§ 22-36. General procedures.

(a)

Design. All water mains shall be looped whenever possible. All systems and subsystems shall be designed to eliminate cross-connections and back siphonage. Wherever unavoidable dead ends occur, they shall be provided with a fire hydrant or an adequately sized blowoff assembly for flushing. No flushing device shall be directly connected to any sewer or nonapproved piping system.

(b)

Conformance with approved plans. The water main shall be laid and maintained to the required lines and grades with fittings, valves, hydrants and accessories set at the required locations as indicated on the approved plans for the project. All valve and hydrant stems shall be set plumb. Wherever obstructions not shown on the plans are encountered during progress of the work and which interfere to such an extent that an alteration in the plans is required, the authorized project representative shall be advised and approval given before such alterations are put into effect.

(c)

Mandatory connection of new construction to the county public water system, owned and operated by WVWA.

(1)

No person shall make any connection to the county public water system or alter any fixtures so connected without first having received written approval from the county department of public works, its successors or assigns.

(2)

New structures and/or facilities shall be defined for the purposes of Franklin County Code section 22-36(c) as those which obtain a building permit following the passage of section 22-36(c) by the board of supervisors. New subdivisions and development for the purposes of section 22-36(c) shall be defined as those which are reviewed, approved, or permitted by the Franklin County Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors, Planning and Community Development Department, or Building Official, or their successors or assigns following the passage of section 22-36(c) by the board of supervisors.

(3)

New water systems for the purposes of offering such systems to the county or its successors or assigns for dedication and ownership according to Franklin County Code section 22-36(d) and chapters 22, 19, and 25 shall be defined as those which are reviewed or approved by the Franklin County Planning and Community Development Department or the Public Works Department, or their successors or assigns, following the passage of sections 22-36(d) by the board of supervisors.

(4)

All new structures and/or facilities which are located within three hundred (300) linear feet of the county public water system (as measured from the closest point of the structure to the edge of an easement or right-of-way including the public water distribution system) shall be required to connect to the county public water system. The connection of such premise to the county public water system shall not be required when access to the affected property requires the crossing of another property without an available easement, provided that county property and the property of the Virginia Department of Transportation shall be excepted.

(5)

All new structures and/or facilities, subdivisions, and developments with three (3) to fourteen (14) equivalent residential connections (ERCs) having a property line within six hundred (600) linear feet of the county's public water system (as measured from the closest point of the property line to the edge of an easement or right-of-way including the public water distribution system) shall be required to connect to the county public water system.

(6)

All new structures, facilities, subdivisions, and developments with fifteen (15) or greater equivalent residential connections (ERCs) shall be required to connect to the county public water system if they meet the following distance requirements for the number of applicable lots or ERCs (the distance measured from the closest point of the property line to the edge of an easement or right-of-way including the county public water system):

Number of Lots or ERCs	Required Extension (linear feet)
15—20	1,000
25	1,250
30	1,500
35	1,750
40	2,000
45	2,250
50	2,500
60	3,000
70	3,500
80	4,000
90	4,500
100	5,000
125	6,250
150	7,500

 

The county shall require up to one thousand (1,000) linear feet (L.F.) extension for fifteen (15) to twenty (20) lots or ERCs, and each lot or ERC over twenty (20) shall require an additional fifty (50) linear feet extension. The maximum extension required is seven thousand five hundred (7,500) linear feet.

(7)

Structures and/or facilities, subdivisions, and developments existing at the time of the passage of this chapter (section 22-36(c)) are exempt from the requirement to connect to the county public water system so long as the well or water system serving the property with potable water meets the requirements of the Virginia Department of Health.

(8)

In the event of a privately owned well or water system failure as determined by the Virginia Department of Health, existing structures and facilities which were served by the failed well or water system shall be required to connect to the county public water system if they meet the aforementioned vicinity and distance requirements for new structures and/or facilities, subdivisions, and developments. However in the event of the failure of private well serving a single residence on a parcel five (5) acres or greater, the property owner may elect to develop a new well.

(9)

The county may impose a connection fee, availability fee, and/or a monthly nonuser service charge that shall not be more than that proportion of a minimum monthly user charge required to recover the capital investment for the county public water system. However, all existing county public water systems will not be assessed a non-user fee if existing at the time of the adoption of these amended ordinances. Prior to the implementation of any non-user fee, a public hearing and approval by the board of supervisors will be required.

(d)

Transfer of approved water systems to ownership by county or its successors and assigns. The developer and/or owner of any new water system in Franklin County which is designed to serve three (3) or greater equivalent residential connections (ERCs) shall assure that such new water system meets all required standards of chapter 22, shall seek and obtain approval of the design and its construction by the public works department or its successors and assigns, shall not supply water until the new water system receives such approvals, and, as a condition precedent to subdivision or site plan approval under chapters 19 and 25 of the Franklin County Code, shall offer such new system at no cost to the county or its successors and assigns for dedication and ownership. The developer and/or owner of any such new water system shall follow all applicable regulations and policies of the county or its successors and assigns and shall seek all required approvals for the planning, development and construction of the water system. County or its successors and assigns may consider acceptance of systems which are offered for dedication and ownership based on an analysis of the water system and its location. Those systems which are within seven thousand five hundred (7,500) linear feet of the existing county public water system and/or within the anticipated county water service area are higher priority candidates for acceptance by the county. The anticipated county water service area and other criteria for acceptance may change over time at the discretion of the board of supervisors. County or its successors and assigns may accept or reject the ownership of any such water system offered to it according to the policies approved by resolution or ordinance. Any new water system built solely within the boundary limits of the Towns of Boones Mill or Rocky Mount or the service area of the Ferrum Water and Sewage Authority shall not be required to be offered by the developer and/or owner to county or its successors and assigns.

(Res. No. 09-05-2011, 5-17-11)

(Res. No. 09-05-2011, 5-17-11)