CITY OF ANDREWS

BACKFLOW PREVENTION PROGRAM

As you might have just become aware, the City of Andrews has initiated a State mandated backflow prevention ordinance.

The purpose of this ordinance is to protect the water supply of the City of Andrews and it’s citizens from harmful contaminates and pollutants.

You will have to comply with these new rules, first, before the city can serve you water. The city will make an on premise inspection, looking for hazards and compliance.

You might ask, well, how, where I live can that affect the City’s supply or my home?

That’s where this informal newsletter will try to help in aiding you in identifying those hazards around the home that could become major problems later.

The Number one method of cross connection is the ordinary garden hose.  People have used it for just about everything including; unstopping sewer lines (with water on), filling

swimming pools, having those fertilizer sprayers attached to the water hose, and so on. In any of the above examples, the city could have a leak on a water line in the area, and

depending on the conditions, backflow and siphon those contaminants back through your plumbing and possibly into the city water main.  This can cause sickness and even death.

However, cross-connections can be avoided by the use of proper protection devices.  Each water spigot (anywhere you can attach a water hose) must have a hose-bib vacuum breaker installed.

This simple, inexpensive device can be purchased at any hardware store.  Installation is as easy as attaching your garden hose to a spigot.

Next area of concern will be the toilet tanks inside your home.  Each tank has a ballcock inside it  and that is how fresh water is added to the tank.  Experts say that each time you flush your toilet,

a little bit of sewer gas seeps into your toilet tank.  To prevent sewer gas and the germs associated with it, not counting any additives like tidy bowl cleaners, from getting back into your drinking

water, it is essential that the toilet ballcock you have installed in your tank be properly air-gapped (the valve above the water level), from the water contained in your toilet tank.

Air gaps eliminate cross-connections between your drinking water and the contaminated water in your toilet tank.  Unfortunately, not all toilet ballcocks provide this essential air gap.  If a cross-

connection exists, a small change in water pressure could allow this contaminated water to backflow to other water outlets in your house, including your kitchen sink.  To prevent this type of backflow from occurring, you must install an anti-siphon toilet ballcock.

An anti-siphon ballcock has a water inlet valve above the water level inside your toilet tank and

will prevent hazardous backflows if installed correctly.

The air inlet on the ballcock MUST be located above the water level maintained in the tank by

the float and the overflow pipe.  Allowing the refill tube to fall down into the toilet tank creates a

cross-connection!