cross Connection Control Program

Unprotected cross connections with potable piping systems are prohibited and The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 established national standards for drinking water. 

State and local governments or water utilities are charged with enforcing these standards, protecting the public water supply, and delivering safe drinking water. Yet cross connections contaminate drinking water without anyone realizing it.  Make sure your Municipal Water Utility delivers safe, high quality drinking water to the tap every day. To continue to protect the public health and keep the water system safe from contaminants and pollutants, municipalities are required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services to maintain a cross connection program.

Independent Inspections, Ltd. can help you manage all of the components and communication requirements of an effective Cross Connection Control Program.  We have on staff Master Plumbers that specialize in backflow prevention and cross connection control. We have provided program services for several municipal water utilities and private companies in southeastern Wisconsin.

What Is a Cross Connection?
A cross connection is a direct or potential connection between any part of the public water supply system and a source of contamination or pollution. The most common form of cross connection is a garden hose, which is easily connected to the public water supply system and can be used to apply a variety of potentially dangerous substances, including chemicals and fertilizer. Other common cross connections include dishwashers, toilets, pressure washers, boilers, pools, and lawn sprinkler systems.

What is a Cross-Connection Control Program?
Cross-Connection Control is an organized and structured program to eliminate, monitor, protect and prevent cross-connections from allowing backflow.  It is a cooperative effort between plumbing and health officials, water purveyors, property owners and certified testers to establish and administer guidelines for controlling cross-connections.  Its purpose is to ensure that the public water supply will be protected both in the city main and within buildings.

What is backflow?
The undesirable reversal of flow of a liquid, gas, or other substance in a potable water distribution piping system as a result of a cross connection.   To prevent backflow from occurring at the point of a cross-connection, a backflow prevention assembly or device must be installed.

What is a backflow preventer?
An approved assembly, device, or method that prohibits the backflow of water into potable water supply systems.

How Does Contamination Occur?
Water normally flows in one direction, from the public water system through the customer’s cold or hot water plumbing system to a faucet or other plumbing fixture. Under certain conditions, water can flow in the reverse direction. This is known as backflow, and it occurs when back-siphonage or back pressure is created in a water line.

Surveys of existing facilities should be conducted based on the degree of hazard that they present to the water system. The first round of inspections should include city-owned buildings, public school facilities, hospitals/medical facilities, car washes, industrial/ manufacturing facilities, and mortuaries. 

IIL's Cross Connection Program begins when we receive a list of sites to be inspected for cross connections from a municipal water utility department.  An informational letter and inspection notice are mailed to water customers approximately one to two weeks before the scheduled inspection date. Most inspections are scheduled so a building representative can be available during the inspection to answer questions and provide access to areas within the facility.

A survey is a walk-through of the water-system piping in a building or property, starting at the water meter and ending at the last free-flowing tap. Survey time varies depending upon the facility being surveyed. Large, complex facilities will be required to prove that they have an internal program to protect the potable water system.

A Master Plumber will perform the initial inspections to detect actual and potential cross connections and make recommendations for the installation of backflow prevention devices or assemblies where necessary using the device best suited to each situation.  Four basic methods are used: 

1) Air gap

2) Atmospheric vacuum breakers, including hose connection vacuum breakers

3) Pressure type vacuum breakers

4) Reduced pressure principle backflow preventers - Many cross connections can be corrected with a simple hose bib (faucet) vacuum breaker. This means equipping each hose connection, both outside and inside, with a simple and inexpensive vacuum breaker. In other instances, more elaborate protective devices may be required.

 The inspector checks for proof that all backflow prevention assemblies installed are registered with the State and are tested once a year by certified testers. Backflow prevention assemblies have internal seals, springs and moving parts that are subject to fouling, wear or fatigue.  Routine testing helps ensure that the mechanical device is in proper working order.

At the end of the survey our inspectors produce a report describing any violations or discrepancies found, this report is sent to the property owner with a time frame for compliance. A 2^nd and 3^rd notice is generated if the violations or discrepancies are not corrected in a timely manner. A report of all sites inspected and inspection results is forwarded to the Municipality, monthly and at the end of the inspection year/program.