I finally got a water contract from the City of Stillwater where I wasn't paying 1 1/2 times the city rate. The water bill for the rental property was about to put me out of business because our water rate is so high and is increased every six months. In the contract I had to install a backflow preventer which is also known as a Reduced Pressure Zone Valve. I have spent thousands of dollars to get this on line. I have it ready and it exceeds all the codes. I went with the strainer, all stainless steel food quality nipples, air gap fitting (wasn't required) and built a enclosure that is 3 inch Styrofoam with white painted aluminum on each side. This is done above and beyond right.
In my contract I have to have this inspected by a backflow certified technician and since there are a few backflow preventers in the area that I am aware of. I have a lot of friends that are plumbers the area that install them so I called about getting set up on an automatic yearly inspection as required by my contract. Come to find out there is no backflow certified technician in a town of nearly 50,000. So I email the head of the City of Stillwater Utilities Authority Director and he sends me a list of 5 names after his employee gets the names from Plumbers and Pipefitters Training Center in Oklahoma City. Closest one is 30 miles away and some as far as 90 miles away. I call them all and nobody will come to our town because they have all they can handle. I fully understand that. What this tells me is that there isn’t a single valve in this city that is certified and on a yearly certification program as required by law.
I contact the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) to see what license this falls under since they are the ones that license the water and waste water people in Oklahoma. They are also the agency that set the time when the law went in to effect. By the way I have a class D in both water and waste water and my system is state and EPA certified so that allows me to do the work within my license qualifications. I am thinking if the class D covers the testing I will go to the classes and take the tests to become certified. It would be a cash cow since there are only 5 certified testers in the state according to the pipe fitters. The Department Of Environmental Quality tells me they have no classes or licensing procedure set up but they are thinking about it. They tell me to get in touch with the Oklahoma State Construction Industries Board. WTH, ODEQ made the law and now I have spent thousands of dollars and can’t get it certified?
Off to the Construction Industries Board of the State Oklahoma as directed by the ODEQ. Ask a question to them and they forward you to a voice mail that says he is in the office and leave your information then he will return your call. 30 hours pass and no call so I call again and back to voice mail. Yesterday I found a link on their website to ask a question. I very carefully and accurately described what I needed to know and furnished them contact information and have heard nothing. I have a licensed plumber that is willing to get certified and I can’t get an answer out of them about that training, they send me to another voicemail that is never returned. Call again and the same thing.
We have Oklahoma State University so I called them and got a wonderful lady in the BIOSYSTEMS/AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING department. Agriculture deals with backflow and soil so she checked with her superior that was in and they have no one either. She is going to check with her other superior and see if he knows anything.
I have been at this for two days and stay camped on the phone waiting for a phone call during business hours. What they have done is to create a law and there is no one to service the requirements plus there is nothing set up to get people certified so everyone just passes the buck or doesn’t respond.
I am 10 days out from being in violation of my contract and 40 days out from the possibility it could be cancelled because I can’t get the new valve certified. I am so pissed that I am so pissed that I want to rip someone’s head off & shit down their neck!
Sorry about the long rant but I needed to vent!!
In my contract I have to have this inspected by a backflow certified technician and since there are a few backflow preventers in the area that I am aware of. I have a lot of friends that are plumbers the area that install them so I called about getting set up on an automatic yearly inspection as required by my contract. Come to find out there is no backflow certified technician in a town of nearly 50,000. So I email the head of the City of Stillwater Utilities Authority Director and he sends me a list of 5 names after his employee gets the names from Plumbers and Pipefitters Training Center in Oklahoma City. Closest one is 30 miles away and some as far as 90 miles away. I call them all and nobody will come to our town because they have all they can handle. I fully understand that. What this tells me is that there isn’t a single valve in this city that is certified and on a yearly certification program as required by law.
I contact the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) to see what license this falls under since they are the ones that license the water and waste water people in Oklahoma. They are also the agency that set the time when the law went in to effect. By the way I have a class D in both water and waste water and my system is state and EPA certified so that allows me to do the work within my license qualifications. I am thinking if the class D covers the testing I will go to the classes and take the tests to become certified. It would be a cash cow since there are only 5 certified testers in the state according to the pipe fitters. The Department Of Environmental Quality tells me they have no classes or licensing procedure set up but they are thinking about it. They tell me to get in touch with the Oklahoma State Construction Industries Board. WTH, ODEQ made the law and now I have spent thousands of dollars and can’t get it certified?
Off to the Construction Industries Board of the State Oklahoma as directed by the ODEQ. Ask a question to them and they forward you to a voice mail that says he is in the office and leave your information then he will return your call. 30 hours pass and no call so I call again and back to voice mail. Yesterday I found a link on their website to ask a question. I very carefully and accurately described what I needed to know and furnished them contact information and have heard nothing. I have a licensed plumber that is willing to get certified and I can’t get an answer out of them about that training, they send me to another voicemail that is never returned. Call again and the same thing.
We have Oklahoma State University so I called them and got a wonderful lady in the BIOSYSTEMS/AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING department. Agriculture deals with backflow and soil so she checked with her superior that was in and they have no one either. She is going to check with her other superior and see if he knows anything.
I have been at this for two days and stay camped on the phone waiting for a phone call during business hours. What they have done is to create a law and there is no one to service the requirements plus there is nothing set up to get people certified so everyone just passes the buck or doesn’t respond.
I am 10 days out from being in violation of my contract and 40 days out from the possibility it could be cancelled because I can’t get the new valve certified. I am so pissed that I am so pissed that I want to rip someone’s head off & shit down their neck!
Sorry about the long rant but I needed to vent!!
