ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW! Beginning in 2024, we are introducing new enforcement measures aimed at ensuring compliance with backflow assembly testing requirements. In cases where testing is not completed by the annual due date assigned to your property, it will be mandatory to schedule testing with the city-contracted testing service. At this time, the City will charge a service fee to complete the testing that will be added to your utility bill for your convenience. For more information, please scroll down to the “Enforcement” drop-down menu.
If a backflow assembly has failed its annual testing, the customer will receive a letter in the mail regarding the process for repairing or replacing their backflow assemblies. Even if the test was completed by the annual due date, the responsible party will need to complete any repairs or replacements of the backflow assemblies with their chosen contractor within 60 days of the failed test.
(9/15/2023) The responsibility of testing and maintaining backflow assemblies falls solely on the property owners and/or HOA managers (responsible party). It is the responsible party’s obligation to keep their account information up to date and accurate. If the responsible party does not receive backflow correspondences due to expired account information, enforcement actions such as water suspension will continue to be pursued under new ownership. Please follow this link to update addresses and contact information for the responsible party:
Responsible Party Address and Contact Information Changes form.
(12/1/2022) As of January 2023, the City of Longmont requires testers to use the City of Longmont Backflow Assembly Test and Maintenance Report form for all backflow test submissions. Incomplete test forms will NOT be accepted.
Resources
A number of tools, services and partners can help make backflow prevention easier:
Longmont’s Backflow Prevention Program
The City of Longmont’s Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control Program (BPCCP) is designed to protect and preserve the City’s potable water supply from pollutants and contaminants that exist at privately and publicly owned properties. The City realized the importance of a backflow prevention program and was one of the first water suppliers to start such a program in April 1984 to protect public health in our community. At that time, there were less than 100 backflow assemblies installed in the City and less than 100 testers in the state. Now, there are over 5,000 backflow assemblies installed in Longmont alone and over 2,000 certified testers available in Colorado.
The City of Longmont’s Backflow Program focuses on oversight and compliance regarding the testing, maintenance and installation of backflow prevention assemblies, which are used to prevent contaminated water from flowing backwards into the public water supply. Our Backflow Program is organized using three components: Testing, Surveys and Enforcement.
Testing
Backflow Prevention Annual Testing Requirement
Backflow assemblies must be tested by certified backflow testers and results must be reported to the City of Longmont by the annual due date. Backflow assemblies must be tested upon installation, after repairs are completed, and after relocation. In the past several years, the City of Longmont (City) introduced some important updates to our annual backflow prevention assembly testing schedule. To enhance the efficiency of this process, we have designated the months between April and September for the completion of backflow assembly testing. For a complete timeline of how this process is implemented, please view the Longmont Backflow Testing Notification Process chart. This adjustment allows us to better manage the safety of our water supply. For more information regarding backflow testing information, please follow this link for FAQs. If you have questions regarding your property’s annual testing due date, please email backflow@longmontcolorado.gov or call 303-651-8416.
At this time, testers have two options to submit backflow tests to the City of Longmont: the online form or three different paper forms. If choosing paper forms, please make sure to fill it out and submit it by sending as an attachment in an email to backflow@longmontcolorado.gov.
Surveys
To uphold our commitment of running a successful cross-connection control program, the City of Longmont is required to perform routine surveys and inspections of all plumbing systems connected to our water distribution system to locate existing, potential and controlled cross-connections. A cross-connection control survey is a comprehensive inspection of new and existing water connections, fixtures and appliances to determine whether the public water supply is protected from cross-connection hazards downstream. The legal authority that allows the water purveyor to survey and regulate all connections to the water distribution system is outlined in 14.06 of the Longmont Municipal Code.
Section 14.06.020.B of the Longmont Municipal Code
The director has the authority to inspect any system owned and maintained by a utility customer to determine whether the system requires a backflow prevention device and to determine the extent and degree of hazard.
What properties are required to be surveyed?
All non-single-family (NSF) connections and waterworks must be surveyed (evaluated for cross-connections). This includes all commercial, industrial, multi-family, agricultural facilities, treatment plants, storage tanks and pump stations. Cross-connection control is only required if a cross-connection is identified. There are occasions where single-family residents may need a control measure implemented. Common examples are dedicated irrigation lines, homes that have fire suppression systems, and homes with boilers.
*For more information regarding cross-connection surveys, please see our FAQs page.
Enforcement
In circumstances where the water customer does not comply with the annual requirements related to the testing, installation and maintenance of their backflow assemblies, enforcement actions will be pursued to ensure Longmont’s water distribution system remains safe for all customers. If the customer does not follow through with their obligations related to backflow prevention and cross-connection control, the City may issue fees, impose civil penalties or pursue water suspension as a means to protect the community’s potable water system.
Enforcement Regarding Annual Backflow Testing Past Due
The City of Longmont Backflow Program has designated an annual backflow testing deadline for your property between the months of April through September. Customers may submit backflow tests any time before their due date during the calendar year. Customers who fail to complete and submit their backflow testing to the City by their specified due date will receive a Notice of Violation letter in the mail 1 day after the due date. This date will mark the beginning of the backflow testing enforcement process. If a schedule extension is necessary, written approval from the BPCCP Coordinator is required.
The notification schedule and enforcement process are as follows (effective January 1, 2024):
- 45 days before the due date: A Notice of Reminder will be sent, including detailed information about your backflow prevention assembly testing requirements.
- 1 day past the due date: A Notice of Violation will be issued providing information about your specific backflow assembly and its testing status.
- 31 days past the due date: If the required test or an approved testing schedule has not been submitted to the City BPCCP Coordinator, a fee will be added to your utility bill and the City-contracted testing company will contact you to schedule a test.
- 61 days past the due date: You will receive a warning of escalated civil enforcement.
- 91 days past the due date: A Civil Penalty of up to $500 per assembly will be assessed and service interruption on the main water supply line will be scheduled for that account. This action will continue until all required backflow prevention assemblies are properly controlled and tested before the end of the year.
Enforcement Regarding Identified Cross-Connections
State of Colorado regulations allow a limited time to identify cross-connections controlled by the installation of an approved backflow assembly or elimination of the cross-connection hazard entirely. The City of Longmont requires cross-connections to be controlled within 60 days of the City becoming aware. We understand that some installations or repairs may take longer to complete; in these situations, please email the Cross-Connection Control office at backflow@longmontcolorado.gov or call 303-651-8416 for an approved extension. If the City identifies a high hazard cross-connection that poses an immediate threat to the health of our community, water suspension will be enforced immediately.
- New Backflow Assembly Installation
- The City of Longmont requires all new backflow assembly installations and replacement assemblies to be a “Reduced Pressure Zone” (RPZ) type of assembly. On a case-by-case basis, the City of Longmont may review circumstances that would allow installation of a backflow assembly other than an RPZ. Note: Any new installations or replacement of a backflow prevention assembly requires submission of a miscellaneous permit application to the Building Inspection Division. The permit application can be found at the Longmont Colorado Application for Permit webpage.
- Failed Backflow Assemblies
- In the event that a backflow assembly is confirmed to have failed its backflow test or the customer becomes aware of a backflow assembly that is not functioning correctly, the City will require repairs or replacements to be completed and retested within 60 days of the failure. If after 60 days the customer has not received written approval for an extension for the repairs or replacements, the City may pursue water suspension.
- If a backflow assembly has failed its annual testing, even if it was completed by the annual due date, the responsible party will need to complete any repairs or replacements of the backflow assemblies with their chosen contractor within 60 days of the failed test. Customers who have a failing backflow assembly will receive a letter in the mail regarding the process for repairing or replacing their backflow assemblies.
- Irrigation Backflow Assemblies
- Irrigation systems connected to the public water supply pose a high level of health risks to the system, therefore irrigation systems must be controlled by backflow assemblies with the capacity to control high hazard cross-connections. In some cases customers may find that they have a Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA) controlling an irrigation service line. Recent changes to State regulations no longer allow DCVAs as approved backflow controls for irrigation systems. Once a DCVA fails, the City of Longmont will provide two options to remain in compliance.
- Replace the backflow assembly with a Reduced Pressure Principle Assembly (RP) within 60 days, or
- Repair the existing DCVA and be placed on a two-year timeline for replacing it with an RP.
- Irrigation systems connected to the public water supply pose a high level of health risks to the system, therefore irrigation systems must be controlled by backflow assemblies with the capacity to control high hazard cross-connections. In some cases customers may find that they have a Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA) controlling an irrigation service line. Recent changes to State regulations no longer allow DCVAs as approved backflow controls for irrigation systems. Once a DCVA fails, the City of Longmont will provide two options to remain in compliance.
*For more information regarding the Longmont Backflow Program enforcement process please download our FAQs page.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please contact the City at backflow@longmontcolorado.gov.
