Cross Connections & Backflow Prevention

Protecting your drinking water supply is everyone’s responsibility. State regulations require residential, commercial and industrial customers served by a public water system to protect the public water system from potential contamination. Under certain conditions water from private plumbing can flow into the public water distribution system, this is referred to as backflow. In order to prevent potential backflow, some customers are required to install and maintain backflow prevention devices on the main water service lines.

What is Cross Connection?

Cross Connection is any actual or physical connection between a potable (drinkable) water supply and any source of non-potable liquid, solid or gas that could contaminate drinking water under certain circumstances.

What is Backflow?

Backflow is the reverse flow of water or other substances into the treated drinking water distribution system. There are two types of backflow: backpressure and backsiphonage.

• Backpressure happens when the pressure of the contaminant source exceeds the positive pressure in the water distribution main. An example would be when a drinking water supply main has a connection to a hot water boiler system that is not protected by an approved and functioning backflow preventer. If pressure in the boiler system increases to where it exceeds the pressure in the water distribution system, backflow from the boiler to the drinking water supply system may occur.  
• Backsiphonage is caused by a negative pressure (vacuum or partial vacuum) in the water distribution system. This situation is similar in effect to the sipping of water through a straw. In the drinking water distribution system, negative pressure (backsiphonage) occurs during a water main break or when a hydrant is used for fire fighting.

Why should you be concerned?

Backflow may affect the quality of the drinking water at your home, business or facility and has the potential to create health hazards if contaminated water enters your water supply plumbing system and is used for drinking, cooking or bathing. Backflow events occur more often than you might think although most do not create health hazards. Unprotected cross-connections with water supply plumbing or public drinking water piping systems are prohibited. We are all responsible for protecting our water supply from backflow that may contaminate our drinking water. It includes complying with the plumbing code and avoiding unprotected cross connections.

Who is responsible?

The responsibility for preventing backflow is divided. In general, state and local plumbing inspectors have authority over plumbing systems within buildings while state regulatory agencies and public water suppliers regulate protection of the distribution system at each service connection. Water customers have the ultimate responsibility for properly maintaining their plumbing systems. It is the water customer’s responsibility to ensure that unprotected cross-connections are not created and that any required backflow prevention devices are tested in accordance with state requirements and maintained in operable condition.

Preventing backflow situations in your home and business

• Be aware of cross connections, eliminate or isolate them
• Maintain air gaps on sinks and when using hoses.
• Do not submerge hoses or place them where they could become submerged.
• Use hose bib vacuum breakers on fixtures (hose connections in the basement, laundry room, and on outside faucets/spigots).
• Install approved backflow prevention devices on lawn irrigation systems and on fire sprinkler system services. Types of preventative required devices are determined based on the potential type of pollutants or contaminants high, low or moderate. In low hazard situations, the installation of a residential dual-check device might be allowed.  

Leak Detection

Even the smallest leak in your water system can cause the loss of thousands of gallons of water each month. That loss means not only is water being wasted, but also that you will probably receive an unnecessarily higher water bill.

The faster you can identify the source of a leak, the faster it can be fixed. If you suspect you might have a leak, a few easy to follow indicators can help you find it. We are all responsible for helping to save and conserve water, and we want to help you save water and money.

Quick Test: Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.

• Regularly check your toilet, faucets, and pipes for leaks. If you find a leak, have it fixed as soon as possible.  You can test toilets by putting food coloring in your toilet tank.  If color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak. 

• A slow dripping sink can add up to a loss of 15 gallons per day / 450 gallons per month.  A 1/16^th inch leak in a water line for example can result in a loss of 950 gallons per day / 28,300 gallons per month of water loss.  Leaks are the single most contributing factor in increased water bills.  As sharp increase in your bill from month to month could also indicate a leak.   

• If you suspect a leak from your meter to your house please call your certified plumbing professional.  If you suspect a leak prior to your meter or from a water main please call the Harrodsburg Water and Sewer Maintenance Department at 859-734-3042 or 859-734-4971. 

Common water Loss examples:

Leaking Toilet @1/2 GPM = 21,600 Gal/mo
Drip Irrigation @1 GPM = 43,200 Gal/mo
Watering Garden for 2 hours @ 5 GPM = 18,000 Gal/mo
Watering Garden for 2 hours @ 10 GPM = 36,000 Gal/mo
Unattended Water Hose 1 night @10 GPM = 5,400 Gal/mo
Broken Services Line 1 night @15 GPM = 8,100 Gal
1 day @15 GPM = 21,600 Gal
1 week @15 GPM = 151,200 Gal
1 month @ 15 GPM = 648,000 Gal
Stuck Ice Maker @ 2 GPM = 86,400 Gal/mo
Stuck Check Valve in Washing Machine – 30 minutes = 240 Gal
Stuck Float Valve in Watering Trough @ 5GPM = 216,000 Gal/mo

Typical Normal Water Uses:

1 Bath = 42 Gal
1 Shower = 17 Gal
Wash 1 Load of Clothes = 45 Gal
Flush Toilet = 3 Gal