Utilities report slow progress on backflow-prevention compliance, propose door-hanger enforcement and possible service disconnection

Utilities staff told the council that the city’s backflow-prevention compliance push has yielded meaningful progress but that hundreds of properties remain noncompliant and staff will soon begin enforcement steps.

Richard Moulton, utilities director, said the city had installed 243 backflow assemblies and 57 accounts had volunteered to close irrigation meters rather than comply. He said 327–343 properties remained out of compliance as of the Aug. 15 deadline, with 227 having requested extensions and 207 having not responded. "This group on the right will be the group that we go to the enforcement phase of," Moulton said, describing a two-track approach of continued outreach for those who engaged and door-hanger enforcement followed by possible service discontinuation for accounts that do not engage.

Justin Mahone, environmental compliance manager, clarified that the city pays to install devices on some single-family domestic connections and that the current enforcement focus is irrigation meters. Councilors pressed staff about ripple effects on small businesses if water service were cut; staff said the approach would start with a small number of weekly enforcement actions and would generally target irrigation meters first with a 36–48 hour compliance window once a door tag is placed.