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Hickory council adopts ordinance to formalize backflow-prevention program for city water system
Summary
The Hickory City Council voted unanimously April 15 to place a backflow-prevention program into the city code, giving utilities staff enforcement powers, formalizing annual testing responsibilities for customers and clarifying protections against cross-connections that could contaminate the public water supply.
The Hickory City Council on April 15 approved an ordinance to codify the city’s existing backflow-prevention program for the municipal water system, giving the Public Utilities Department clearer enforcement authority and requiring customer testing and maintenance of backflow devices.
The ordinance “to take the public water supply from actual potential contamination of pollution, from the the customer side of the meter to prevent, backflow into the system,” Public Utilities Director Will Hamlin told the council during the departmental report.
Why it matters: Backflow — when water or other substances flow from a customer connection back into the public distribution system — can occur during pressure drops (back-siphonage) or when customer-side pumps or tanks push water back into mains (back pressure). The ordinance aims to reduce the risk of contaminants from irrigation systems, wells, industrial processes and other nonpotable sources entering the public supply.
Hamlin summarized the key elements the ordinance formalizes: definitions of cross-connections and backflow; examples of protection such as an air gap and mechanical backflow-prevention assemblies; customer responsibilities to…
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