Water Discharge Task Force Creates BMP Manual
Posted: June 12, 2012
The State Fire Marshal organized a Task Force made up of Fire Service, Industry, the California Water Boards , in cooperation with Division of Water Quality Storm Water Section along with members of her staff to develop a Best Management Practices Manual for dealing with the Water-Based fire protection system’s water discharge such as is associated with inspection, testing and maintenance. There has been an increasing awareness and concern over the last several years about the impact of the discharge of water from systems as it enters storm drainage systems. More controls and restrictions have made performing services difficult in many jurisdictions. The stated purpose of this task force was to “develop a set of Best Management Practices for Contractors State License Board licensed contractors, State Fire Marshal licensed companies and the fire service; to discharge water from a fire protection systems and to provide guidance regarding the practices to control possible contamination of California waters when maintaining fire suppression systems.” If you perform service on sprinkler systems this document is a must read.