Meiners Oaks Water District

Backflow Prevention & Cross-Connection Program

Transition of the Backflow Prevention & Cross-Connection Program

The CA Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook mandates water purveyors such as Meiners Oaks Water District to administer a cross-connection control and backflow prevention program, which protects the drinking water supply from potential sources of contamination via the elimination of existing and potential cross connections.

Meiners Oaks Water District (MOWD) contacted the Ventura County Environmental Health Department (VCEHD) to administer the cross-connection and backflow prevention program from 1973 to the present. VCEHD notified MOWD that the contract will terminate on July 1, 2025. MOWD is developing a program in accordance with the new State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook (CCCPH). After July 1, 2027, MOWD will require all backflow testers in this jurisdiction to have a valid ANSI-accredited organization certification (e.g., AWWA, etc).

Backflow assemblies must be tested at the time of installation, annually (once per year) after installation, after repairs, and after relocation. Customers will receive an annual notice with a testing date due. Please arrange for testing on time to avoid service disconnection.

MOWD Cross-Connection Control/Backflow Prevention Program

Backflow Solutions, Inc. or BSI Online is North America’s leading cross-connection control/backflow data management and program administration firm. BSI Online has partnered with 1,000+ water systems across the United States to develop and manage effective cross-connection control programs to help protect all our water resources. BSI helps water purveyors by sending notifications, assisting with customer service inquiries, and managing required data on behalf of Meiners Oaks Water District.

Meiners Oaks Water District has contracted with BSI Online to assist the District with state-required cross-connection/backflow tracking regulations. BSI Online will serve as the primary point of contact for the program and can be contacted below:

What is cross-connection?

A cross-connection is any actual or potential connection between the public or consumer’s potable water system and any non-potable source or substance that presents a hazard to the quality of the public or consumer’s potable water system. Therefore, cross-connection control is the management or “control” of these cross-connections to protect public safety by preventing backflow incidents within the public or water consumer’s potable water system.

What is backflow?

Typically, water will flow from the public water supply to the consumer’s plumbing distribution system. Backflow is the undesirable reversal of this flow of water and undesirable substances from the non-potable source to the potable source.

Why do we need a cross-connection control/backflow prevention program?

As required by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board, every drinking water system must have a cross-connection control program or backflow prevention program. Cross-connection control or backflow prevention is designed to protect the public water supply from contamination from non-drinkable sources. For this reason, Meiners Oaks Water District created a cross-connection control program with the goal of ensuring backflow prevention assemblies are tested annually and records are maintained for State inspection.

To learn more about backflow, check out BSI’s Backflow Academy.

Additional Resources – External Links

BSI Online’s Backflow Academy – https://backflow.com/backflow-academy/

University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research (USC FCCCHR) – https://fccchr.usc.edu/

American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA) – https://www.abpa.org

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Cross-Connection Control Manual – https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf

American Water Works Association (AWWA) M14 Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control – https://www.awwa.org/portals/0/files/publications/documents/m14lookinside.pdf