Arlington Rolls Out New Engineering Backflow Preventer Details

This article has been re-published with permission from The City of Arlington, TX. About the authors: Joe Gildersleeve is Water Resources Services Manager for City of Arlington Water Utilities. Randy Holland is Assistant Managing Director of EnviroDesign Management and a Best Practices Consultant for Safe-T-Cover Enclosures.

When a developer decides to build anything from a sidewalk to a storm water catchment system, standard details exist to show them the way a city wants the work to be done. These engineering guidelines protect residents from unsafe practices that could damage property or affect quality of life.
Arlington, a North Texas city of about 380,000 residents, expanded the reach of its standard details in 2016 to include the installation of backflow preventer assemblies immediately following the water meter. We hope the success of those changes, and the motivations behind them, can be of value to other utilities.

Backflow assemblies are to ensure that no water returns to the public water supply – a concept referred to as premise isolation, containment or point of supply backflow prevention. Some states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Washington are moving towards mandatory premise isolation for commercial and industrial uses. At the federal level however, no such regulations exist.

The American Water Works Association – the voice for water utility operators – addresses this need in its literature. In the preamble to the Cross Connection Control Manual published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AWWA states, “… The return of any water to the public water system after it has been used for any purpose on the customer’s premises or within the customer’s piping system is unacceptable and opposed by AWWA…”  While this may seem like an all-too-obvious position, it exists because backflow exists and can have dire consequences.

New buildings are not the concern. After all, the local plumbing authority rigorously monitors all new construction projects. A permit to occupy a building is never issued until the building passes inspection. The vast majority of plumbing authorities across the U.S. have adopted one of two plumbing codes: the Unified Plumbing Code, or UPC, or the International Plumbing Code, IPC. Both of these codes have an exemplary record of protecting individual plumbing fixtures from becoming hazards to the on-site users. This point-of-use backflow protection is carefully engaged at all locations where a cross connection might occur, such as water fountains, coffee maker connections, soda dispensers, automatic dishwashers, etc.

But, what goes on after construction can be a mystery. Each day, small business owners like restaurateurs, paint and body shops, auto mechanics, car washes, pet groomers, etc., in the interest of improving some process, make small uninformed changes to their plumbing on their own. Many of these changes, although unintended, create cross-connections with the drain system.

Through a network of licensed inspectors, Arlington monitors testing of 3,000 “high-health hazard” backflow assembly sites, such as healthcare providers and restaurants, each year. Backflow can occur because of high pressures on the premises pushing water back to city-owned water mains(back pressure), or because of unusually low pressures out in the public supply piping pulling water back to city-owned water mains (back syphon).

The city had many motivations for implementing the new details. Some of those included: 

  • Isolation from the inspection process. Because of the volume of plans being reviewed, plumbing inspectors in Arlington’s building department are the primary gatekeepers for acceptable methods. These plumbing inspectors are experienced and knowledgeable, but the guidelines provide them with a clear picture of what backflow methods the city prefers.
  • Unknown changes. Non-conforming and illegal changes to on-site plumbing systems are a big problem for every water provider. TCEQ’s Customer Service Inspection program, mandating a plumbing review of every property that undergoes a material change is helpful, but still is limited to only the properties where changes are announced to the city by application of a building permit or sale. Publicizing these guidelines to commercial users with high health hazard designations is another way to help prevent unknown changes that can be harmful.
  • Subrogation risks. Subrogation is the authority given to insurers to be entitled to a claim for damages on the behalf of its insured when a third party caused a loss. Poor regulation of backflow prevention assemblies can put cities at risk if flooding or other property damage occurs.
  • Local engineers’ survey. A survey conducted by EnviroDesign Management and Safe-T-Cover© over a two-year period became an important factor, as well. This survey of 1,220 DFW civil and plumbing engineers revealed that the local design community was in need of assistance from local water authorities. The results were presented to the city of Arlington in February of 2015 revealing that 3 out of 4 local design engineers stated a need for standard details.

So far, the city and local builders have been pleased with the new guidelines. What makes it so easy is that during the planning process, builders can just write these exact details into the plans. It gets rid of the guesswork and makes a valuable contribution to the safety of our water supply.

Download Trends in Backflow Preventer Valve Specification and Location

Related Posts

One Step Ahead: A Look at High-Hazard Cross-Connections and Compliance

IoT Takes Backflow Prevention To Another Level

Protection from Sound and Fury: Safe-T-Cover Enclosures and Noise Dampening

From the Field - The Safe-T-Cover Advantage with a Damaged Enclosure

Think Outside the Vault: Fayetteville, North Carolina

From The Field: 2022 WASDA Fall Conference Recap

Fire Pump Housing Options Beyond the Building

Heading into the unknown: Another Big Freeze could be catastrophic

3 Reasons Why a Backflow Cover Must Have Heat

Water 2050: Preserving the Future of Water

From the Field: Tips for Safe-T-Cover Enclosures and Protective PVC Coating

DC VS RPZ - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Forward thinking in Arlington, Texas: Leading the way with public health and backflow preventers

Texas Water Show 2022 Recap

Game changer: The Ames Deringer backflow

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW — FROM BACKFLOW BEST PRACTICES TO THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

How a Project in Georgia Could Change the Face of the Backflow Protection and Enclosure Requirements

What Happens When a RPZ Fails?

Introducing Our New Best Practices Guide

Do Backflow Events Really Endanger Our Drinking Water?

The State Flower of Florida (Backflow Preventer)

Comparing the Costs: Meter Vault vs. Enclosure

Meter Vault Innovation — Check Out This Trend

Chicago Backflow Incident of 1933

Three Reasons Why You Should Choose an N-Type Device

How Do You Hide A Backflow Enclosure?

What You Need To Know About Backflow Prevention Devices

Part 3: Why You Should Keep Backflow Preventers Out of Basements

A Backflow Preventer in a Utility Vault Can Be Deadly

Expert Says Containment Protection is Necessary For Backflow Prevention

What You Need to Know About Backflow Prevention and Flood Risks

How To Build a Successful Cross Connection Control Program

What is a Cross Connection Control and Backflow Preventer?

Expert Says Backflow Prevention Can't Be Ignored Anymore

CONTAINMENT VS ISOLATION: THE COMMERCIAL BACKFLOW PREVENTER INSTALLATION BATTLE

Water Quality Drops When Backflow Preventers Fail

Backflow Prevention Plays Small but Mighty Role in Water Quality

Cross Connection Control Spotlight: How LVVWD Avoids Backflow

Backflow Protection and Fire Protection Pit Safety Against Safety

Backflow Testers Provide Critical Link in Water Quality

Ottawa protects water system with new backflow prevention program (15,000 Properties to be Affected)

What we Learned About Underground Backflow Preventers During the Panel

Still Spec'ing the Watts 909? 3 Reasons to Switch to a 957 Assembly

Webinar: The End-All Discussion on Underground Utility Vaults

Cross Connection Control Managers Work Behind the Scenes to Protect Water Quality

Never Put Your Backflow Preventer Installation In The Basement

See For yourself - Utility Vaults Flood (All the Time)

High Hazard Classification - Who Makes the Determination?

Which Do You Need - A Cage or Enclosure?

Are Water Utilities Inheriting Risk Regarding Backflow Installation?

How to design & Buy a Pump Enclosure

Get the free, editable checklist.

download-cta
DOWNLOAD NOW

CONTACT US

Have a question about a backflow preventer enclosure?
Click the contact us button below and one of our experts will be able to help with your specific enclosure needs.