Main Street in Grangeville, Idaho. The city is looking at putting in place regulations to protect the city’s municipal water system. (Photo Courtesy of Ken Lund)

Grangeville, ID is looking to implement a cross-control program. This is a result of a recent sanitary survey conducted on city wells a few months ago, and a requirement being put forth by Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Public works supervisor Bob Mager spoke to the Grangeville City Council at its meeting on Nov. 5. He presented a draft plan which both he and Eric Jones, public works maintenance lead, put together. The plan, which has been approved by the state DEQ, is being presented for review and consideration for ordinance development. Mr. Mager is pushing the city to come up with a cross-connection control program.

The Idaho Rules for Public Drinking Water Systems establish the responsibility of the water purveyor in protecting its system against contamination and pollution, and to implement and enforce a cross-control program. Mager said this program would require businesses to install backflow systems that would be tested annually, with results reported to the city.

Mr. Mager stated “This should have happened a long time ago, but we’ve slid by with going with the state plumbing code, Now, we’ll have to have a physical paper that the city has a cross-control program.”

The city looked at this issue in 2004 when a proposed cross-connection ordinance draft was brought before the council, which would have established a monitoring and testing program. That ordinance failed to move into final form due to lack of council support.