Your safety is our priority. Cross connections or unauthorized connections to a water or reclaimed distribution system are illegal. In the interest of public safety, these types of connections are banned to ensure that water supplies are not contaminated with harmful substances or pathogens.
To ensure compliance with state and federal regulations, the FGUA has a cross connection program. This program ensures that backflow prevention devices are installed to keep any potential contaminated or biological substances from entering the distribution system undetected. For more information about this program, please click on the buttons below.
The FGUA requires all existing commercial and industrial customers, as well as residential customers with irrigation services to install and maintain a backflow prevention device to ensure that cross connections do not occur. A cross connection is any potential or physical connection between a potable water source and a water source of potentially harmful or questionable quality. Backflow is the undesirable reversal of flow of non-potable water or other substances through the cross connection, and into the piping of a public water system or customer’s potable water system.
Backflow into a public water system may pollute or contaminate the public water supply, causing the water to be unusable or unsafe to drink. Backflow may occur through backpressure, where downstream pressure is greater than the potable water supply pressure, such as from reduction in the potable water supply pressure, or an increase in downstream pressure, which may occur when the water being used is greater than the amount being provided in the system. Backflow may also occur through back siphonage, where negative pressure occurs in the water supply system, which may cause a stoppage of the water supply, due to events including, but not limited to, nearby firefighting activities, or breaks in the water main.
As your local water provider, in accordance with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection water safety requirements (Florida Administrative Code, Rule 62-555), it is the FGUA’s responsibility to ensure that the water is safe to use and drink, including ensuring that all customer connections are free of cross connections. Customers with backflow prevention devices are required to conduct annual testing of the devices by certified inspections and provide those results to the FGUA. In the event that inspection results are not provided to the FGUA, in order to protect its water supply, the FGUA may terminate services until the results are provided. For additional information on the FGUA Cross Connection Control program and requirements, please visit the Compliance and Resources sections below.
A cross-connection is a point in plumbing systems where drinking water has the possibility to come into contact with a hazardous substance, such as chemicals or bacteria. Compliance with the FGUA’s cross connection policy is important and a matter of public safety. In order to ensure that our water sources are not contaminated due to unauthorized connections to the FGUA distribution system, it’s important that customers take certain measures.
Customers who have an unauthorized or hazardous connection that has been identified will be notified by FGUA staff and given instructions on what steps need to be taken in order to immediately rectify the issue. However, it’s also important that customers are being proactive about cross connections in order to ensure the quality of their drinking water and the safety of others. As a matter of public safety, non-compliance with FGUA cross connection policies can result in termination of water service, until the issue is rectified at the owner’s expense.
An example of a cross connection issue could be as simple as where you leave your hose. If you leave a hose in a non-potable (non-drinking) water source, such as a soapy bucket or in the pool, you could contaminate your drinking water. This can occur if the pressure in the water main drops while your hose is submerged. If this occurs, suction can pull dirty water back into your pipes and possibly back into the FGUA distribution system. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that backflow protection devices be installed on all non-potable water services.
Other examples are often related to irrigation systems or private wells. Irrigation systems and private wells that are being used to supplement your potable water without a backflow prevention device are considered hazardous since the FGUA has no way of monitoring and controlling hazardous substances, which could present a risk for other customers. One of the most important measures that can be taken in these instances is the installation of a reduced pressure zone (RPZ) valve on irrigation systems or dwellings that have a private well. RPZ valves assist by only allowing water to travel in one direction through water lines.
Here are several resources available regarding cross connections. These resources are intended for developers, commercial, and residential customers. Most documents will be in PDF format. If you’re having trouble opening a file in PDF format, please be sure to download Adobe Reader.
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