Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Backflow Meters Are To Be Installed In Rosston Businesses

Businesses in Rosston will soon have to install backflow meters to prevent contamination of the city's water system.

The Rosston City Council, during its regular monthly meeting Thursday, Feb. 5, voted to adopt an ordinance requiring the use of backflow meters. It wasn't as if the council had much choice as the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) required the passage of the ordinance.

Rosston Mayor Lewis Jackson said the ADH requires this as a means of protecting the residents on the water system. He said Prescott's City Council has already passed such an ordinance.

Under the ordinance, its purpose is to provide for the protection of the public's water supply; isolate at the service connection any actual or potential pollution or contamination within the consumer's premises; and provide a continuous, systematic and effective program of cross-connection control.

J.D. Luck will be responsible for seeing this is done in Rosston.

These meters must be installed by a licensed master plumber at the customer's expense. In addition, the customer will also have to pay for an annual inspection of the meters and valves.

Those facilities which will be required to have the backflow meters include: automated car washes, exterminators, facilities with boilers or chilled water systems, fire systems containing chemicals, irrigation systems and lawn sprinkler systems, radiator and battery shops, wastewater treatment plants, pump stations and storm water pumping facilities, commercial poultry farms and commercial farms using pesticides and herbicides and establishments holding livestock for sale or slaughter.

This ordinance does not mean every customer on the Rosston water system will have to have a backflow meter installed, only those where contamination of the water supply is possible.

The council also agreed to include all items in the community center in its sale. There had been some concern about what to do with the contents of the facility.

Jackson said he had spoken with city attorney Glenn Vasser about this and was informed it would be best to let the contents go with the building. It was agreed the items in the structure were not worth trying to sell at auction or be placed up for bid.

Ben Dougan submitted a bid of $3,500 for the old Masonic Lodge, but has not sent the city a check to conclude the deal.

Jackson said the city's audit went well, with the accountant needing only one day to complete the task.

He said the preliminary report show the books to be in good shape, with the city making $10,000 in 1997.

The auditor suggested the city put its books on a computer to make it easier to keep up with in the future. Jackson said this is being done and the city is having Windows 95 installed on its system.

In addition, Jackson said a representative with the American Disabilities Act will be in town to look at the city hall and see what needs to be done to bring the facility up to ADA requirements.

Initial information shows the city needs to have a designated handicap parking spot at city hall, but, Jackson said, there are several other things needing to be corrected.

Under section 504 of the ADA, the city must create such a parking space and send a photo to the district office showing the work has been done.

Information to the city from the ADA program requires the public building to be accessible by wheelchairs, with the city to have a self-evaluation program as well. This information was originally given to the council in 1992.

The self evaluation record was to be maintained and made available for public inspection and be provided to the USDA upon request. The records were to contain a list of those consulted, a description of the area examined and problems identified and a description of modifications made.

Representatives with the ADH will also be in Rosston soon to do a well head protection survey. Property within a quarter mile radius of the city's well will be inspected to see if the water supply can be contaminated by whatever's there.

Once this survey is completed, the council will address a well head protection ordinance.