Saint Charles adopts cross-connection control program to meet state inspection rules

The Village of Saint Charles council voted to adopt a cross-connection control program that staff said is necessary to comply with state backflow testing requirements.

Staff explained the new program will document, inspect and arrange testing for backflow prevention devices that keep potentially contaminated water from entering the village water mains. "They do a great job, and we recommended them," said a consultant recommending the vendor; staff said the program would use local, licensed plumbers for testable devices and that the village itself cannot perform licensed backflow testing.

The village attorney and staff told the council the proposal is structured as a multi-year contract to schedule inspections and manage state paperwork. Staff said about 90 locations in Saint Charles have testable devices and that testing frequency will depend on each location's hazard classification; high-hazard accounts may require annual testing while others are on a three-year cycle. Staff said device inspections for many residential devices (for example, irrigation and pool hookups) would include visual checks and would not always be testable devices.

Unidentified Speaker 6 moved to accept the cross-connection control proposal; a roll call recorded five "Yes" votes and one absence (Michael Nesbitt). The council recorded the motion as accepted.

Council members and staff emphasized that the program is intended to preserve public health by ensuring testable backflow devices are inspected and tested and that the administrative burden of state reporting will be handled by the compliance vendor rather than in-house staff.

The council did not specify a start date in the meeting minutes; staff indicated the vendor will propose a schedule and that property owners may be billed for testing where required by state rules.