Fillmore hires contractor to meet new state cross-connection and backflow rules, approves $98,500 appropriation

The Fillmore City Council authorized the acting city manager to sign a contract with SoCal WaterPro for cross-connection control program development and backflow prevention assembly management and approved a $98,500 appropriation from the Water Reserve Fund for fiscal year 2025–26.

City staff explained that the State Water Resources Control Board’s 2024 Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook requires water purveyors to prepare a cross-connection control plan, complete hazard assessments across property types, use certified testers and specialists, and provide incident reporting and public outreach. The handbook’s changes marked a significant shift from prior practice and set a July 1 deadline for implementing a formal program.

Staff said the County of Ventura informed cities in late 2024 that it would terminate long-standing contracts that had been delivering cross-connection services on the county’s behalf, leaving local water purveyors to stand up their own programs. Public-works staff said they evaluated firms and negotiated a scope and cost with SoCal WaterPro to prepare Fillmore’s plan, register and manage devices, and provide support. The council approved the contract amount not to exceed $98,500 and said staff expects to use the contractor to organize the program and transition to city-run operations in future years. The action included authorization for the acting city manager to sign the contract in a form approved by the city attorney.