Backflow Prevention Program

The City of Lacey is committed to delivering safe drinking water to your home and business. A crucial part of this is preventing contamination through cross-connection control. Understanding what cross-connections and backflow are, and why they matter, is key to this effort.

What is a Cross-Connection?

A cross-connection is any point where our clean water supply could come into contact with non-potable (unsafe to drink) substances. This can occur in various places around your property – your home, business, or irrigation system. Imagine a garden hose submerged in a bucket of fertilizer; that’s a common example of a potential cross-connection.

The Risk: Backflow

The danger arises with backflow, the unwanted reversal of water flow. Instead of water flowing from our clean system to you, it flows backward from your property into our public water supply.

What Causes Backflow?

Backflow happens due to two main reasons:

• Backsiphonage: This occurs when the pressure in our public water system drops. Think of it like drinking through a straw – a decrease in pressure can “suck” water backward. Common causes in Lacey can include firefighting, water main breaks, or system maintenance.
  
  
• Backpressure: This happens when the water pressure on your property becomes higher than the pressure in our public water system, pushing water back into our lines. This can be caused by pumps, elevated tanks, or certain plumbing configurations on your property.

The Potential Danger: Contaminated Water

Backflow can introduce harmful contaminants into our drinking water. The severity of the risk depends on the substance involved at the cross-connection. We categorize these hazards to determine the necessary protection:

• Low Hazard: Substances that primarily affect the water’s aesthetic qualities, such as taste or odor, but are not considered a health risk (e.g., small amounts of household cleaners).
  
  
• High Health Hazard: Substances that could cause illness or even death if ingested (e.g., pesticides, antifreeze, biological contaminants).
  
  
• Severe Health Hazard: Situations posing a significant risk of widespread illness or contamination (e.g., connections to sewage treatment facilities or systems handling radioactive materials). While not typical in residential settings, proper prevention is critical in specific industrial or commercial applications.

Our Commitment and Your Responsibility

Washington State Law mandates the City of Lacey to implement a Cross-Connection Control Program to protect our public water system, from our water sources to your meter.

What This Means for You:

• Any uncontrolled connection that could contaminate our water is unlawful and must be addressed immediately.
  
  
• Addressing such connections may involve discontinuing water service or installing a backflow prevention assembly appropriate for the hazard level.
  
  
• Your Responsibility: If a backflow preventer is required on your property, you must install the correct type, have it tested upon initial installation and annually by a certified tester, and provide proof of this testing to the City’s Public Works Department by the annual due date. Please remember that ensuring timely testing is your responsibility, even though we send reminders.

Failure to comply with these regulations can result in the discontinuation of your water service. We understand this is important for public health and safety.

For More Information:

Please consult the City of Lacey Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards for more detailed information. You can also contact our dedicated Cross-Control Specialist at (360) 486-8754 with any questions.

Understanding common cross-connections around your home is the first step in protecting our community’s water supply. Here are two of the most frequent:

Garden Hoses: A Simple Yet Significant Risk

Any garden hose can become a cross-connection when submerged in non-potable liquids like swimming pools, laundry sinks, car wash buckets, or even puddles. If backflow occurs, these contaminants could be drawn into your household plumbing and potentially the public water system.

• Protecting against this is easy and inexpensive. We strongly recommend installing an air vacuum breaker on every outdoor hose bib (faucet). These simple devices prevent backflow and can be purchased at any local hardware store. Installation is usually as simple as screwing them onto the hose bib. Please check your outdoor faucets today to ensure you have this protection.

In-Ground Irrigation Systems: Mandatory Backflow Prevention

In-ground irrigation systems are a very common cross-connection in Lacey. To safeguard our water supply, Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-290-490 and Lacey Municipal Code (LMC) 13.48.070 require all in-ground irrigation systems to be isolated from the potable water system using an approved backflow prevention assembly.

Your Responsibilities for Your Irrigation System:

If you have an in-ground irrigation system, it’s your responsibility to ensure the following:

• Confirm an Approved Assembly: Your irrigation system must have an approved backflow prevention assembly installed. This is typically a brass valve located between your water meter and where your irrigation system connects to your water line. If you’re unsure, please locate it and familiarize yourself with it.
  
  
• Annual Testing is Required: This backflow prevention assembly must be tested annually by a certified professional.
  
  
• Certified Tester: The testing must be performed by a Washington State Department of Health certified Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT). This ensures the tester has the necessary qualifications to verify the assembly’s proper function. Testing is also required immediately upon installation and after any repairs.
  
  
• Reporting Test Results: Ensure the test results are reported to Lacey Public Works/Water Resources. While your hired BAT will often submit these directly, it is your ultimate responsibility to confirm timely submission. You will continue to receive overdue notices until we receive passing test results.

Resources for Compliance:

• Find a Certified Tester: List of Certified Backflow Assembly Testers
  
  
• Backflow Test Report Form: Blank Backflow Prevention Assembly Test Report
  
  
• Submit Test Results To:
  
  
  • Email: Backflow@cityoflacey.org
    
    
  • Mail:
    City of Lacey Water Resources
    ATTN: Cross Connection Specialist
    420 College St SE Lacey, WA 98503
    
    
• Quick Overview: Residential Backflow Brochure

We’re Here to Help!

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our Cross-connection Specialist:

Jared Kurttila
Cross-connection Specialist
Backflow@cityoflacey.org
(360) 486-8754

To ensure the safety of our community’s water system, backflow assemblies are required for applications that have the potential of contaminating the drinking water supply and are chosen based on the degree of hazard at each location.

• Low Health Cross-Connection Hazard Requirement:
  
  
  • Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA/DCDA)
    These are the most common assemblies in the Lacey water system. Most are installed below ground in a valve box or vault for irrigation or fire sprinkler systems.
    
    
  • Spill Resistant Vacuum Breaker (SVB)
    These are when water spillage is undesired. They protect against backsiphonage only and are not to be used under constant pressure applications.
    
    
• High Health Cross-Connection Hazard Requirement:
  
  
  • Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly (RPBA/RPDA)
    These are required and very important in commercial settings where hazardous material could enter potable drinking water.
    
    
  • RPBA use is required for any mobile or temporary apparatus that connects to the City water system by way of fire hydrant or other temporary water connection. They are also used with higher-level fire systems, irrigation systems that distribute fertilizers, in medical facilities, chemical plants, etc. RPBAs protect against both low and high health cross-connection hazards.
    
    
• Severe Health Cross-Connection Hazard Requirement:
  
  
  • Air Gap Separation (AG)
    This method is used in commercial applications where reservoirs and storage tanks are required. It protects against all levels of cross-connection hazards. An air gap means there is a physical break between the city’s water supply and the facility’s process therefore providing the utmost protection.

Universal Installation Requirements for all of the following backflow methods can be found here: Commercial Backflow Brochure

Discontinuing Backflow Requirements

If you believe a cross-connection no longer exists on your property, you can request an inspection to verify the hazard’s elimination and discontinue backflow assembly use and testing. Please note that as long as a connection exists, backflow protection and testing are required, even if the system is not in use (e.g., an unused sprinkler system).

Decommissioning an In-Ground Irrigation System:

To permanently discontinue the use of your in-ground irrigation system and potentially eliminate backflow requirements, follow these steps:

1. Remove all visible sprinkler heads and distribution lines.
2. Remove the backflow assembly and cap the main water supply line.
3. Once inspected and approved, the remaining water line may be buried.
4. Remove any plastic or concrete boxes and backfill the area.

To schedule a decommissioning inspection, please contact Jared Kurttila at (360) 486-8754 or Backflow@cityoflacey.org.