City of Hamilton Backflow Prevention Program
Your drinking water flows from your city’s main distribution system onto your private property. When the city’s system is lower than the pressure in your private home system, the pressure can pull bad water back into the city’s water distribution.
This is known as “Back Siphonage”, or “Backflow”. The occurrence of unclean water flowing back into the city’s distribution system can cause contamination.
Who is Affected by the Hamilton Backflow Prevention Program?
The City of Hamilton began a ‘Backflow Prevention Program’ to protect your drinking water quality by making sure that the appropriate backflow prevention devices had been installed and inspected on private properties in the Hamilton area. These devices prevent contaminated water from flowing back into the city’s water system, and can also be found in place in many other municipalities in Ontario. This program will not affect an enormous amount of people’s homes however; it will impact approximately 15,000 commercial, institutional and multi–residential properties such as apartments, hotels, hospitals, automotive and manufacturing facilities etc.
Hamilton has very strict water safety guidelines and standards. Everything must be in compliance with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). When Property owners began being notified in 2018, they were advised of compliance laws and timelines that would have to be followed, as well as surveys that would be administered and backflow prevention devices that would be installed with deadlines to be met in accordance with City of Hamilton Compliance Regulations.
Water Testing and Surveys
Water testing was done and continues to be carried out on an ongoing basis to determine whether the severity rating of water contamination was high or moderate. Going forward, The City of Hamilton’s Backflow Prevention Program also requested site surveys every five years, as well as annual backflow device testing. A qualified Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA) surveyor will be required to carry out site surveys and install these devices. For more information, check out our blog on ‘Backflow Prevention Terminology’ for more information on backflow terms!
Our plumbers are qualified OWWA Cross connection Control Specialists and are more than up to the task of ensuring that Hamilton’s Backflow Prevention Program is carried out with CSA and the City of Hamilton’s Compliance Regulations. If your home or business has concerns about the quality of your water and possible backflow issues, John the Plumber Hamilton is here to help guide you through this. Our licensed plumbers are always up to date with plumbing codes and will be more than happy to assist you.
Tip: Additional details can be found in the following link: https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/operating-business/commercial-water-sewer/backflow-prevention-program/
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