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Talent council gives nod to backflow devices By TIM BOUSQUET Tidings Correspondent Waiting for the Talent City Council meeting to begin Wednesday night, Mayor Marian Telerski and Councilor Dawn Watson discussed the various ways their city could be destroyed. "We've got two major transportation corridors through town, Interstate 5 and Highway 99," said Telerski, "and there could be a chemical spill. Or, there could be a derailment on the railroad tracks. Forest fire probably isn't an issue, because we don't have any forests right in town. But floods, definitely. And water contamination." The casual conversation was a precursor to the night's agenda, when the council considered enforcement of a "cross connection" ordinance, which is intended to prevent contamination of the city's water supply by requiring installation of backflow prevention devices at every connection to the city water system. Such devices prevent contaminated water from getting sucked back into the general water supply when there is a drop of pressure in the system. Of particular concern are those properties that use both Talent Irrigation District water and city water, as the irrigation water is not treated. In addition, houses with underground sprinkler systems are of concern, because pipe openings are exposed directly to fertilizers and herbicides. Without taking a vote, the council gave a verbal okay for staff to implement the phased approach, although timelines and funding were not discussed. Backflow prevention devices have been required by state law since 1981. Talent first adopted a cross connection ordinance in 1977, but it had remained un-enforced until the state Health Department pressed the issue in 2001. Dozens of residents objected to the requirements, and after a boisterous City Council meeting, the matter remained unresolved. Councilor Don Steyskal recalled that the four state officials present at the 2001 meeting had conflicting viewpoints. "Some didn't think it wasn't much of an issue," he said. "Another said that if you attached one of those weed-killer sprayers to the end of your hose when the pressure dropped it would poison the entire city." "No one knew how much it would cost," Steyskal continued. "A simple anti-siphon doesn't cost much at all, but a three-chamber backflow preventor can cost $150. And then there's the annual inspection." "People were asking, 'Will my toilet blow up?'" added Telerski. "It is easy to understand why no action was taken," wrote Public Works Director Joe Strahl in a memo last month. "However, due to inaction the city is in a potentially precarious position from the liability and public health standpoints." Strahl, with City Manager Betty Wheeler's backing, suggested the phased approach to enforcing the law that the council gave its approval to Wednesday. Already the backflow devices are required on all new construction. Next, according to Strahl, city-owned structures should be brought up to code, although he pointed out that leaky water mains will continue to be the main threat of contamination. After the city takes care of its own properties, the code will next be enforced at industrial sites, then commercial properties, and lastly at residences. "That way we won't have everyone complaining at once," said Wheeler. To address the inspection issue, a city employee is attending school to become a qualified inspector, said Wheeler, and the costs of inspection will be rolled into the general water bill. Other Talent City Council actions included: A clean-up of city ordinances. Most of the repealed ordinances were out-dated, superceded by state law, or already repealed by latter ordinances. The one exception is a unique-to-Talent ordinance that gave residents receiving citations the right to request a trial by jury. State law doesn't have such a right, and no one had requested such a trial in over twenty years, so the ordinance was repealed. o A mostly non-controversial review of the city's expenses in July. A refund of $34,000 in development fees to Suncrest Homes did raise questions, and Wheeler explained that the city had been "miscalculating developer fees for years. We need to get that straight." o The appointment of Joi Riley to the Planning Commission. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -