Where can I find the list of approved testers?

• Sacramento Suburban Water District Approved Backflow Tester List

What is a cross-connection?

• Any temporary or permanent connection between a public water system or consumer's potable (i.e., drinking) water system and a source or system that contains, or may contain, non-potable water or other substances. Examples include: the piping between a Public Water System (PWS) or consumer's potable water system and an auxiliary water supply, cooling system, or irrigation system.

What is backflow?

• Backflow is the undesirable reversal of flow of water (or mixtures of water and other liquids, gases, or other substances) into the distribution system of the potable water supply from any source(s).
• Backflow into a PWS can pollute or contaminate the water in that system making it unsafe to drink.

What is backpressure backflow?

• Backflow caused by a downstream pressure that is greater than the upstream or supply pressure in a PWS or consumer's potable water system.
• Backpressure can result from an increase in downstream pressure, a reduction in PWS supply pressure, or a combination of both.

What is back-siphonage?

• Backflow caused by a negative pressure (i.e., a vacuum or partial vacuum) in a PWS or consumer's potable water system.
• Back-siphonage can occur when there is a stoppage of water supply due to a nearby water main break, excessive fire hydrant usage, or other high water demand event.

Why does Sacramento Suburban Water District need to control cross-connections and protect its public water system against backflow?

• Because backflow events can contaminate the drinking water in a PWS, the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, requires each PWS to protect the public water supply from contamination by implementing a State-approved cross-connection control program (Program).

How does Sacramento Suburban Water District implement the Cross-Connection Control Program?

• SSWD's Program requires all commercial, irrigation, institutional, industrial and multi-family residential connections to install an approved backflow prevention assembly. In certain circumstances, single-family residential service connections also require a backflow prevention assembly.

What is backflow prevention?

• A process by which water that may contain pollutants or contaminants is prevented from entering, or backflowing, into the PWS.  Backflow prevention is maintained by either physical separation between systems or with a backflow prevention assembly. .

Why do backflow preventers have to be tested annually?

• To ensure the proper operation of a backflow prevention assembly, it must be tested and certified upon installation and at least annually thereafter, as required by State law.
• Laboratory tests on backflow prevention assemblies indicate that some components fail over time.  Periodic testing is the only method to ensure that the backflow prevention assembly is functioning properly and protecting the PWS.

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