Many Loudoun County residences and businesses are required by law to have an approved backflow prevention device installed in their water supply system. If you are required to have a backflow prevention device installed at your home or business, you are also required to have it tested annually.
A backflow prevention device is a mechanism that is designed to protect our public drinking water supplies from contamination. Installation of a backflow prevention device at your home or business can help prevent accidental contamination of the water in your home and in every other home or business connected to the municipal water system.
Contamination of the water supply can occur whenever the normal direction of water flow in the municipal water supply is disrupted. Normally, your water utility pumps water through the water main and into your home or business. It flows through your faucets, toilets, shower heads, and other appliances and fixtures and then into your sewer line or septic system. Under normal circumstances, contamination of the water supply is not a concern because the water flows from the water company through the water mains into your home and then into the sewer or septic system.
However, if the water pressure at the utility drops due to a broken water main, unusually high demand, or some other reason, the water can flow backwards from your home or business into the public water main. When this happens, it is possible that the water supply is contaminated by chemicals from a sprinkler system or from an industrial or other business application. This may sound unlikely, but every year there are thousands of instances of public water contamination due to backflow problems.
A backflow prevention device prevents these problems from occurring. Many Loudoun County plumbers are certified to test, repair and install backflow prevention devices. Help protect the water supply and avoid potential fines by having your backflow prevention device tested as required.
