NAC704.628. Standards of service.

Each public utility subject to the provisions of NAC 704.570 to 704.628, inclusive, shall comply with the following standards of service:

     1. For water resources, water rights must be sufficient to supply adequate amounts of water to satisfy existing commitments.

     2. For water production, the utility must be capable of producing, from surface water or groundwater sources or by obtaining water from another utility, sufficient quantities of water to meet the historic maximum daily demand of the system.

     3. For water distribution, the distribution system of the utility must meet each of the following requirements:

     (a) Service connections from the utility must not exceed the hydraulic capabilities of the system.

     (b) The network of pipes of the system must be capable of delivering maximum day demand concurrently with required fire flows. Maximum day demand must be determined from historical records or, in the absence of historical data, calculated by using a factor of three times the average day demand. Requirements for fire flow and duration of the fire flow must be established by the county or local agency having jurisdiction over fire protection. In the absence of a local agency exercising jurisdiction over fire protection, the requirements for fire flow must be established using the International Fire Code, as adopted by reference in NAC 704.569.

     (c) The distribution system, in conjunction with production, storage and pressure control facilities, must be capable of maintaining, during periods of maximum day demand, a minimum residual pressure of 40 pounds per square inch throughout the distribution system. Static pressure must not exceed 100 pounds per square inch at the lowest elevation in any pressure zone. During periods of fire flow, the residual pressure at any point in the distribution system must not fall below 20 pounds per square inch.

     (d) To deliver the quantity of water necessary to comply with the requirements of public fire protection, the utility shall provide and maintain an adequate quantity of hydrants at the prescribed spacing as established by the county or local agency having jurisdiction over fire protection. In the absence of any local agency having jurisdiction over fire protection, the spacing of fire hydrants must be determined by using the International Fire Code, as adopted by reference in NAC 704.569.

     (e) The utility shall not allow the amount of water lost from its distribution system because of leakage to exceed 10 percent of the amount of water required for the system.

     (f) All water sources must have a master meter.

     4. For storage, the utility must provide water under both of the following circumstances:

     (a) The utility must have the ability to sustain a mechanical failure. If the single most critical pump is out of service, the pumping facilities and above-ground storage of the utility must be able to maintain the average daily flow rate plus the maximum required fire flow rate for the required duration.

     (b) The utility must have the ability to sustain a power outage. To provide system reliability during a power outage, the utility shall comply with at least one of the following:

          (1) In a power outage, pumping facilities with an alternative power source in conjunction with above-ground storage must be capable of delivering the required fire flow demand for the required duration plus maximum day demand for 1 day.

          (2) Above-ground storage must be capable of providing the required fire flow for the required duration plus the average day demand for 1 day.

Ê As used in this paragraph, “above-ground storage” means the amount of water that is stored above an elevation which will maintain a hydraulic gradient above 20 pounds per square inch at any point within the distribution system during maximum demand.

     5. For water quality, the quality must meet all existing state and federal standards for purity.

     6. For administration and management, adequately trained personnel must be available to operate the utility under all reasonable circumstances. Books and records maintained by the utility must comply with the systems of accounts established for class A, B and C water and wastewater utilities, as adopted by reference pursuant to NAC 704.561. Each utility shall develop and carry out a written operation and maintenance program, a cross-connection control program and an emergency plan containing procedures unique to each system. Each utility shall have on file, at an office maintained in the State of Nevada, updated drawings, maps or other permanent records to aid in the operation of the water system. The utility shall make and maintain a record of any repairs made to a distribution pipe that sets forth the location of the leak, the date the leak was repaired, an assessment of the cause of the leak and a description of the manner used to repair the pipe.

     (Added to NAC by Pub. Service Comm’n, eff. 10-26-84; A by Pub. Utilities Comm’n by R079-99, 11-16-99; R047-02, 10-24-2002; R043-08, 9-18-2008; R036-10, 12-16-2010)