Cross Connection Control Program

Backflow is a reversal of the intended flow direction of fluids, in our case potable water. Water main breaks, high demand or higher consumer pressure due to gravity or pumps could cause chemicals or any other foreign material to enter the public drinking water system. Backflow can be caused by either:

Backsiphonage – Water can be pulled back into the water system due to loss of pressure in the system, such as a water main break, maintenance or high demand such as fire fighting use.

Backpressure – The pressure of the pipe connected to the water main is greater than the main itself, pushing water backward. This could be caused by pumps, piping systems elevation, or thermal expansion from a heat source.

Either condition could cause pollution or contamination to the public water supply. Pollution is defined as a change in color or odor of the water that does not pose a risk to public health. Contamination is the introduction of a substance into the water supply that poses a threat to public health.

Testing must be performed by one of the listed registered, certified testers. The list of registered certified backflow testers is updated monthly. A list of registered companies that offer this service is also available on the Aqua Backflow website under the resources tab. It is recommended to get several quotes as prices for testing can vary.

The notification can be sent to a mailing address separate from your mailing address if you prefer. Contact Aqua Backflow at 847-742-2296 to have your backflow mailing address updated.

Yes. City of Lawrence code Chapter 19 Article 7 Cross Connection Control (PDF) requires that backflow assemblies be tested on an annual basis to ensure their effectiveness.

Backflow prevention assemblies have internal seals, springs, and moving parts that are subject to fouling, wear, or fatigue. Therefore, all backflow prevention assemblies have to be tested annually to ensure they are functioning properly to protect the public water system.

Backflow prevention devices, such as dual check valves, are not testable but should be visually inspected at least annually and replaced every five years to ensure they are functional. Dual Check Valve Devices are not approved for irrigation use.

If your irrigation system is still connected to the City water supply, you are required to have your assembly tested.

If you would like to disconnect your system, the backflow preventer must be removed and the line from the water supply must be capped with a waterproof plug or cap. The City of Lawrence recommends this work be done by a licensed plumber or professional irrigation company. When this is complete, fill out the Permanent Removal Form (PDF) and send it with before and after pictures of work performed to MSO@lawrenceks.org, or mail it to City of Lawrence Cross Connection Control, P.O. Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044.

All irrigation hazard due dates are set to August 1 to allow for weather-related delays in testing. All other assemblies will have due dates based on their original install test date. Tests filed before the due date will not change the due date the following year, or cause the test to become due again in the same calendar year.

Penalties for non-compliance are listed in city code Chapter 19 Article 7 section 19-710 (PDF). Penalties include a $25 surcharge on your water bill that recurs each month until the backflow preventer is in compliance with testing requirements, municipal court fines of up to $500 for each day of violation and water service shut off until compliance is reached.

If passing backflow tests are not submitted to the City by the due date, a surcharge of $25 per out of compliance backflow preventer may be assessed to the water customers bill.  This charge will recur until a passing test is received.  The charge will be reassessed on the first business day of each month after the due date has passed.

If you receive a notice in the mail that there is a test due or overdue, but you have already had your backflow tested by a registered certified tester, it may be due to the test data entry date. Your registered certified tester enters data into the City tracking system for your backflow assembly for you, and if it was recently tested that data may not have been entered before the letters were printed.  Also, many testers do not enter the test results until after they are paid for their services.  Please contact your registered certified tester about your test entry if you receive a notice and have already paid them for the testing.

You can check the status of your test on the Track My Backflow website. Enter the information from your notice and your assembly information, due date and tester will be available.  If this information is not available through this system you can contact your tester for the status of the test entry.

If your irrigation system is still connected to the City water line, you are required to have your device tested. If you would like to disconnect your system, the backflow preventer must be removed and the line from the water supply must be capped with a waterproof plug or cap. The City of Lawrence recommends this work be done by a licensed plumber or professional irrigation company. When this is complete, fill out the Permanent Removal Form and send it with an invoice copy for worked performed to MSO@lawrenceks.org, or mail it to City of Lawrence Cross Connection Control, P.O. Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044.

All community water providers are mandated by State of Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R. 28-15-18f) and the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) to enforce a Cross Connection Control Program designed to protect public health and the public water supply.  Specific regulations for the program are found in Chapter 19 Article 7 Cross Connection Control (PDF).

Hazard ID tags should be hung on the backflow preventer to provide a quick reference to the tester. If you do not have access to your backflow preventer please place it in a location that you will remember so you can make it available to the tester for the next test. Hanging it on your irrigation controller is one example.

In the event that an assembly fails a test, it must be repaired or replaced before being put into service. Maintenance of a backflow assembly is the responsibility of the owner. Upon repair or replacement, the backflow assembly must have a passing test filed by a certified tester on the Track My Backflow website.

The City of Lawrence as a purveyor of potable water is required by Kansas Administrative Regulations to have a regular program to protect the public water supply from contamination. In September 2018 the City Commission approved contracting with Aqua Backflow Inc. for their experience and expertise in carrying out a comprehensive program to meet Kansas regulatory requirements, City of Lawrence Municipal Code requirements (chapter 19 article 7) and ensure safe drinking water.

The $9.95 fee funds Aqua Backflow administrative services, including:

• Notifications, letters and outreach materials
• Customer Service (citizens, testers and utility personnel) by phone and email
• Tester Tracking: certification and calibration of gauges
• Tester data input portal access
• Data Management and Security
• Data review and verification

Aqua Backflow’s operations are funded through a $9.95 per test filing fee, paid by certified backflow testers when they submit test results to Aqua Backflow. The customer does not need to pay Aqua Backflow the $9.95 fee.

A reasonable extension may be available. Contact Aqua Backflow at 847-742-2296 to discuss extending your test date.

Compliance with the required testing and maintenance of backflow assemblies is the responsibility of the device owner. Chapter 19 Article 7 Cross Connection Control (PDF) provides details for enforcement and regulations. Note: if you are responsible for a cross-connection (whether un-protected, improperly protected, or out-of-date for service) and a backflow event occurs, you may be liable for the resultant sickness, death, or property damage.

Online Backflow Test Entry Started January 1, 2019

City of Lawrence partners with Aqua Backflow, a firm that specializes in cross-contamination control management, to provide efficient and reliable customer communication, notification, and test result submittal process. Kansas law (K.A.R. 28-15-18f) requires that water purveyors have a regular program to eliminate and prevent backflow and backsiphonage conditions in the water system. City of Lawrence code Chapter 19 Article 7 Cross Connection Control (PDF) requires that backflow assemblies be tested on installation and annually to ensure their effectiveness.

The following certification standards and trainers are recognized by the City: American Backflow Prevention Association, American Society of Sanitary Engineers, Kansas Rural Water Association, Public Heating Cooling Contractors Association, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, Fort Scott Community College, Johnson County Community College and the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research.

Aqua Backflow operates the Track My Backflow website, a secure site where you must register and submit backflow tests electronically before the due date. Each test entry entered will cost $9.95 payable directly to Aqua Backflow. This filing fee funds the administrative management of the program by Aqua Backflow. If you have questions about registration or test submittal please contact Aqua Backflow at 847-742-2296 or toll-free at 866-777-2124.

The City of Lawrence does not receive funds from this charge. Aqua Backflow is an experienced cross-connection control contractor providing notification, data management, quality control and reporting services for the City of Lawrence Cross Connection Control program.

A cross-connection is a physical link, permanent or temporary, between a potable water source and a possible contaminant or pollutant.

The number one cause of cross-connection contamination is the common garden hose.  Keep the end of it out of the vessel being filled and install a hose bib vacuum breaker to help eliminate this possibility. Use a separate dedicated hose for hose end chemical spray applicators, you don’t want to contaminate a source that you or your children could possibly drink out of.

Potential threats to a drinking water supply include, but are not limited to:

• Hose connections, domestic and commercial
• Irrigation systems
• Alternate water supplies, such as wells
• Laboratory and aspirator equipment
• Photo developing equipment
• Chemical processing tanks and dispensers
• Boilers with water make up lines
• Water recirculating systems
• Swimming pools
• Solar or geothermal heat systems
• Fire sprinkler systems
• Toilet fill valves

The City of Lawrence requires backflow protection on connections where potential health hazard-type cross-connections exist. Commonly these types of connections can be found at the following locations:

• Hospitals, mortuaries, clinics
• Lab facilities
• Food and beverage processing
• Chemical plants
• Car washes
• Petroleum processing and storage facilities
• Sewage treatment plants
• Irrigation systems

A cross-connection is a physical link between the water supply and any source of possible pollution or contamination. By eliminating or controlling all existing and possible cross-connections, the potable water system will be protected within the water main system and inside buildings.

Many cross-connections can be eliminated with simple plumbing changes. Where this is not possible, backflow prevention assemblies or devices are installed to protect the water supply. These devices or assemblies, when properly maintained, only allow the water to travel in one direction to stop backflow.

The type of backflow prevention assembly required is determined by the degree of hazard. In other words, the severity of the actual or potential hazard will dictate what level of protection is necessary to adequately protect the drinking water. Possible health hazard cross-connections require greater protection. A list of assemblies that are acceptable for installation in the City of Lawrence can be found on the USC Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research website.

For temporary domestic possible cross-connections, such as a garden hose, a hose bib vacuum breaker is recommended.

Air Gap – An air gap is the most fail-safe prevention of cross-connection and can be used in high or low hazard applications and for continuous use for backsiphonage or backpressure. These are built into all newer sink and bathtub faucet installations. There must be a gap from the vessel overflow rim to the water outlet of twice the diameter of the pipe feeding the vessel or a minimum of one inch of air, whichever is greater.

AVB – An atmospheric vacuum breaker can be used for low or high hazards for non-continuous flow purposes. Usage cannot be more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period. It can have no valves downstream of installation and cannot be subject to backpressure. AVB devices must be installed six inches above the highest point of downstream piping.

DCVA – A double check valve assembly is a mechanical device consisting of two internally loaded soft seated check valves with positive shut-off valves on both upstream and downstream ends, and properly located test ports. A DCVA is suitable for low hazard applications only. It can be used for either backpressure or backsiphonage.

PVB or SVB – A pressure vacuum breaker or spill resistant pressure vacuum breaker can be used for continuous pressure use in high or low hazard situations. The assemblies must be 12 inches above the highest point of downstream piping and have no backpressure.

RPZ – A reduced pressure zone backflow preventer is an assembly of two independently acting soft seated approved check valves together with a hydraulically operated mechanically independent differential pressure relief valve located between the check valves and below the first check valve. This assembly can be used in high or low hazard continuous pressure situations. It cannot be installed in a pit. This assembly is suitable for backpressure or backsiphonage situations.

ASSE 1022 Dual Check with Atmospheric Vent – A non-testable device that can be used under continuous pressure. This can be used on commercial coffee machines and beverage machines carbonated and non-carbonated. The material must be compatible with carbon dioxide gas if used on carbonated beverage machines.

A list of approved backflow assemblies and their installation specifications can be found at the University of Southern California website.

You should determine if there are potential cross-connections in your residential or commercial property. A cross-connection is any unprotected connection of potable water to non-potable water or a potential hazard. Businesses with cross-connection potential and homes with irrigation systems please ensure that cross-connections do not exist or are properly protected and maintained. Protecting the water supply is the responsibility of both the water purveyor and the end-user.

Next, you should investigate alternatives for eliminating or protecting against actual or potential cross-connections.

After determining the necessary method of cross-connection control, the appropriate plumbing changes or the addition of a mechanical backflow prevention assembly should be made by a professional plumber.  Assemblies are required to be tested upon installation and annually thereafter by a certified and registered tester to ensure they are working appropriately. Devices that are not testable should be visually inspected for defects yearly.

• EPA Cross Connection Control Manual (PDF)
• EPA Potential Contamination Due to Cross Connections and Backflow and the Associated Health Risks (PDF)
• City of Lawrence Code Chapter 19 Article 7 Cross Connection Control (PDF)
• Backflow Case Histories – Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• American Backflow Prevention Association
• USC Foundation for Cross Connection Control and Hydraulic Research
• BackflowCases.com