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RECOMMENDED WEB SITES
American Water Works Association
6666 West Quincy Ave.
Denver, CO 80235
www.awwa.org
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Public Drinking Water
Program
P. O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102
www.dnr.state.mo.us
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
www.epa.gov
Metropolitan St. Louis
Sewer District
2000 Hampton Ave.
St. Louis, Mo. 63139
www.msd.st-louis.mo.us
BACKFLOW PREVENTION BASICS
In 1987, the Department of Natural
Resources established a drinking water regulation entitled “Prevention
of Backflow.” This
new regulation placed certain responsibilities on owners of
backflow prevention devices. There is a potential for
cross-connection backflow contamination of the public drinking
water supply with lawn irrigation systems, car washes, medical
facilities, fire suppression systems, etc.
The Department of Natural Resources defines
“backflow” as “the unwanted reversal of flow in a water
distribution system or a piping system inside a customer’s
premises due to changes in the hydraulic pressures of the
system.”
Two factors are essential for backflow to
occur. First, there
must be the interruption in the normal direction of flow in the
distribution system. Second, there must be a link, or connection, between the
potable drinking water system and the source of contaminant.
If you own a backflow prevention device, it
must be inspected and tested annually.
Have
your tester forward the report and fee to:
St.
Louis County Department of Public Works
Attention: Cindy Basham
41 South Central
St. Louis, MO 63105-1719
Please feel free to contact us, St. Louis
County Department of Public Works, or the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources Public Drinking Water
Program (address and web site listed above), for more
information regarding the basics of backflow prevention.
SPECIAL “TIPS” FROM THE KIRKWOOD WATER DEPARTMENT
- Don’t
obstruct that meter pit cover!
The round meter pit cover in your yard serves an
important purpose. Please
don’t cover it with landscaping materials or mulch.
Meter reading and maintenance personnel need to
access that cover in order to perform a variety of jobs
related to your water meter.
Obstructing your meter pit cover could result in
estimated and inaccurate water bills.
- High
water bill? The
majority of high water bills are usually due to undetected
leaks. The
number one culprit? A
leaking toilet. The
American Water Works Association has some interesting facts
about residential water usage.
Feel free to visit their web site, listed in this
section.
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