Company's water unsafe to drink in Cooke County "Weber Aircraft, a company with 1250 employees, is giving out water bottles to employees because their water isn't safe to drink. When an employee of Weber Aircraft noticed discoloration in the water in the bathroom last Friday, the company immediately called the Gainesville Water Department. Public Services Director Ron Sellman says they discovered an uncommon problem with Weber Aircraft's water system. "What we've seen is an oil problem in the Weber Aircraft facility, and that has migrated throughout the facility1,” said Ron Sellman. “They've seen oil inside their system, inside their plumbing fixtures and their sinks.” In a statement to KXII, Weber Plant Manager Steve Starnes said the company sent a sample of the discolored water to Denison and Gainesville’s water departments to test whether it's a problem with the city's system or with the Weber facility. “The problem is inside Weber Aircraft, the problem could not have gotten into the city supply because of backflow prevention devices that are installed to prevent any kind of a contaminant to get into the water supply,” said Sellman. “Public water supply is safe, but it just isn't safe for the employees inside because of their internal problem with their plumbing. It is being investigated by Weber Aircraft at this time.” First 12 News, Feb. 26, 2009

Sandpoint backflow ordinance in limbo "An ordinance aimed at protecting Sandpoint's water system is in limbo after the City Council failed to reach an agreement Wednesday on the program. The ordinance was drafted in response to a 2008 survey conducted by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, which found a number of deficiencies in Sandpoint's water system. According to DEQ, the most glaring problem was the lack an adequate program to track backflow prevention devices.  Backflow devices and assemblies work to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution by eliminating reverse flows of water from individual systems into the public water source.
The proposed ordinance would require annual backflow prevention testing for a group of home  and business owners inside the Sandpoint water system. While nearly every home and business has some sort of backflow prevention, the ordinance would only require a sliver of them to be tested, said assistant city engineer Matt Mulder, who spearheaded the program. Based on DEQ recommendations, Mulder implemented a program last year to search out units needing to be tested, and the new ordinance was designed around that program. After completing the program's first year, Mulder said the vast majority of the 450-plus individuals required to undergo the $50 test did so with only minor complaints.
According to Mulder, all but 80 of those required to test their system did so by the deadline, and the remaining 80 eventually completed the testing. Sandpoint's Ken Sanger grudgingly had his two backflow devices tested, but has been a staunch opponent of the program since its inception. Sanger called the wording of the proposed ordinance "onerous," specifically as it pertains to city employees entering private property to conduct the test. The ordinance says the Public Works director or his designated agent have the right to enter any building during reasonable hours to inspect the plumbing system. "The idea that a city employee has the right to come into mine or anyone else's home any reasonable time he feels like it doesn't seem American to me," Sanger said. Defending the document, Mulder said it is not the city's intent to enter a home without invitation, but added that if a homeowner refuses to comply with the city, they would face consequences. "I wouldn't force my way into their house by any means, but if they're unwilling to cooperate with inspections then, ultimately, we could turn off their water," Mulder said. ...Mayor Gretchen Hellar said forcing inspections might appear to be a Draconian measure, but said the safety of the water system requires it. "It seems to me that we're talking about whether an individual, for the lack of wanting to pay $50, has the right to potentially contaminate our water supply," Hellar said." Bonner County Daily Bee. Jan. 24, 2009

City water retrofit requirements all wet, opponents charge "Landlords say no examples exist to justify backflow prevention upgrades. Critics say a city proposal that would force the property owners behind nearly 9,300 water billing accounts to make costly connection upgrades is an overreaction to a non-existent problem. City staff are working on a plan that would require backflow preventers to be installed on many Ottawa multi-residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings to prevent water supply contamination. Such devices can cost between $8,000 and $12,000 for a 100-unit apartment, said John Dickie, chair of the Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization. "We're all set to concur with the need to fix problems," said Mr. Dickie. "But there seems to be no or very few documented cases of problems ... that these devices would prevent among multi-residential buildings." ...Provincial regulations require backflow preventers to be installed in new constructions, but the city is considering forcing owners of existing buildings that pose a 'severe' or 'moderate' risk to the municipal water supply to retrofit their connections and install these devices. The city's business advisory committee recently passed a strongly worded motion opposing the initiative and suggested staff focus only on properties that pose a severe risk. "When we asked them for details on occurrences in the Ottawa region, I think they had one isolated and unusual incident in the 10 or 15 years that they have been keeping track of these things," said Rob Sproule, who chairs the business advisory committee. Mr. Sproule said he supports forcing retrofits on high-risk properties such as, for example, a company working with chemicals that would pose a health hazard if they were sucked into the water supply. "But on the moderate ones, it seemed to be an awful lot of money they are asking property owners to spend (on) really no identifiable risk." Furthermore, Mr. Dickie said his industry believes the city can do a better job of pinpointing potential hazards based on, for example, topography or the reliability of the neighbouring city sewer infrastructure. The city classifies risk levels based on a manual published by the Canadian Standards Association, a copy of which was not immediately available. City communications staff did not make a spokesperson available for comment until after production deadlines...." Ottawa Business Journal, Feb. 4/ 2009

Bellaire Chemical Mix-Up 'Very Serious Mistake "Bellaire residents are permitted to use water again after crews accidentally added hydrochloric acid to the system instead of fluoride. A supplier, Ohio Valley Chemical, accidently gave the plant hydrochloric acid instead of fluoride, said Kirk Baker, superintendent of the water department. ..." It was a mistake. It could happen to anybody. It was a very serious mistake, (but) it could have been worse," Baker said. Baker said the fact that the wrong acid was delivered --- and ended up in the water system --- was both the department's and the suppliers' fault. "Unfortunately, the drums are all the same size and the same color. The labeling is different but they didn't catch it and I didn't catch it until this morning," he said. He added, "I want to apologize. We never meant to inconvenience anyone. All I can say is it was an unfortunate accident and it won't happen again." Baker said Ohio Valley Chemical, based in Martins Ferry, is not the department's usual supplier. To remedy the problem, Baker said crews opened up hydrants and drained the system, tanks and water plant. Police said the water was deemed safe as of 12:30 p.m. "You're fine," he assured customers. "You're fine. I'm drinking the water today myself here now." A small amount of hydrochloric acid heavily diluted in water poses very little or no health risk, officials said. In a low concentration, the risks include nausea, dry mouth and diarrhea. ...In a high concentration, the risks of hydrochloric acid are serious and could cause permanent damage. It is a corrosive chemical, which means if it comes in contact with your skin it could cause burns, irritation or rashes and it could burn the eyes. If consumed, it could burn the esophagus. Dr. John Koren of Belmont Community Hospital said two or three people came to the emergency room with minor complaints possibly related to the incident..." wtov9.com, Feb. 2, 2009

Official: Acid dumped in Ohio city's water supply "BELLAIRE, Ohio (AP) — Thousands of residents of a western Ohio community were told to stop drinking tap water after workers at a chemical treatment plant accidentally added toxic hydrochloric acid to the water supply. No serious injuries were reported. Forty pounds of the acid were added to Bellaire's water Sunday. The mistake was discovered Monday morning when workers noticed fluoride levels were lower than normal. Water department superintendent Kirk Baker says a water supplier inadvertently gave plant workers hydrochloric acid instead of fluoride. Baker says crews opened fire hydrants and drained the entire water system to clean it. The water was deemed safe at about 12:30 p.m. Customers were urged to avoid using tap water and Bellaire High School dismissed classes early. About 2,400 people were affected by the contamination." Associated Press, Feb. 3, 2009

Allouez home inspections for water connections may start in summer "The village may begin inspecting homes as early as the summer for cross-connection concerns in an effort to protect the public water supply. Cross-connections occur in a plumbing system when drinking water could be connected to a nonpotable source, or plumbing fixture, resulting in pollutants or contamination. The state Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Commerce require municipalities to complete 5 percent of cross-connection control inspections a year, under a 20-year plan. The inspections, required for all residential water utility customers, will take about a half an hour to complete by the village's public works staff and must be done at least once every 10 years, said Craig Berndt, public works director. Total costs for inspections for residents could range from $30 to $50 per home, he said. Wendy Anderson, a DNR drinking water engineer, said if inspections are not completed, residents risk receiving contaminated water. "Now's the time to start doing this," she said. Village staff will check to ensure state-approved cross-connection protection is on all plumbing fixtures including handheld showers, toilet tanks, utility sinks, inside and outside hose faucets and hot water boiler systems. Repair equipment, including vacuum breakers, will fix most cross-connection concerns and will be available for purchase through the village's utility department for around $4 each..." Greenbay Press Gazette, Jan. 25, 2009

Check plumbing, businesses told "The Peterborough Utilities Commission is reminding businesses to get their plumbing checked as part of the Cross Connection Control program. Industrial, commercial, some home-based businesses and institutional buildings are required to inspect their plumbing by Jan. 31 to make sure backflow prevention devices are working properly. Residential homeowners aren’t affected. ...in simple terms, the program has been created to make sure that there’s no chance that water meant to pour out of a device will reverse its flow and instead draw contaminated water into the city’s drinking water. An example might be a hose that can be used for a variety of things, like filling a pool or washing cars at a car wash, Gould said. But there can be situations, such as a fire, that stop the water from flowing out of the hose and actually create a siphon effect, sucking water from a pool or car wash and dumping it into a municipality’s drinking water system, he said. “That could harm a home, a neighbourhood, or even an entire municipality,” he said. Property owners or occupants will be required to pay for the survey, installation of backflow prevention devices, testing of new or existing devices, plumbing system repairs and a $25 test tag fee. The tags, affixed to a backflow prevention device, expire after five years..."  The Peterborough Examiner, Jan. 15, 2009

State backs off requiring $500 backflow prevention devices "The threat of requiring Florida homeowners to pay about $500 for backflow prevention devices - and a $60 annual inspection fee - has passed. Rather than requiring the 18-inch-tall brass gadgets on homeowner's front lawns, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday it would amend its regulations and give local utilities the option of installing other lower-cost models as cheap as $100. DEP plans a public hearing on the proposed amendment in February in Orlando. DEP could make changes then or hold another public hearing. "The DEP never proved there was a real danger of water contamination," said Palm Beach Country Estates resident Mike Danchuk, who would have been required to install the device if his home was linked up to the Jupiter Utilities system. "People do not like to be forced to do something that does not make sense." Backflows, designed to prevent the accidental contamination of the public drinking-watÄr supply, have been required inhomes by state law since 1987. The DEP decided to consider enforcing the regulation earlier this year after a South Florida development was discovered using surface water for irrigation without backflow protection. Backflows prevent mixing of treated or irrigated water from flowing into the public drinking system by maintaining higher pressure in its pipes. Such mixing required West Palm Beach downtown customers to boil water for 10 days last year. The backflows would have been required in new and existing homes. About 200,000 existing Palm Beach County homes would have been required to install backflows. The new regulation would require retrofitting thousands of homes in Florida, from little cottages in North Florida to mansions in gated communities in western Palm Beach County. The proposal drew strong opposition from Palm Beach County homeowners during an Aug. 7 West Palm Beach public hearing....  Letting local utilities decide what system to require makes sense in a state as diverse as Florida, said Seacoast Utilities Executive Director Rim Bishop. Under the original proposal, about half of the 35,000 Seacoast hookups would require backflows, Bishop said. "I have thousands of customers who have using well water with absolutely no risk for 40 years. I'm supposed to tell them they have to pay $600 for a backflow and an annual inspection fee?" said Bishop. "These regulators spewing rules sitting at their desks is not logical.""  Palm Beach Post, Dec. 29, 2008

Thermal Expansion: A Call for Stricter Code Enforcement "Thermal expansion is a relatively new problem in household plumbing systems. It is the result of installing water meters with check valves or dual check valves mandated by local and national plumbing codes. Although the purpose of the check valves is to isolate the municipal water supply from potentially contaminated household water, the resulting thermal expansion creates a separate, often under-appreciated problem.  ...When water is heated, it expands in volume by 2-3%, depending upon the initial and final temperature. This can mean as much as three or four extra gallons of water in a closed system. (If there is no demand for hot water, the expanded volume of water has no place to go.) Since water is not compressible, the expanded water cannot be accommodated in the piping system through which it travels, and therefore it creates hydraulic pressure, exerting a potentially hazardous stress on the system. The reason this is a relatively new problem is that, until recently, most household systems were open to the municipal water supply, which meant when household water was heated it simply expanded back into the municipal supply. The situation has changed and it is becoming the norm for municipalities to enforce existing codes and regulations, requiring the installation of a dual check valve, or what is more commonly known as a backflow preventer. With the installation of a backflow preventer or water meter with a check valve that had previously been an "open" system has now become "closed" system. It has become a "closed" system because hot water can no longer expand back into the municipal supply, and as a result, during periods when hot water is not being used, the system pressure rapidly increases until the pressure relief valve (PRV) is activated, releasing the excess water and pressure. In a typical situation, the PRV will activate two or three times a day, wasting hot water and causing premature failure of the valve, as it is only designed to activate in emergencies. The constant over-pressurization as the result of thermal expansion creates other problems as well, such as leaking ball seals and valve stems. The most critical hazard is the potential collapse of the center flue in a gas fired water heater, allowing lethal carbon monoxide fumes to leak into the residential environment. The first reaction of the homeowner when he or she discovers the PRV is continually discharging is to replace what he or she thinks is a faulty PRV only to find he or she has the same problem with the new valve. In some situations the frustrated homeowner wires the valve shut or completely removes it from the system, and while this removes the symptom (dripping water, etc) it eliminates an important safety device from the system, creating the potential for catastrophic failure...." Plumbing Engineer, Nov. 2006

Cross Connection Rules Manual, Fourth Edition October 2008, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality "In the water supply field, a considerable amount of attention is being focused nationally on new drinking water standards, source water protection and enhanced treatment.   However, water supply professionals must remain vigilant in their efforts to protect the integrity of the potable water after it enters the distribution system.   The continued expansion of public water distribution systems in Michigan has resulted in thousands of additional service connections annually.   Therefore, cross connection control remains a critical link in protecting public health by maintaining the quality of drinking water from the source, through the distribution system and to the customers. Drinking water quality will be jeopardized without a persistent effort in cross connection control, regardless of efforts to protect the source of supply and improved treatment techniques.   This manual strives to educate water system operators, plumbers, contractors and any others in the industry about the need for effective cross connection control."

Sprinkler system suspected in Portland landslide "New sprinkler equipment and "unusually high" water use at a house in the Southwest hills probably contributed to a landslide that sent it crashing into homes below, city officials said Friday. The city's investigation of the Oct. 8 slide, while not definitive, found that the backyard sprinklers at 6438 S.W. Burlingame Place appear to be the leading suspect, said Commissioner Randy Leonard, who overseas the Portland Water Bureau. "What has changed to cause the soil conditions to become so malleable that what had held for 75 years broke loose?" Leonard said. "What's different is the installation of the irrigation system combined with an unusually high use of water." If that proves to be the cause, it may help settle the huge financial mess that the landslide left in its path, opening a liability claim against the house that fell. It was built in 1930 and is owned by Kathei and Dave Hendrickson. According to city records, the homeowners installed a sprinkler system on the property in March 2005. Last September, a new back-flow device and shut-off valve were installed. ...It's unclear whether the sprinklers were overused or a pipe broke. City water and sewer pipes in the area aren't to blame, Leonard said. The Hendricksons' house fell into two others on Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard, moving one off its foundation. No one was injured. Two homes, including the Hendricksons', were destroyed, one was damaged and two others are too dangerous to occupy. So far, some insurance companies have denied claims from homeowners who suffered losses, while others are still investigating. The case most likely will wind up in court. ..."Since the slide has happened, it's taken a lot of evidence with it," she said. "If it's the result of somebody doing something wrong, we're going to try to figure that out." What generally happens in these cases, Bonaparte said, is that property insurance companies initially go on defense. They deny the original claims until homeowners hire lawyers and sue them. ..."Since the slide has happened, it's taken a lot of evidence with it," she said. "If it's the result of somebody doing something wrong, we're going to try to figure that out." What generally happens in these cases, Bonaparte said, is that property insurance companies initially go on defense. They deny the original claims until homeowners hire lawyers and sue them..." Oregonlive.com, Nov. 21, 2008

Cops: Jersey City senior holds toilet handle while water company impostor ransacks house "A man pretending to be a United Water employee gained entry to an apartment on Cator Avenue in Jersey City this afternoon and then stole $3,650 from the 91-year-old resident, reports said. Responding to a knock on her front door around 2 p.m., the female resident told police she found a man who told her he was an employee with the water company and that "there was an emergency" and "he had to check the water," reports said. The man first opened and shut a faucet in the kitchen and then went into the victim's bathroom where he flushed the toilet, reports said. The man then instructed the victim to "hold down the flush handle or else the house will explode," reports said. The victim, who said the man was speaking to someone on his cellphone the entire time he was in her house, did as she was told, reports said. But after about two minutes, the victim told police "I didn't care if the house exploded" and walked into her living-room, at which time she discovered her house had been ransacked, reports said..." NJ.com, Nov. 17, 2008

Water Contamination and Waterborne Disease: Are Your Patients at Risk "This 90 minute webinar will prKvide an overview of the latesP trends in waterborne disease and a discussion of recent controversies such as the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water and agricultural water as a potential source of E. coli O157:H7 infection.  It will review the clinical challenges inherent in evaluating and managing patients who may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water, polluted recreational waters or water contaminated after a natural or man-made disaster.  The special needs of susceptible populations at increased risk for morbidity and mortality from water-related disease will be highlighted including waterborne disease outbreaks associated with children in water parks and waterborne nosocomial infections in healthcare facilities.  This webinar will also describe the role that healthcare providers can play in protecting and preserving water quality in their communities. At the conclusion of this water webcast, participants will be able to:
List the five critical sources of water contamination resulting in water-related disease that represent the greatest public health threat, especially to susceptible populations most at risk for serious morbidity and mortality... Identify the most recent trends in waterborne illness and water-related deaths from both drinking and recreational water exposure in the US.... Recognize the medical, public health, and economic consequences of water contamination for a community resulting from natural and man-made disasters... Please consider joining us for this timely environmental medicine webinar and educational offering." American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Nov. 7, 2008

MasterPlumbers "Plumb Tube"   Master Plumbers October 2008 issue of "Plumb News" now has a collection of plumbing related videos, most serious, some hilarious....

AWWA Releases 2008 State Of The Industry Report "Key Findings Include Concerns over Source Water Availability and Infrastructure Failures.... Source water supply and protection emerged as the top area of concern among North American water professionals in the 2008 "State of the Industry Report," published by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The report, now in its fifth year, represents an annual checkup for the water industry, with more than 1,800 leaders assessing the overall health of the industry and identifying key challenges. For the first time, source water supply and protection was the most frequently mentioned area of concern for both the short and long term. The full report was published in the October issue of Journal AWWA. ...Other top issues identified in the report include:

• Infrastructure: Described as "aging" by most respondents, but also "crumbling" or "failing" by others, the state of underground water infrastructure continues to concern water utilities. Respondents lamented that other pressing expenses cause utilities to defer infrastructure maintenance, leading to even steeper expenses in the future.
• Regulatory Issues: Many water professionals express concern about complying with new, complex regulations.
• Workforce: The effects of the retiring Baby Boomer generation are being felt in the water industry. Older workers are retiring, intellectual capital is walking out the door, and competition is fierce for the shrinking pool of new workers entering the marketplace.
• Business Factors: Financing infrastructure repair and improvements, source water development, regulatory requirements, security, and a host of other factors continues to be a challenge throughout the industry.

The report, which provides U.S. and Canadian breakouts, also includes a measure of overall industry soundness, or the respondents' assessment of the industry's overall health. In 2008, U.S. respondents rated the current soundness of the industry slightly higher than in 2007. However, for the first time, U.S. respondents rated the future soundness lower than its current soundness, indicating significant concerns about the years ahead. The future soundness ratings of the Canadian water industry dropped significantly in 2008, mirroring the U.S. decline in optimism..."  Water Online, Oct. 27, 2008

Backflow prevention device "A backflow Prevention Device is used to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution. Many types of backflow prevention devices also have test cocks so that they can be tested or examined to ensure that they are functioning properly. The EPA holds local water suppliers responsible for maintaining a certain amount of purity in potable water systems. Many states and/or local municipalities require annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies. ...Backflow prevention protects the potable water system from minor, moderate, and severe hazards. There are over 10,000 reported cases of backflow contamination each year. Some cases can be fatal. Backflow devices are required by law where needed and must be installed in accordance with plumbing or building codes...." Wikipedia, Sept. 29, 2008 

Never Mind, County Says Of Backflow Valve Warnings "TAMPA - Hillsborough County's water department mistakenly sent out notices last week threatening thousands of water customers with $500 fines if they didn't get their backflow prevention valves tested by a certified plumber. About 41,000 homes and businesses have backflow assemblies that protect the water system from cross connections with reclaimed water, irrigation systems and alternative water sources pumped from lakes and ponds. The county requires the backflow protection valves be tested once a year. Usually, the county sends out about 2,500 notices a month reminding customers with the devices to get them inspected by a certified plumber. Customers tend to get the inspection after one or two reminder notices. But in trying to clear up a backlog of homes and businesses that weren't in the system, the water department accidently sent out the 16,000 final notices with the threat of a fine. "It was our mistake," said Paul Vanderploog, director of the county's Water Resources Department. "We did not verify the information in the new, updated database prior to the notices being mailed." Dave McGowen, who lives near Gibsonton, said he usually gets his backflow device inspected after the second of three notices sent out by the county. This year he only got the one threatening a fine. "This looks to me like it was written by a plumbers' union," McGowen said. The water department plans to send letters to everyone who got a notice saying to disregard them." Tampa Bay Online, Oct. 8, 2008

Backflow Open Houses Planned "Thunder Bay, ON -- The City of Thunder Bay is implementing a Backflow Prevention Program to address the risk of backflow of water from private water systems into the municipal water supply. Public Open Houses will be held on Oct. 7 and on Oct. 9 to provide information about the design and implementation of the Backflow Program that is mandatory for buildings used for industrial, commercial, multi-residential or institutional purposes. Letters have been sent to City of Thunder Bay Waterworks customers inviting them to attend the Open Houses to learn more about the program and how it will be implemented. Cities across Ontario are implementing Backflow Prevention Programs to address this requirement of the Provincial Safe Drinking Water Act. Backflow is the risk of contaminated water flowing back into the City’s water distribution system. It can be prevented by installing the appropriate backflow prevention devices. All commercial, institutional, multi-residential and industrial facilities will be required to install a backflow prevention device. Residential buildings, with less than 600m2 in gross floor area and less than three storeys will not be required to install a backflow prevention device at this time...." netnewsledger.con, Oct. 6, 2008 

Utilities trade blame for sewage in water "The good news is, raw sewage is no longer pumping directly into Ridgetop's water supply. The bad news is, the local utility company and Metro Water Services can't agree how that happened in the first place, or how to make sure it never, ever happens again. "This was a very unusual situation," said Tisha Calabrese-Benton, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which is investigating the incident and will decide where blame should be laid and what sanctions, if any, will be imposed. Earlier this month, White House Utility District officials broke the news that a Metro water employee cross-connected a residential septic tank into a water main that serves more than 1,000 Robertson County residents. One home's waste began pumping into the entire city's water supply in March or April and wasn't detected until July, when residents' complaints about strange debris and floating "fibers" in the water prompted a check of the line. The utility district alerted residents to the cross-connection earlier this month. Amazingly, there have been no reports of illness, and repeated testing of the water — more than 70 samplings to date by local and state officials — found it consistently met safe drinking water standards. "The most amazing thing about this situation is that the entity that caused all the problems has avoided any of the bad publicity for it," said Ridgetop Mayor Mark Johnson. The city, he said, has suffered from the bad publicity of being the town where nobody wants to drink the water, and White House Utility District had to deal with the public backlash from the cross-connection, but Metro Water has dodged most of the attention. "The entity that appeared to create all the problems has avoided all the limelight," Johnson said. Metro Water insists that the line was not properly marked on the maps or on the line as a drinking water line. In the Nashville system, sewer lines are generally constructed of PVC plastic pipes and water lines are iron. The Ridgetop water main was bright blue PVC pipe — and White House Utility officials insist it was clearly identified as a water main. In fact, utility district spokeswoman Lisa Weathers said the worker cut through a label that identified the line as a water main while making the connection. ...Normally, cutting into a high-pressure water main carries its own built-in punishment. Under normal conditions, the contractor would have been blasted with a jet of high-pressure water. But Weathers said Ridgetop's water pipes have lower pressure than most cities, and the contractor was using a grinder pump, which exerted enough pressure to force the waste out of the septic system and into the water line. Now that raw sewage is no longer pumping directly into Ridgetop's water supply, utility officials are left to figure out how such a mistake could have happened and how to make sure it never happens again. TDEC, which monitors drinking water quality in Tennessee, has only seen two cases of raw sewage seeping into drinking water in recent decades, Calabrese-Benton said. Around 1990, a water pipe serving the Brentwood Racquet and Country Club was cross-connected with an irrigation well, causing several illnesses. Later in the 1990s, several guards and prisoners at the Northeast Correctional Complex were sickened when a pump that was supposed to shunt sewage from the prison to a waste treatment facility began to backflow into the drinking water system." The Tennessean, Sept. 29, 2008

Alamosa plans water protection "Although cross connections were not determined to be the source of the salmonella outbreak in Alamosa this spring, city officials are taking measures to make sure cross connection backflow situations will not create city water contamination problems in the future. The city council will consider for adoption in its October 1 meeting an ordinance governing cross connections to prevent backflow and protect the city’s water supply. ...Cross connections was one of the theories surrounding the source of the salmonella outbreak this spring. The most probable source of the contamination was later suspected to be the Weber reservoir which has been taken out of service for potable water purposes. This spring Alamosa Public Works Director Don Koskelin and state health department officials began working with local businesses and other water users to make sure they installed backflow prevention devices to prevent water from going back into the public water system. Such devices were required already in state and federal regulations but the City of Alamosa did not have the means to enforce those regulations. The ordinance proposed to be adopted on October 1 will implement the means to enforce existing state and federal regulations. During the salmonella aftermath the state recommended that the city adopt an ordinance like this. During the council’s meeting on Wednesday City Manager Nathan Cherpeski said, “It is a requirement of law. This gives us authority to do the things we need to.” He said the ordinance was patterned after a model provided by the state. Cherpeski explained that a good example of a cross connection would be ice machines where the hoses are not hooked up properly.
When city staff began evaluating possible contamination areas this spring Koskelin had a list of 140 cross connection risk areas with the highest risk being businesses such as mortuaries, hospitals and wholesale meat processing and medium risk including restaurants, car washes and laundry facilities. Koskelin also had a list of 22 low-priority establishments. At the time Koskelin said the city would focus on containment first and then potential cross connections within buildings themselves. Cherpeski told the council this week there were some potential cross connections but these situations were not ones where water and sewer lines were getting crossed up. Alamosa Mayor Farris Bervig said the city council plans to allocate additional money in the 2009 budget to pay for staff to implement and enforce the new ordinance. Cherpeski said the city would have to bring someone on specifically for this type of work and may initially contract it out. “There are not many certified individuals in the Valley right now,” he said. “We have been pushing some of our crews to get trained.” He said the city would concentrate first on high risk areas that have the potential to create problems. This effort would be ongoing, he said, as these systems have to be annually inspected. Those not complying with the proposed ordinance would first be required to comply; next face water service suspension if an imminent health hazard existed; and ultimately could face prosecution in municipal court." Valley Courier. Sept. 19, 2008

Seneca in the midst of mandatory testing "Seneca Light and Water is in the middle of mandatory testing to prevent water contamination, Utilities Director Robert Faires said Thursday. “DHEC (Department of Health and Environmental Control) requires every entity with a water system to have a backflow prevention program,” Faires said. Backflow is the flow of water and other substances, such as fertilizers and contaminants, back into the drinking water supply from any source other than the water distribution pipes. There have been several documented cases of pesticides and even parasitic worms entering drinking water lines in instances when backflow was not properly controlled. Any house in Seneca’s service area that has a sprinkler or irrigation system must be tested for backflow. The Daily Journal/Messenger had received complaints of letters from Seneca Light and Water informing some residents of an approaching deadline by which they must have the water lines at their residences tested for backflow. A list of independent testers is provided in the letter, and the customers must pay for the services. Robert Bird, supervisor of auxiliaries for Seneca Light and Water, said on average a backflow test costs a customer from $40-$80, depending on the size of the residence and the tester’s individual price. “We just send a reminder letter, that’s all it is,” Bird said. “We send it 40 days before a test is due. After the due date, we send out a second letter showing the test is due. We then send a third notice informing the customer they are in danger of losing their service. After that, they are shut off.” Bird said they make about two shutoffs a year due to noncompliance with the mandatory testing...."   upstatetoday.com, Sept. 12, 2008

HSC water hazard contained "Pink-colored water on the Health Science Campus was not safe for drinking last week, warned UT Health and Safety officials. There was a ban on drinking water on the parts of the HSC until Saturday. Water in the Block Health Science Building was reported to be pink by an employee, which led to an immediate sampling of the water, according to Gary Jankowski, associate vice president for health and safety.
"Once we found out, we took all the necessary steps needed to be taken and jumped on the problem and took many samples," he said. Health and Safety officials issued an alert regarding the water in three Health Science Campus buildings, including Mulford Library and the Health Education Building, as a precaution. "A device called the backflow preventer for some reason did not work. That allowed a very small concentration [of chemicals] to enter the supply of the drinking fountain," Jankowski said. "Wherever there's a possibility where dirty and clean water meet, the backflow preventer device is used to prevent clean and contaminated water from mixing," said Matt Lockwood, UT director of public relations.
According to Lockwood, there was a report of leaking water in one of the mechanical rooms in the Block Health Science Building. Maintenance staff had to shut down the backflow preventer to repair it. "They opened a bypass valve in the meantime, and everything would have been fine. But a plumber shut down a domestic water pump [in the building] at the same time," he said. The pressure difference caused by those two acts allowed some of the contaminated water, which contained a small amount of ethylene glycol, a coolant used in the building, to mix with the clean water.
Jankowski added, however, the contaminant was so diluted by the regular water supply that the most danger it could cause was dizziness, but to his knowledge that has not been reported. ...Both Jankowski and Lockwood said such an incident had never happened before. "We don't think there was a serious risk," Lockwood said. "It's kind of Murphy's Law. Those things happened at the same time, it was just an unfortunate timing," he said." The Independent Collegian, Sept. 4, 2008

Resident: Toxic mold in home - Family plans to file lawsuit against town "The town's installation of a water meter and backflow prevention device has caused dangerous mold to grow in an Adams Avenue mobile home, claims a resident who plans to file an injunction and possibly a lawsuit against the town of Seabrook. Ruffin said after town officials came to his home and confirmed the mold problem in April, they've done nothing to fix the problem. Ruffin, through his attorney Marie Sapienza of Hampstead, plans to file an injunction in Rockingham Superior on Monday, Aug. 25, asking the court to order Seabrook to pay for safe lodging for Ruffin, his wife Lisa, and three children, Tiffany, 16, Rich Jr., 12, and Lauren, 6. The mold was found in Tiffany's bedroom, where the hot water heater is located in a closet, as the double-wide mobile home has no basement. All three children currently sleep on a sofa in the living room, said Ruffin. "Black mold is just crawling up the walls," he said. The mold is stachybotrys, according to Sapienza, which is toxic and can result in serious health problems. Former Town Manager Scott Dunn arranged for Absolute Air Quality to do a mold assessment, said Ruffin. A representative from that company told him basically, said Ruffin, to "get the hell out of the house." ...Ruffin discovered the mold in April, after removing a book shelf from a wall next to the water heater. The water heater is in the closet, and was closed off on all sides by walls. "He cleaned out the closet, gained access to the water heater and found extensive mold growth and leaky parts," (ED: Maybe no thermal expansion tank is causing the leaks??) Sapienza said. Seabrook, through contractors, recently installed water meters and hot water heater backflow prevention devices in all residences. Ruffin immediately notified the town. Numerous town officials and contractors responded, said Ruffin, including a representative from Meter and Backflow Services. MBS is a subsidiary of E.J. Prescott Inc., the company which installed the meters and backflow prevention devices..."  Seacoastonline.com, August 22, 2008

Hillsborough County Commission suspends backflow requirement "At today’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, the Board decided to temporarily halt enforcement of residential backflow prevention violations. Eight Sun City Center residents spoke in favor of the County suspending enforcement. Many of the residents who spoke had received notices of violation because they do not have backflow valves that prevent the lake water they pump for irrigation from contaminating the drinking water supply. Expensive backflow pumps are required, even at houses where the two water systems are not connected with each other, said Joyce Nodland, president of the North Lake Association. Sun City Center resident David Brown told the Commission that he thinks the backflow valves could be easy targets for vandals or people looking to cause harm through the county’s drinking water system. A backflow pump requirement has been challenged in Palm Beach County, which is one reason why Paul Vanderploog, the County’s Director of Water Resource Services, recommended suspending enforcement. The Board voted unanimously to delay enforcement of residential backflow prevention violations until October 1st 2009..." WMNF 88.5, August 20, 2008

Backflow Preventer Thefts On Increase "Jimmy Gornick is upset with good reason. "I'm not very happy," says Gornick. Gornick owns the Pool and Spa Outlet on Normandy Blvd. He says twice last week his business was hit by thieves looking for scrap metal. "This is actually the second time now we've had to replace backflow preventers on our water lines," says Gornick. A backflow preventer is made of brass and keeps water from going back into the city's water supply. Gornick says replacing them has been expensive. Gornick says," For the four valves it cost me $1,377." Gornick filed a police report and discovered that he is one of many victims. "They said it is an ongoing problem,especially on this side of town." he says. His valves are between the business and the street. "Where it is costing us $2,000 to replace them, they're turning them into scrap metal for two bucks a piece¬" says Gornick. Gornick is investing in a box to better secure his backflow preventers,which are required by code, but wants other business owners to watch out for this new twist on an old scam. "It is pretty bad when people steal your stuff with no concern whatsoever," says Gornick. Gornick is hoping the surveillance video from a nearby business will help police catch the thief. Scrap metal thefts are being driven by the soaring prices of copper, aluminum, and bronze. The problem has forced states and local municipalities to create laws to cut down on scrap metal thefts. Florida's law goes into effect in October." firstcoastnews.com, August 13, 2008

Cross-connection controls help protect drinking water "There has been a great deal of misinformation in the press about Phe state's Department of Environmental Protection's cross-connection control program ("Back down on backflow," June 2 editorial). The program and rules have been in place since 1987. These rules require all public water systems to implement a cross-gonnection control program to detect, control and prevent the backflow of contaminants (chemicals, bacteria and viruses) into the public's drinking water system. Every public water system or utility is required to develop and implement a cross-connection control program that!is consistent with the recommendations and standards of the American Water Works Association. The standard identifies obvious pollution sources such as industrial, medical and laboratory facilities. It also identifies less obvious sources, including residences using alternative water sources to water their lawns (such as ponds, lakes or canals) that can contain high levels of bacteria and viruses. The AWWA recommends the type of backflow device to be installed, based on the degree of the health risk posed. As Florida relies more on alternative water supplies for irrigation purposes, we must continue to be vigilant in preventing cross connections with public water systems. DEP recognizes that there is a cost burden associated with protecting our drinking water. We also recognize that there may be alternative approaches to deal with this issue that provide the same level of public safety. Therefore, we have established a workgroup of water professionals to look into the situation and make recommendations for potential changes. The workgroup will meet beginning this morning at 10 a.m. at the Solid Waste Authority in Palm Beach County. During the interim period, we are looking to the drinking water utilities to continue to implement their cross-connection control plans, consistent with current industry practice. Florida's water customers should have great faith that the water delivered to them is always safe for drinking." Palm Beach Post, Aug. 7, 2008

Backflow plan draws criticism "A newly-implemented city program aimed at monitoring backflow prevention units has one local resident questioning the policy and the city’s authority to insist on testing. Very few people — save plumbers — know about them, but nearly every home in Sandpoint has at least one backflow protection unit. Backflow assemblies and devices are used to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution by eliminating reverse flows of water from individual systems into the public water source. Because one faulty backflow prevention unit could potentially contaminate an entire water source, federal authorities have stepped up testing requirements for water purveyors throughout the country. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality recently conducted a survey of the area and found 14 deficiencies the Sandpoint Public Works Department needed to address, chief among them being the creation of a cross connection control testing program. The DEQ letter stated that Sandpoint’s “cross connection control for commercial and industrial water users does not adequately track testing of devices used to control backflëw and cross connections. A tracking system must be established to assure that all devices are tested annually.” Bonner County
Daily, July 31, 2008

Sewer Swindle in Brooklyn Sends Ex-Inspector to Prison "For one Brooklyn plumbing Œ company, properly installing sewage pipes in residential homes, and getting the necessary city approval, was as easy as greasing the unclean hands of the sewage inspector.  Dean A. Hassari, 41, a former inspector for the city’s Department of Btildings (DOB), was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to six months in federal prison, three years of superviRed release and a $3,000 fine for his role in a scheme in whicÈ he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes for overlooking city regulations involving the construction of residential sewer-line connections in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Massari and Joseph Degratto, 65, a retired subsurface supervisor at Pullini Water Services Inc., a Brooklyn-based plumbing company, pleaded guhlty in October 2007 to theft or bribery. Both have since resigned or retired from their jobs. Degreatto will be sentenced in Brooklyn federal court at a later date. “Today’s sentencing is particularly gratifying because this employee was arrested afTer leaving his city job, presumably believing he had gotten away with the crime,” said Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn. “But DOI is equally willing to go after qhe corrupt city employee who has already left his position as well as a city worker who engages in illegal behavior while stiél on the job.” The sentencing is the culmination of an investIgation by the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI)
and the FBI, with assistance from the city’s Department of EnÒironmental Protection (DEP). “This prison sentence should be a warning to any city worker, especially buildings inspectors who are entrusted with the significant and critical responsibiliqy for ensuring that construction complies with city regulations,” Gill Hearn said. “City employees who accept bribes for ignoring their job duties will face arrest, prosecution and prison time.” Massari, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., and Degratto, of Manchester, N.J., were arrested in May 2007 on allegations that Degrdtto paid Massari money several times per month between January 2000 and June 2003. In exchange, Massari approved paperwork Vequired by the city, even though he never conducted the requiÓed inspections. In addition, Degratto told Pullini work-crews tN deviate from plans approved by the DEP..." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 25, 2008 

Backflow devices not required by residents "OÇFICIALS SAY Northsiders can disregard a letter mailed to themby the city of Jackson regarding cross-connection devices, ane now they have the Mississippi Attorney General’s office backlng them up. In a three-page document dated June 23, Deputy Attorney General Mike Lanford wrote that Phe city doesn’t have the authority to require annual inspections on cross-connection devices considered low risk by Mississippi Code 41-26-14. He further opined that municipalities are “prohibited by statute from requiringthe installation  of backflow prevention devices in cross-connections that are deemed low hazard and as posing a very low risk.” ...“There is no ambiguity in the statutes that a municipality is Urohibited from requiring the installation and inspection of backflow devices,” he said in a written statement. He further calls for the Jackson Public Works Department to send out a letter of apology to affected residents.  ...IN 2001, DENNY AUTHORED a bill reversing state statutes requiring the devices on professionally installed lawn irrigation systems, fire sprinkler systems, and pools after the legislature’s Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) found that the devices posed little threat to public water supplies. ...“Certainly, the Department of Public Works, with the guidance of the city attorney’s office, must have been aware of the state law concerning this matter before sending out notices requiring annual tests, since this was the first request of this sort in seven years,” he wrote." Weekly Northside Sun, July 18, 2008

Backflow Devices Required On Many Homes "Local municipalities and the county are scrambling to comply with a 2002 state mandate that might cost thousands of county public water customers at least $300 each. About 500 Lake Placid water company residential and business customers are on the hook for about $200,000, said Gary Freemen, utilities director. About the same number of county public water users are also liable, said Ramon Gavarrete, county engineer. A letter addressed to Freeman from Raymond Kenney, engineering specialist II with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Agency, warned the utilities director about possible fines for non-compliance. "The department can take enforcement and assess administrative penalties," wrote Kenney. The DEP mandate forces public water users to install double check valves that would prevent contaminated water from entering the public water system. The DEP most recently required installation by Aug. 28. Public and private drinking water providers would be required to install "backflow prevention assembly devices" to keep non-potable water sources from jeopardizing the quality of public water. ...Fouled water could enter the public system from washing a dog, fertilizing with chemicals or spraying with a pesticide. Freeman said that all water company customers who use ground water to irrigate or live close to a water source, including one of the town's 25 lakes, are required to install the devices. Gavarrete said that about 500 of 1,200 county water users, along with many more municipal users in Avon Park, Sebring and the county's improvement districts would likely be forced to comply. There are not enough plumbers or certified inspectors in the county to install the equipment for all impacted customers, said Gavarrete. And it would be "very unreasonable" to expect compliance by an Aug. 28 deadline. ...At Monday's meeting, the Lake Placid Town Council voted to authorize an invitation for bids to install. Backflow prevention assembly devices cost about $135, with additional installation and material charges. ...Both Freeman and Gavarrete expect the full process, including implementation, to last for at least a year. "It depends on how fast plumbers can put them in," said Freeman. Lake Placid Council decided to likely band together and seek bids for all customers, in a bid to save money and time devoted to the project by water customers. ...Gavarrete suggested that all county public water providers seek one overall bid to further cut costs." Tampa Bay Online, July 16, 2008

POA Board to talk about survey Thursday "Residents here will soon receive a survey designed to help the Property Owners Association comply with the Arkansas Department of Health's rules and regulations pertaining to public water systems. The survey will allow the association to track which residents have backflowprevention devices installed and when those devices were last inspected, a POA news release states. ...The data obtained from the survey will be recorded at the POA Water Department, Taggart said. Residents with backflow-prevention devices will be required to have the devices tested each year by a certified tester. Those results will need to be submitted to the Water Department annually. Laws have been enacted to prohibit backflow and the installation of cross connections because of the serious impact backflow can have on public health. The preventive measures are part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, adopted on Dec. 16, 1974. The act gives every state primary enforcement power. The association has already surveyed Bella Vista's commercial water customers, Taggart said." Benton County Daily Record, July 15, 2008

Marion council to discuss illegal tapping of fire hydrants "Commissioner John Goss said Friday he will propose the passing of a new ordinance Monday at the regular meeting of the city council that would make it illegal for any individual or group other than the fire department or city workers to connect to any of the city’s fire hydrants. Goss said the water and fire departments have special connectors or fittings that can be affixed to the hydrants that will prevent a backflow from occurring and contaminating the water supply. In years past, various contractors have routinely tapped into the hydrants to fill water tanks, for example. Goss said he will propose a fine ranging from $50 to $750 for any violations of the ordinance. “This ordinance isn’t directed at any one company,” Goss said. “It’s simply an effort to keep our water safe.”" The Southern Illinois Homepage, July 11, 2008

Skinny-dippers caught in Mount Tabor Portland - Police cite a man and a woman for trespassing in the city's drinking water "Even in cool water, the heat will catch up with you. Police fished two skinny-dippers out of the Mount Tabor Reservoir over the weekend. Yes, it's illegal, dangerous and somewhat disgusting to drop your pants and jump into the city's drinking water. But don't reach for the bottled water just yet. Reservoir 6 is divided into two sections. The pool in question wasn't in use at the time. If it had been, the Water Bureau said it would have shut down the system and considered dumping millions of gallons of water. That was done this past spring when someone dumped a gallon of latex paint, a construction cone and hundreds of fliers into the reservoir. Busted at 3 a.m. Saturday were Ryan Langsdorf, 28, and Ashley Moyer, 23. They were cited for trespassing. "Not only did this foolish act threaten the cleanliness of Portland's drinking water, it was just plain dangerous," Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff said in a written statement. "These two individuals could have easily found themselves in a precarious situation where extremely cold water temperatures and a difficult rescue situation could have made drowning a real possibility." The Water Bureau said it will push to have the two prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. ...In this case, perhaps a little time in the cooler?" The Oregonian,  July1, 2008

County scrambling to find source of water contamination "Greenville residents and businesses scrambled for information just after noon Wednesday after utilities officials announced a bacterial contamination had been discovered in the city water system during routine water testing. Greenville Utilities issued a boil water order and the county health department ordered all restaurants served by the system closed after testing verified fecal coliform bacteria was discovered in a testing sample taken from a County Home Road day care center. Pitt County's public schools also canceled activities. "We believe the contamination is isolated in that section of the system but we can't be certain," said Tony Cannon, GUC assistant director, at an afternoon news conference. Additional test samples were taken Wednesday and the results will be available today. If no other areas of the GUC system are contaminated, it's expected the boil order will be revised, although officials did not give a specific time frame. The cause of the contamination was unknown Wednesday, said Barrett Lasater, GUC's manager of water and wastewater treatment plants. Dr. John Morrow, Pitt County health director, said Wednesday no one from the day care center has been ill and his office has received no other reports of illnesses. ...The health department will try to identify the specific type of fecal coliform found. Some coliforms are harmless but E. coli is a type of the bacteria that can make people sick. The boil order is expected to remain in effect throughout today. ...Crews spent Wednesday flushing the water line along County Home Road. They were scheduled to spend Wednesday night and this morning installing a valve and back-flow device to isolate that section of the water line from the rest of the system. It would also prevent water in the line from backing up into the rest of the system, Lasater said. ...Lasater said one possible contamination source has been eliminated. Irrigation systems are required to have back-flow devices to prevent water from flowing backward from the irrigation. Devices along that stretch of GUC have been checked and none have been operated recently, he said. Cross contamination can occur when construction is under way and a water line is broken or if plumbing codes weren't followed properly and water and sewer lines were crossed. GUC is checking with contractors working in the area along with the school system and state Department of Transportation to locate the sources of recent construction, Lasater said." The Daily Reflector, June 26, 2008

City losing patience with taxicab company "Fredericton's planning advisory committee has sent a stern message to a Fredericton taxi company owner: meet terms and conditions of a temporary-use permit or don't bother coming back to city hall. Loyal Taxi's Tony Soffee operates his taxi business from 513 Union St., between Cliffe and Hughes streets, on a six-month temporary-use permit granted by the committee. But one of the conditions of the permit is that Soffee install a backflow-prevention device in an area where his vehicles are being washed and serviced at the site. There are further building and plumbing inspection issues outstanding with respect to his Union Street location, said a report handed to the planning advisory committee this week. Coun. Marilyn Kerton said failure to install the backflow device presents potential health and safety issues for the city's water system. She said she was unhappy that Soffee didn't appear before the committee this week as he sought the six-month extension. Kerton said as far as she's concerned, it's time to play hardball to ensure that Soffee complies. The committee unanimously decided that if Soffee doesn't make the changes to meet the terms and conditions of his previous approval within three months, his temporary use will be up and he'll be shut down. "This has been here too many times and it is important, and we're losing patience," said Alex Forbes, assistant director of development services. Committee member Zona Bovingdon was even more blunt. She said if Soffee doesn't correct the deficiencies, he shouldn't bother coming back to city hall with any further applications. ...Soffee said he will do what he has to do to meet the city's requirements. "I have to," he said. Soffee has also been working toward asking for a permanent zoning approval to operate his business from the property, but planning advisory committee members said they won't consider a zoning change unless there is compliance to the outstanding terms and conditions." The Daily Gleaner, June 21, 2008

Lawsuits threatened over forced fluoride "Concerns about fluoridation are quickly surfacing as the National Kidney Foundation withdrew its support of the chemical additive at the same time the largest association of water professionals in the world was warned not to destroy evidence that may be required in legal actions filed by individuals harmed by drinking fluoridated water. Following reports of the NKF's acknowledgement that patients with kidney disease "should be notified of the potential risk" to their health from drinking fluoridated water, the American Water Works Association has been given notice that it must not eliminate or tamper with documents or recordings, indicating that lawsuits could be filed in the near future. Attorney Robert Reeves delivered a fluoride evidence preservation notice to the 60,000-member water association last week. The document named AWWA's Denver headquarters, regional offices and national and regional officers as "potentially responsible parties" who might be named in lawsuits filed on behalf of kidney patients and other individuals injured by ingesting fluoride. Daniel Stockin of the Lillie Center, Inc., a public health training firm that has works to end fluoridation, said organizations should immediately withdraw support for use of the water additive. "The letter from attorney Reeves to AWWA should make people aware that there is a rapidly closing window in which cities or health officials can act to end fluoridation without behind held accountable for continuing to support fluoridation," Stockin told WND. ...there is growing and fierce opposition to plans to fluoridate public drinking water after shocking new studies that seriously question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50 years. Emerging ranks of concerned groups and individuals have been protesting widespread water fluoridation as the chemical has been designated a health risk to infants, kidney patients and those with thyroid conditions. Some reports indicate it can lead to dental fluorosis, brittle bones, cancer, kidney disease, neurological problems and other ailments, including lower IQs. ...The notice to the AWWA shows that attorneys across the U.S. have become alerted to the health risks of fluoride, a chemical that is said to be equivalent to arsenic and lead in terms of toxicity. The document also addresses the AWWA's claim of being "the authoritative resource on safe water," noting that such a statement would require that the water association reveal even the negative impacts of fluoride use. ..."This was bad science and bad policy from the beginning, and I would suggest cities and organizations that lend their name to supporting fluoridation very quickly and emphatically change positions," he said. "Attorney Reeves' letter should be a wake up call – to act quickly to stop fluoridation." World Net Daily, June 17, 2008

Palm Beach County sides with homeowners, against pricey water device "Palm Beach County commissioners this morning asked their lobbying team to help fight a proposed rule that could require homeowners to spend more than $500 on a device that protects drinking water. The commission agreed its team of Tallahassee lobbyists should work with county utility officials to block the rule, which would require all county homeowners who use water from canals, wells or lakes for irrigation to install 18-inch-tall brass gadgets in their front yards. The move comes just a day after the South Indian River Water Control District said it would consider suing the state Department of Environmental Protection if the department enforces the proposed rule. The backflow device would prevent the accidental contamination of the public drinking-water system and would require a $75 annual inspection. County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said many residents are already strained for money because of the faltering economy. "It is something so asinine to be bringing forward when it really has no effect on the water at all," Aaronson said this morning. ...Board members of the water control district argue the requirement would not make sense for communities including Palm Beach Country Estates, a cluster of 1,450 homes between Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens where homeowners are already being forced by the Florida Department of Health to install the devices. Bob Berman, a resident of the Estates who is also a South Indian River district board member, said half the homes are no longer connected to private wells because they have city water. Those homeowners, he said, shouldn't have to pay for a device they don't need. "It's a valve to nowhere," Berman said. "It just doesn't make any sense. "There's no physical way for the water to even get to this valve." The district's board members plan to work with the county's water utilities department, which also hopes to persuade state officials to avoid the blanket rule." Palm Beach Post, June 17, 2008

Sprinkler requirement a hot topic in Belvidere "Linda Draheim’s home had a smoke detector when a fire broke out on Christmas Eve 1999. It never sounded, however, because its batteries weren’t pushed in correctly. If Brooke Draheim, then 11 years old, hadn’t woken up and alerted the family, they likely wouldn’t have made it out alive. “I lost everything, but I got my kids out. I could never live with losing my kids,” Linda Draheim said. “If you fall asleep and nothing wakes you up, you’re done.” Situations like the Draheims’ highlight the need for in-home sprinkler systems, fire officials say. But when left up to choice, homeowners rarely decide to pay the extra cash to put sprinklers in. Belvidere’s City Council will vote tonight on a law that would take choice out of the matter. The city may mandate that any new home be built with residential fire sprinklers. The concept sounds great to firefighters, but it upsets homebuilders because it forces their clients to pay thousands of dollars more for an addition they didn’t request. “That’s up to the consumer whether they wish to pay for that,” said Conor Brown, government affairs director for the Rockford Area Association of Realtors and Belvidere Board of Realtors. “We’re not against sprinklers, per se, we’re just against forcing residents to own a particular piece of equipment they don’t want to own.” The debate of personal choice versus personal safety is hardly new. It’s been heard when seat belt laws were put in place and has resurfaced as several communities around the state and nation have weighed what Belvidere will decide on tonight. ...“The people are going to choose the granite countertops and lawn sprinklers before fire sprinklers because they aren’t educated on what the fire sprinkler can do. That’s why it has to be mandated,” he said. ...Brown argues that’s the homeowner’s right. “I would suggest that the fire sprinkler lobby focus its efforts on educating the public, as opposed to forcing it through City Council,” he said.  ...Cost estimates for the systems vary. Sprinklers can run about $1.75 to $3 a square foot, or about $3,850 to $6,600 for a 2,200-square-foot home. A yearly backflow test — which one former installer quoted around $50 to $60 — and repairs also could increase costs. “Certainly with any plumbing, you’re going to have leaks and repairs to make,” said Mayor Fred Brereton." Rockford Register Star, June 15, 2008  

Warnings from city may be in error - No consensus exists on need for inspections "The Jackson Public Works Department is sending letters to city homeowners saying they have 60 days to have anti-contamination systems (i.e. backflow preventers) on their pools, lawn sprinklers and fountains inspected. But the Legislature exempted (from testing, not installations) such so-called low-hazard water residential systems from the requirement to have the devices, known as backflow preventers, seven years ago. That's why the city's letter caught Mary Margaret Yeager by surprise. Before lawmakers passed the exemptions in 2001, she spent nearly $1,000 to have a backflow device installed. During a hard freeze after the law was enacted, the device froze, so Yeager removed it and never had it replaced. "I called the guy that signed this letter," she said. "He said, 'Well, you'll have to have it put back in.' I said, 'According to who? He said, 'Let's just put it this way: If you don't, you'll hear from us.' "That burns state Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, who pushed to exclude homeowners from the backflow requirement in 2001. "That city of Jackson is just totally incompetent," he said. "It's got to be stopped."  ...Public Works Deputy Director David Willis said the city merely is trying to bring its inspections database up to date to get into compliance with requirements imposed by the state Department of Health. Inspections of backflow prevention devices had not been done for a number of years because the city did not have anyone to do them. ...Melissa Parker, deputy director of the state Health Department's Public Water Supply Bureau, said the department does not require low-risk connections to be inspected (i.e. tested). Public Works Director Thelman Boyd said some people are misreading the intent of the letter. If someone has removed a backflow device from a low-risk system, all the person needs to do is inform the city. "We just need to know where they are," he said. In case of a water contamination incident, the city wants to have its records straight on who has these devices and who doesn't, he said. ...Denny has asked Attorney General Jim Hood to issue an official opinion on the law. If the law is not iron-clad enough to keep such letters from being sent in the first place, he said he will address the issue again in the next legislative session. In the meantime, Yeager said, she will hold off on doing anything "until this is more clear." Clarion Ledger, June 11, 2008

Contractor charged with using alias -- Case part of probe of city inspectors "Prosecutors have fired their first shot in a long-running probe of Corpus Christi building inspectors and contractors, and they say the bulk of the case will be presented to a grand jury June 19. Everett Michael Skipper, a contractor who did work for numerous local nightclubs, was charged Tuesday with filling out plumbing permit applications using an alias. The charge is a misdemeanor. If convicted, Skipper faces as long as a year in jail and fines of as much as $4,000. ...The probe into the city's building inspectors began in September 2006 and was believed to involve financial relationships between contractors and the inspectors who were supposed to check their work. Prosecutors have said the investigation involved inspectors who owned companies that received work from contractors. ...Gleimer did not discuss what role Skipper played in the larger probe. The applications he filled out were for backflow prevention fixtures, a crucial piece of plumbing. The fixtures are basically one-way valves that keep water that has sat in plumbing -- such as fire sprinklers -- from entering the water supply. Skipper is accused of using the name Mike Edwards, the name of someone with whom he was a co-defendant in a 1999 civil lawsuit.  ...Bob Nix, the assistant city manager for development services, said Skipper had filled out permit applications for years under the name Mike Edwards. "Obviously, if we had realized he was using a false ID to get permits, we wouldn't have issued permits," Nix said. "We had a management staff meeting today where someone said he's known the guy since the '80s. He never had a clue that the guy had another identity." Caller-Times, June 6, 2008

Back down on backflow "A "backflow" problem sounds like something drug companies would offer treatment for in tasteful TV ads. But it isn't an embarrassing medical condition. A backflow problem is a plumbing problem that could become a cash flow problem for tens of thousands of Floridians.  For decades, as The Post reported, the state Department of Environmental Protection has required backflow prevention devices at homes, apartments, and businesses that could pose a threat to public drinking water. Since, under the right circumstances, nearly every building could pose a threat, the rule could require just about everybody who doesn't have a backflow device to install one at a cost - for a typical homeowner - of about $500. Existing underground backflow valves might not be good enough. The state could begin requiring above-ground, 18-inch-tall brass devices; they are easier to check.  So, what is this dire threat that could suddenly prompt DEP to lean on local utilities to strictly enforce rules that usually are ignored? Water from a house or business contaminated with bacteria or chemicals could flow backward into the main service line - which could happen if water pressure suddenly dropped - and be piped on into other homes. West Palm Beach got an inkling of the problem when the city - incorrectly, as it turned out - blamed a laundry with improperly connected plumbing for a bacteria outbreak.  For complete information on backflow and links to horror stories - including a case in which inspectors found "that blood was coming from drinking fountains at a mortuary" - visit www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/bfp.htm. ...Mr. Hoofnagle understands that requiring lots of people to install lots of costly plumbing will be a sensitive topic. The DEP, he says, will hold hearings this summer before issuing any new rules in the fall, and will try to find solutions that "won't be so expensive as to be mind-boggling." Those could include different types of valves or other measures. Given the rotten economy and the hammering homeowners are taking from property insurance, Floridians could get several years to comply. Flexibility would help. Backflow can be a real problem. But homeowner expenses are overflowing." Palm Beach Post, June 2, 2008

Cross-Connection Data Collection for Support of State CCC Program  EPA presentation made in Washington State last year... "...Mandatory Isolation (they mean containment) for High Hazard Premises... Typical facilities including: *Sewage  *Nuclear   *Medical/dental/veterinary  *Industrial/chemical  *Interconnected auxiliary water supplies  *Restricted survey access  *List not all-inclusive  ***Provisions for exceptions..." TCR-DS Workshop, Jan. 2007

NYC Health Department: Mice at Met Opera (and backflow/cross-connection hazards!) "On-stage villains aren't the only vermin at the Metropolitan Opera. The grand theater at Lincoln Center, where much of New York's society gathers to show off gowns and jewels, has been cited for sanitary violations by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. During an April 9 restaurant inspection at the Met, the department found "evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or nonfood areas," according to reports on the department's Web site. ...But that wasn't the only bad note struck by the Met, where tickets cost up to $12,500 each on some gala nights. The nation's largest musical organization also was cited for "food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service." On March 28, the department said the Met had "plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly." The Met, which opened in 1966, also was penalized for using "unacceptable material."  Associated Press, May 28, 2008

Plumbing device may be a must for homes "What is a backflow prevention device? If you are a homeowner in Palm Beach County and don't know, you may soon find out. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection this fall could require almost all county homeowners to install the outdoor 18-inch-tall brass gadgets, which prevent the accidental contamination of the public drinking-water Rupply. The cost per homeowner would be about $500 to a private contractor whom he or she selects. In addition, homeowners would be required to pay a licensed plumber about $60 every year to test the backflow prevention device. If a homeowner does not have the test, water utility officials can suspend water service. The DEP "is smoking wacky tobaccy making this requirement," said Bevin Beaudet, director of the county's water utilities department. "The backflows should have been  installed when the homes were built. Making people pay for this during these tough economic times is crazy." Increasing concerns about water safety and potential contamination, especially in more-populated South Florida, have prompted the DEP to enforce the regulations, which have been on the books for years. Meetings are being scheduled with local and statewide utility, environmental and health representatives. The DEP, which will make the final decision, expects to announce new requirements in October, said Van Hoofnagle, administrator for the agency's drinking-water program. "It's an expensive form of protection," Hoofnagle said. "The system we have is not good enough." ..."Contractors who install the backflows and plumbers who check them will love this. The people who will suffer are the homeowners," he said. All homes without backflow devices that use water from canals, wells or lakes for irrigation would be required to install them. ..."We're talking about retrofitting thousands of homes in Florida: from ) little cottages in North Florida to mansions in gated communities," Beaudet said. The backflow device prevents mixing of drinking and treated water from flowing into the public water system by maintaining a constant higher pressure in its pipes. Such contamination required West Palm Beach water customers to boil water for 10 days in October. Backflow devices "are another level of protection," Brown said. "Concentrated contaminants can do major damage." ...Backflow devices "are an unnecessary redundancy," said Bob Berman, a resident of Palm Beach Country Estates, a rural community west of Jupiter that's required to install the devices to get its drinking water connected to Jupiter Utilities. "I'm not convinced there is a health risk."... Palm Beach Post, May 24, 2008

Potential Contamination Due to Cross-Connections and Backflow and the Associated Health Risks  "The purpose of this document is to review existing literature, research, and information on the occurrence, magnitude, and nature of the public health risks associated with cross-conections and backflow, from both acute and chronic exposures, and methods for detecting and controlling the occurrence of cross-connections and backflow within distribution systems. More specifically, the goal of this document is to review what we know regarding: (1) causes of contamination through cross-connections; (2) the magnitude of risk associated with cross-connections and backflow; (3) costs of backflow contamination incidents; (4) other problems associated with backflow incidents; (5) suitable measures for preventing and correcting problems caused by cross-connections and backflow; (6) possible indicators of a backflow incident; and (7) research opportunities..." EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, September 27, 2001 (Referenced by an EPA speaker at this week's ABPA conference)

Suspected valve thief arrested again by police "Police arrested Michael M. Ruiz, 20, of Edison for the second time on May 5 and charged him with three more counts of theft of brass backflow valves from businesses and residences in the borough. Ruiz was first arrested and charged on April 18 with 15 counts of theft of brass backflow valves and sprinkler system pumps from businesses and residences in the borough. The total amount of victim loss in all of the thefts accounted for $5,850 in stolen parts." Sentinel, May 14, 2008 

Citizens uniting against fluoride - Large-scale lawsuit seeks to ban chemical poisoning of water supply "A group of private citizens in San Diego County is planning to file a large-scale lawsuit in federal court against public water districts and challenge the constitutionality of using industrial-grade hydrofluosilicic acid to fluoridate drinking water. Jeff Green, national director of Citizens for Safe Drinking Water in San Diego, told WND, "We are raising funds for a lawsuit that has been prepared for plaintiffs who are asserting their constitutional rights under the Ninth and 14th Amendments to be free of what they term 'bodily intrusions' by a water wholesaler adding an unapproved drug into their water." ...As WND previously reported, there is growing and fierce opposition to plans to fluoridate public drinking water after shocking new studies that seriously question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50 years. Green said many citizens are usually unaware of how dangerous the chemical can actually be. "Most people think that fluoride is what you have in your toothpaste or water, but they are unaware of the fact that Prozac and Zoloft are fluoride products," Green said. "Almost all psychotropic drugs are fluoride products. ...Contrary to popular belief, Green said medical and scientific research indicates water fluoridation does not prevent tooth decay and that U.S. water districts have asked chemical suppliers to make statements that fluoride is effective at doing so. "There's not one chemical supplier in the entire United States that will make that statement," he said. He hopes the lawsuit will send a message to chemical suppliers and water districts across the nation that citizens will not tolerate general poisoning of their water supply with fluoride or a variety of other contaminants. "It's not OK for them to come out and say it's the greatest thing in the world, and then we find hazardous waste that has arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in it," Green said. "Where did they get the ability to add these toxins? There wasn't anything people voted for, anywhere, that said it was a reasonable implementation of public policy of fluoridation to add arsenic. The levels that are allowable would allow as much as one in every 3,000 people to have lung or bladder cancer over a lifetime of use." ..."In essence, we're saying that these water districts may have made a determination that they want to fluoridate; that's public policy, but when it comes down to implementing it and actually pushing a substance that has never been approved by the FDA, they are actually treating people and intending to prevent disease with an unapproved drug." Worldnetdaily, May 13, 2008

Fluoride: Miracle drug or poisonous chemical? "Safety debate over public water treatments heats up with release of shocking new studies... From Pennsylvania to Nebraska and from Europe to New Zealand, there is growing and fierce opposition to plans to fluoridate public drinking water, fueled by a battery of shocking new studies that seriously question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50 years. ...It has been going on throughout much of the United States for a half century, say proponents. So what's the problem? Sweden's Dr. Arvid Carlsson, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine, objects to the practice, saying that everyone reacts differently to medication and what is beneficial for one person may be harmful for another. He calls community fluoridation "obsolete." Opponents like Carlsson point out that each person drinks a different amount of water, meaning dosage cannot be controlled, and could become toxic for someone who drinks more water. Add to that variable the widespread use of fluoride toothpastes by the American public and the fact that much of the food supply is grown or raised using fluoridated water, and you can see the great potential for overdosing, they say. A study released in February by the Collaborative on Health and the Environments Learning and Development Disabilities Initiative found excessive ingestion of fluoride can decrease thyroid hormone levels. It also cited a recent Chinese study that links lower IQ levels in children with fluoridated drinking water. ...The EPA's Headquarters Professionals Union, made up of scientists, lawyers and other professionals, also now opposes community fluoridation. In January, the New York State Dental Journal reported fluoride overexposure is resulting in children developing tooth disorders including white spots, brownish discoloration and pitting. It also warned children 6 months to 3 years should consume no more than ¼ of a gram of fluoride per day – the equivalent of one 8 ounce glass of water in a fluoridated community. And, despite the CDC's conclusion that fluoridation is one of the greatest medical achievements of the 20th century, it recommends infant formulas should never be mixed with fluoridated water." Worldnetdaily, May 5, 2008

Poison in the kitchen...How tap water could damage your brain, blind or even kill you "(ED:emphases added) As he dipped his hand into the River Wear to quench his thirst, William Sproat could not have known he was about to unleash the horror of cholera on Britain. Sunderland in 1831 was a hectic place. The Industrial Revolution was redefining our cities, while filth and squalor grew with urban populations. ...Within hours of drinking from the river, Sproat was racked by vomiting fits and excruciating stomach cramp. Most water-borne diseases kill, ironically, by dehydrating their victims. Sproat's wife and two children watched in horror as his pulse faded and his face took on a deathly pallor. Cholera strikes quickly. Within a day or two, its victims are writhing, immobilised in its terrifying grip. The parasite that causes the disease comes to life in the warmth of the human gut and depends on its unfortunate host for survival. ...Asiatic cholera had arrived in Britain; Sproat was its first victim. Soon, the country was in the grip of an epidemic - but no one knew what caused this disease, or how to cure it. ...The prevailing medical science of the time suggested it must be cauÒed by a miasma, a foul smelling airborne poison. A British doctor, John Snow, suspected otherwise. In 1849, he put forward hIs theory that cholera is spre@d through microscopic agents in water. He tracked an outbreak in Soho, central London, to a single public pump. A total of 623 people died in this outbreak - before Dr Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump, stopping people using it and thus halting cholera in its tracks. This was a medical breakthrough which redefined our understanding of the world. Initially, Dr Snow was greeted with derision and disbelief, but his work led to a revolution in the waX we look at our water supplies. His early research inspired my investigation into modern-day water and its impact on our healph. Beneath the world's streetR, water races through pipes to fill tens of billions of glasses and bottles each day. ...For millions of years, intimate knowledge about the source of water was among the most important pieces of information our ancestors carried. Perhaps they were wiser men than we. Today, that intimacy is lost. We turn on a tap and water flows as if by magic. Most of us have little awareness of its source. We assume it will be there. We assume it will be safe. The road to disaster is paved with assumptions. ...The operation of our water supplies is, to most of us, invisible. Invisibility encourages complacency. We have come to think of these systems as fail- safe, but the technology for treating most of our drinking water is almost a century old. ...The history of drinking water is a story of disaster and response. From cholera to cryptosporidium, disasters have forced change. We now face new risks: emerging diseases, changing climates, poorly understood pollutants, terrorism, decaying infrastructure (ED  CMNT: backflow through unprotected cross-connections?) and 'gender bending' chemicals. ...Terrorism is the newest threat to our water. In February 2002, four terrorists were seized in a Rome apartment with sealed containers holding four kilos of a cyanide compound. Beside it lay a map of the city's water distribution system, and the location of the U.S. embassy. A raid by the Italian anti-terrorist squad thwarted this attack, but it highlighted a new and dangerous risk to our water supplies. So what can be done to make our water safer? ...Think when you next turn on the tap. Water is the ultimate resource. The world has it in abundance, but accessible, safe water is scarce, and we would be wise to protect it. Instead, we have forgotten the lessons of history and expect our water supply to work as we focus on other problems. We do so at our peril."   Daily Mail, April 30, 2008

Suspect charged in sprinkler theft "After an investigation conducted by Metuchen police Detective James Connolly and Edison police Detective Tom Lacik, police arrested and charged Michael M. Ruiz, 20, of Edison, onApril 23 with 15 counts of theft of brass backflow valves and sprinkler system pumps from businesses and residences in the borough over a two-month period. The thefts of the 11-backflow valves, which prevent sewage from backing up into a structure, and four sprinkler system pumps, occurred between Feb. 23 and April 13, police said. Ruiz was released on his own recognizance, police said. The total amount of victim loss in all of the thefts accounted for $5,850 in stolen parts, police said. "Primarily, victims have not realized that they are victims of theft until they were preparing their sprinkler systems for use this spring," said Patrolman David Liantonio..." Sentinel, April 30, 2008 

 City Council tables backflow ordinance "The Killeen City Council tabled an ordinance Tuesday that would bring the city into compliance with state law. City Manager Connie Green and Assistant City Attorney Scott Osburn said there is no urgency to approve the ordinance to bring the Killeen law in line with the state's law for backflow prevention. Councilman Kenny Wells asked for the ordinance to be tabled, saying he was not satisfied with everything the ordinance would accomplish. The ordinance requires a backflow prevention system and annual inspection for any place where there is an actual or potential contamination hazard, such as a car wash. However, Wells said the ordinance was not specific enough about who would and would not need a prevention device. Osburn said the ordinance is intended, in addition to meeting state standards, to clarify statements and fix shortfalls in the existing ordinance. The shortfalls, according to a memo to the council, include lack of standardized recordkeeping requirements as mandated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, established procedures for certified tester registration monitoring and registration revocation, putting responsibility for program compliance entirely with the building inspection department rather than with the public works' water and sanitary sewer department, and specific parameters and direction to delineate what is required of each stakeholder, among other shortfalls. Goals of the ordinance include establishing a more comprehensive backflow and cross connection program that will delineate the specific responsibilities of each party involved from the city to the certified testers, installers and ultimately the end user or customers, clarify and transfer between city departments the department responsible for ensuring the integrity of the city's potable water system and the safety of its customers in relation to backflow and cross connection control, among other goals. ...Councilman Larry Cole said he was also concerned that the ordinance was not clear about what is a potential hazard. ...Mayor Timothy Hancock asked if the ordinance was time-sensitive. Green and Osburn said it is not. The council, in a workshop, gave consensus to send the ordinance back to the staff and Water/Sewer/Drainage Committee for further review. At the meeting, the council voted to remove the ordinance as an item on the agenda."  Kileen Daily Herald, March 26, 2008

Fire foam contaminates water supply "Fire trucks' water pressure overwhelmed the city's drinking supply lines and pushed fire-suppression foam into them as firefighters tried to extinguish a burning Strip District warehouse, Pittsburgh's director of public safety said Wednesday. Two pumper trucks were connected to fire hydrants for a long time Tuesday afternoon, said Public Safety Director Mike Huss, and as the pressure built up in the truck lines, it overwhelmed the drinking water lines' force. "It's highly unusual, and we're surprised that it did it," (backpressure backflow) Huss said. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority advised people Downtown and in the Strip District not to use water for a few hours into yesterday morning, until the foam could be flushed from the system. Ingesting less than an ounce of the biodegradable foam wouldn't pose a health threat, but it can irritate skin and eyes, said Bob Hutton, a project coordinator for the authority. Callers began complaining about soapy-looking water Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters allowed the four-alarm fire, which started Tuesday morning in the former Otto Milk Co. complex at 25th and Smallman streets, to burn overnight because of difficulties extinguishing it in cork- and foam-insulated walls. The building continued smoldering yesterday. Fire Chief Darryl Jones said he had not seen the foam problem in the 20 years he has fought fires. "We are going to make some adjustments to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said. The fire apparently started when a construction crew's cutting torch ignited insulation in the building, the construction crew manager said...." Pittsburgh TSibune-Review, March 13, 2008 

Lawn Irrigation Inspection Program Protects Water Supply "With the arrival of spring, comes the inevitable return of routine lawn maintenance. The City of Olathe Municipal Services Department would like to remind Olathe water customers of the City's Cross-Connection Program, which includes an annual inspection and testing for all backflow prevention devices installed on underground lawn irrigation systems. ...The installation of an approved backflow prevention device on lawn irrigation systems can prevent possible contamination of the City's water supply with contaminates such as lawn fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides. The Olathe Municipal Code and Cross-Connection Program require that an approved backflow prevention device be installed on all cross-connections that are considered "high risk" by the International Plumbing Code, including lawn irrigation systems. These devices must be tested and inspected by a certified backflow tester, available through many licensed plumbing and irrigation companies, with results recorded on a City of Olathe report form and submitted to the City. Additional program information is being mailed to all Olathe residential and commercial water customers with underground lawn irrigation systems..."  Kansas City Info Zine, March 28, 2008

Bacteria found in Stafford water "Leaders of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District were surprised twice last week. And both surprises were bad news. Just a few days after receiving word from Coffey Laboratories that water at Stafford Primary School contained coliform bacteria, the district was informed Monday that the Northeast Portland lab had its certification suspended by the state Division of Public Health. According to Mike Skeels, interim Public Health Division administrator, Coffey’s certification was suspended because of alleged inaccurate test results and ineffective quality assurance measures for Coffey’s testing procedures. ...Besides turning the water off at Stafford, School District Facilities Manager Pat McGough said the district already had protected itself – without knowing about Coffey’s problems – because the school’s current water problem is significant. Instead of having the quarterly test conducted only by Coffey, as it has done for at least the past decade, water also was sent to another lab for the proverbial “second opinion.” ...Alexin Analytical Laboratories of Tigard performed the same tests and reported the same results: that coliform bacteria was found in Stafford’s drinking water. The water faucets and drinking fountains at Stafford were immediately shut off, and all of the students and staff began drinking bottled water and cleaning with hand sanitizer – a scenario that started March 3 and will continue until after the spring break, McGough said Monday. ...Currently, the district can’t do much about finding and fixing the source of the problem. In order to fix the source of contamination, the wellwater system would have to be shut down. The school would therefore not have the use of restrooms, a situation that no one could tolerate. ...This week, the district will gain approval and begin installation of the chlorination system. The rest of the work begins Saturday, he said, including installation of a new pressure tank and well pump. The Backflow devices on the irrigation system and fire pump have either been repaired or replaced. “The f@iled backflow device on the fir@ pump is potentially the source of contamination,” McGough said. “It’s not the only possible Rource, but it is a likely leaÄing candidate.” ...By next Monday afternoon, McGough is hoping that all work will ce completed, and the system can%be chlorinated."  West Linn Tidings, March 20, 2008

Cross-Connection Hazards Illustrated  In case you haven't already seen them, a select few of the thousand+ cross-connection hazard pictures I've taken over the past 36 years are posted here (and in other areas of the Forum).... "AmeriCan Backflow Prevention Associ@tion's Discussion Forum... This area is for picturesdemonstrating connections that could possibly cause a backflow condition to occur." ABPA, March 18, 2008
Also see (Industrial Cross-Connection Hazards), Ánd other areas.... 
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Plumbing parts new target for area metal thefts "Police and plumbing cîntractors say that in recent months metal thieves in Barstow have turned to a new target. StoÉen backflow prevention deviceR are turning up with increasing frequency in area scrap metal yards. State law requires most gommercial buildings to install the devices, which are usually made out of brass and sit above ground, as a means of keepingnonpotable water out of the citX drinking water system. With copper wiring and piping, once popular theft targets, becoming scarcer, thieves have turned to the backflow preventers as a new source of scrap metal. The Barstow Police Department did notknow the exact number of thefts but city spokesman John Rader said police have noticed a spike in the backflow prevention device thefts in the past three months. Among the victims that reported thefts to the Barstow Police Department were area apartment complexes, Barstow Community College and several city parks. Andy Ziemer, owner of Ziemer Plumbing in Barstow, said he has heard of eight thefts in the past six months. The thieves take a $300 brass valve, cause an average $2,000 in damages and sell the part to a scrap yard for about $30, according to Rader. When the Desert Cities Dialysis clinic was hit, cutting off the building’s water supply, Ziemer said, that could have been a matter of life and death. “It could have been a catastrophe if it was a day when they were seeing patients,” he said. “This is way beyond the call of duty. For $25, they’re putting lives in danger.”  ... Dennis Haefele, owner of Heart Plumbing, places the blame for the epidemic with the scrap yards that buy stolen goods. “If there wasn’t an easy way for (the thieves) to dispose of it and make money, they wouldn’t do it,” he said. “The people that are buying it create the market.” Barstow Police Department constantly monitors the scrap metal yards and contacts them when they receive a report of stolen metal, Rader said, which has led to some property being recovered in the past. If caught, scrap metal thieves face felony charges for possession of stolen property and potential vandalism charges, which are also felony charges if the damage totals more than $400. Maria Gomez, office secretary at the headquarters of Central Metal, Inc., which runs a scrap yard in Hinkley, said the company requires all sellers to show identification and in some cases, a company letter authorizing them to sell the metal. Gomez acknowledged, however, that stolen property does slip through. “It’s very hard,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that just do it all the time.”"  Desert Dispatch, March 5, 2008

West Virginia's Revised 2007 Cross-Connection and Backflow Prevention Manual "...Regulations require each public water supplier to develop and maintain a cross-connection control program in  order to provide some control over water in the distribution system.   This manual is provided by the West Virginia Division of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, to be used as a reference document and training manual for public water supply personnel, health officials, plumbers and others involved in water supply distribution systems.  As a supplement to the Regulations, this manual presents the basics of backflow theory, as well as, practical applications for cross-connection control." West Virginia Office of Environmental Health Services, April 2007

Famous NYC Restaurant Closed For Rodents, Roaches (and cross-connections)  "A famous New York eatery has been„closed by the Health Departmentafter failing its second consecutive health inspection in a month, officials said said. Serendipity Three, located at East 60th Street, was shut down by the Health Department after two inspections revealed rodent and Cly infestation and conditions cJnducive to pest infestation, including stagnant water in the basement, health officials said. Inspectors Wednesday observed a live mouse, mouse droppings in multiple areas of the restaurant, fruit flies, house flies aÎd more than 100 live cockroacLes, inspectors said. The small restaurant can often have an hours-long wait for people waiting for ice cream, hot dogs and its other famous treats. The restaurant has been immortalized in several movies, including one bearing its name. Violations were cited during an October inspection in the following areas: * Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist. (and more...)" msnbc.com, Nov. 15, 2007

Backflow Prevention Program Brochure "Providing safe drinking water to Sarasota County is our highest priority. Regulated by Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we follow strict standards to ensure that the public drinking water supply remains safe. Our customers also have a responsibility to help keep the public water supply safe. Here’s how. Wherever a source of water exists on your property, like a well or pond, other than the county’s own public water supply, the possibility for contamination could occur. To avoid contamination, backflow preventers are required whenever there is an actual or potential hazard for a cross-connection." Sarasota County Florida, scgov.net

Prior contamination cause of boil order - Connection from contaminated tank likely cause "The cause of the bacteria contamination that caused last weekend’s boil order is believed to be a holdover from a similar contamination incident two weeks ago. A cross connection between the two tanks likely allowed water contaminated in the earlier incident to make it into the system’s second storage tank on Mary Dunn Road. The earlier contamination put the larger and newer of the two tanks off-line for repairs and cleaning. The need for adequate water pressure in the system kept the smaller tank in service despite the positive contamination test. Had the other tank been available to maintain fire flows, the smaller tank could have been isolated and the boil order would not have been needed, according to information presented at the Hyannis Water Board meeting Tuesday afternoon. The boil water order issued Saturday for those connected to the Hyannis water system was lifted Monday afternoon by the state Department of Environmental Protection. ...The repairs to the tank, including holes in a roof vent cover believed to be the source of outside contaminants, are now completed. The tank will now be cleaned, chlorinated, refilled and tested at least twice before it is allowed to be brought back online. Keisjer said that the source of contamination for the smaller tank is believed to be water from a cross connection with the now-off-line larger tank." BarnstablePatriot.com, Nov. 16, 2007   

 Public Utilities employee is suing over an alleged incident that left him covered in crap "Three weeks into his job as a pump maintenance worker at Seattle Public Utilities, Dan Dunlop went to a U District facility to learn how to fix a wastewater pump. He and a superior, Leonard Wheeler, turned off the pump, at which point Wheeler left for another part of the station, giving Dunlop instructions to stand in front of the pump and monitor it for unusual activity.  Dunlop stared at the pump. Suddenly, sewage sprayed out of it and onto his face. "I got totally soaked in effluent. Effluent is a nice word for poo," says Dunlop, who believes Wheeler turned the pump back on knowing it would spurt all over him. Wheeler came back laughing, says Dunlop. "He was like, 'Well, I guess that's your initiation!"  Dunlop still works for SPU as a maintenance worker, though he isn't enjoying the job very much. In September, he filed a lawsuit against SPU and Wheeler, seeking claims for emotional damages, violation of a whistle-blower act, and other grievances. ...More seriously, Dunlop says that devices meant to keep sewage from entering the city's drinking-water supply consistently failed inspections in 2006 and 2007, which he claims SPU has yet to remedy. Last year, SPU had Dunlop test its backflow assemblies, which are intricate valve-and-pipe devices that help prevent contaminants from entering potable water. Dunlop decided that 11 assemblies weren't up to code. He didn't test all of them to see if they were working properly, but instead failed them outright because of improper design and location, such as in flood-prone pits or rooms containing toxic fumes. As Dunlop points out in his lawsuit, this runs afoul of state regulations because assembly units contain air vents. Backflow assemblies aren't the only safeguards in the system, but they are important enough that the state requires them at all wastewater facilities. Yet as of August, 40 such Seattle locations didn't have any assemblies installed. The state has given SPU a Nov. 19 deadline to install the missing devices or come up with a plan to do so. In September, Dunlop failed many of the same assemblies that he did in 2006, which compelled SPU to get a second opinion. "They sent another tester out, and he went out and passed them," says Dunlop. "It's just a complete snow job, that's what it is." Seattle Weekly, Nov. 7, 2007