 2007, is amended to read as follows:
608.16.2 Connections to boilers. The potable supply to the boiler shall be equipped with a backflow preventer with an intermediate atmospheric vent complying with ASSE 1012 or CAN/CSA B64.3. Where conditioning chemicals are introduced into the system, the potable water connection shall be protected by an air gap or a reduced pressure principle backflow preventer, complying with ASSE 1013, CAN/CSA B64.4 or AWWA C511. Makeup water lines to boilers serving buildings greater than six stories shall be equipped with at least one water sub-meter to measure the amount of water supplied through such lines to such boilers. Such water sub-meter shall be equipped with an electronic encoder with absolute or pulse-based output.
§6. This local law shall take effect on January 1, 2011, except that the commissioner of buildings shall take such actions as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, prior to such effective date.
10-5-10 11:20 pm