Backflow Prevention

• How Backflow Can Contaminate the Public Water System

  The City’s water system can become contaminated if water flows backward – known as backflow – from a private property that has a cross-connection to a harmful substance. This can occur when the pressure in the public water system drops – for example, due to a broken water main – allowing contaminated water to be drawn into the public water system and creating serious health risks. 

  

  Backflow preventers, when properly installed and maintained, allow water to flow in only one direction – from the City’s water system to the property – and prevent water from flowing back into the public system. This helps to protect the community’s drinking water from contamination.

• Agricultural Properties

  All properties with agricultural uses/activities, or other severe risk activities, require a Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly (RPBA). Note that it does not matter how small or large the agricultural activities are, if you have irrigation or not, or what commodity is being grown, an RPBA is generally required. Please see below for additional information about the option for an assessment by a Qualified Professional, to potentially make a recommendation on an alternative backflow preventers. 

  Backflow preventers on agricultural properties need to be installed on private property at the point where the water service enters the property, which is typically as close to the property line as feasible.

  Properties with no agricultural uses

  Properties in agricultural areas that generally contain a single-family residence with no agricultural uses/activities, or any other severe risk activities, may install a Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA). An annual declaration from the property owner confirming that there are no ‘severe’ risk uses/activities on the site will be required with the annual testing submission. If uses/activities change and increase the degree of hazard, this could trigger the need for the higher grade RPBA device. Property owners may still choose to implement the RPBA if they wish to forgo the annual declaration and potential future upgrades. Should you already have a DCVA and do not have any ‘severe’ risk uses/activities, a declaration is still required by the City at this time. A list of severe risk activities can be found in the annual declaration.

  Assessment by a Qualified Professional

  Property owners may coordinate, at their own expense, a report prepared by a Qualified Professional with an assessment of potential risks and the level of hazard for the property and, based on this assessment, make a recommendation on the type of backflow preventer that is required, in consideration of the AWWA “Canadian Cross-Connection Control Manual” and the Canadian Standards Association “Selection and Installation of Backflow Preventers/Maintenance and Field Testing of Backflow Preventers Standard.” 

  Where the City accepts the recommendation of the Qualified Professional, and the recommendation is different than the standard backflow prevention requirements outlined in the City’s Cross-Connection Control Policy, the property owner will be required to submit an annual declaration confirming that the uses on the property have not changed since the assessment was prepared by the Qualified Professional. Any changes to the uses of the property will require a new assessment of the property’s hazard classification and backflow preventer requirements. The minimum requirement for a backflow preventer for an agricultural property is a premise isolation Dual Check Valve (DCV).

  Please note that a Qualified Professional is a person or firm who is qualified and permitted to carry out the required work under the Canadian Standards Association Standard, and may include a professional certified by the BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA). When preparing the assessment report, Qualified Professionals should refer to the Guide to Conducting a Cross-Connection Control Premises Survey in the AWWA “Canadian Cross-Connection Control Manual.” The Qualified Professional may wish to contact the Building Division at 604-465-2428 or building@pittmeadows.ca for additional guidance on the assessment report.

  Funding Opportunity: Provincial Beneficial Management Practices Program

  Under the Provincial Beneficial Management Practices (BMP) Program (Water Infrastructure), funding may be available to eligible farmers for backflow prevention devices to protect the municipal water supply. 

  The BMP Program is an application-based funding program administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC, which can provide cost-share funding to farmers that have an approved and valid Environmental Farm Plan, along with other eligibility criteria. Farmers are responsible for submitting a funding application during the times that applications are being accepted.

  Learn more about the Water Infrastructure BMP Program and sign up for BMP updates. 
   

• Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) Properties

  The type of backflow preventer required will depend upon the degree of hazard a property presents to the water system. The determination of the degree of hazard will be informed by the City’s Cross-Connection Control Program (CCP), the AWWA “Canadian Cross-Connection Control Manual” and the Canadian Standards Association “Selection and Installation of Backflow Preventers/Maintenance and Field Testing of Backflow Preventers Standard.”

  a) For properties with severe risk hazards, a Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly (RPBA) will be required.

  b) For properties with moderate risk hazards, a Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA) will be required. 

  c) For properties with minor risk hazards, a Dual Check Valve (DCV) will be required.

  Under the City’s CCP, Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional properties are generally considered higher hazard properties, and therefore will require premise isolation (i.e., a device installed on private property at the point where the water service enters the property, which is typically as close to the property line as feasible).

General FAQs

• What is a cross-connection control program?

  A cross-connection control program is a cooperative effort between health officials, water purveyors and property owners to ensure that the water supply remains uncontaminated as a result of backflow. The program involves the isolation of private water systems from the public water system through the installation of a backflow prevention device on private property immediately after the water meter. This is called “premise isolation.”

  The City’s Cross-Connection Control Program generally focuses on Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) and Agricultural properties where there is a greater potential for backflow to contaminate the water supply. The City’s Cross-Connection Control Policy and Waterworks Bylaw guide the City’s program, outlining the type of protection required and provisions for administration and enforcement.

• What are we protecting the public water supply from?

  The program's goal is to protect the drinking water supply from contamination due to backflow. We do this by preventing water that has been used for washing, heating, cooling, etc., within a facility from backflowing into the drinking water system, primarily through the requirement that property owners install approved backflow preventer devices where a water use hazard may exist.

• What is a cross-connection and backflow?

  A cross-connection is any actual or potential connection between a drinking water system and some other environment which could allow a backflow of contaminants to enter the drinking water. This could be a pipe connecting a customer's water system to the heating/cooling system, irrigation, fire system or other.

  Backflow is the flow of water or other liquids, gases, or solids from any source in the direction opposite to normal or intended flow. Examples of backflow could include back-siphonage and/or back-pressure

  Back-siphonage is backflow caused by negative pressure in the supply system. Back-siphonage occurs when water system pressure is reduced to below atmospheric pressure. This could occur in a public water system when a water main is shut down to repair a leak. If a garden house was submerged in a pool nearby, the non-potable water from the pool could be siphoned back through the submerged hose (a cross-connection) into the household plumbing, and then into the water main.

  Back-pressure is backflow caused by pressure in the customer’s plumbing being greater that the pressure in the water main. The higher pressure may be form a customer’s booster pump, heating boiler, or irrigation system. This could be introduced into the public water system by a customer’s irrigation pump while low-pressure conditions exist in the water main (due to fire flows, or a water main shut down).
   

• What is a backflow preventer?

  A backflow preventer is a device or method installed in a water system to prevent the occurrence of backflow. The type of device that is suitable for your property is based on the degree of hazard your property presents to the public water system. Find out more about backflow prevention devices.

• How do I know if my property requires the installation of a backflow prevention assembly and/or device?

  The City of Pitt Meadows is currently assessing connections to the water distribution system. Our program is focused on Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) and Agricultural properties, which are higher-hazard water use properties. The City has and will be contacting property owners directly to communicate the requirements of a backflow prevention assembly.

• I have received a letter stating that appropriate cross connection control assemblies must be installed to comply with the City of Pitt Meadows Waterworks Bylaw. What am I required to do on my property?

  Contract a Certified Tester (i.e. journeyman plumber, mechanical contractor) to apply for a building permit and install the cross connection control on the identified water supplies. Contact the City of Pitt Meadows Building Department at 604-465-2428 or building@pittmeadows.ca for a list of certified testers. 

• How do I know what type of backflow prevention device my property requires?

  The type of device will depend upon the degree of hazard a property presents to the public water system. Refer to the City’s Cross-Connection Control Policy, as well as the “Agricultural Properties” and “Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) Properties” sections on this webpage for further information. 

  Properties classified as a “moderate hazard” require the installation of a Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA) assembly. Properties classified as a “severe hazard” require the installation of a Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly (RPBA). Both devices require annual testing and should activities on the site change, the risk level could also change.

Permitting and Testing FAQs

• Is a building permit required to install a backflow preventer?

  Yes, the installation of a backflow preventer requires a building permit.

  The property owner can apply for a building permit, however in many cases, the plumbing contractor will do it on the owner's behalf. For more information, please contact the Building Inspection department at 604-465-5454 or building@pittmeadows.ca.

• Who can test backflow prevention devices?

  Testing can be completed by an individual who is certified by the British Columbia Water and Waste Association (BCWWA). Contact the City of Pitt Meadows Building Inspection department at 604-465-2428 or building@pittmeadows.ca for an updated list of certified testers.

• Why do backflow prevention devices have to be tested periodically?

  A backflow prevention device may not show visible signs of failure. Backflow prevention assembly devices contain internal components that are subject to wear and failure. A backflow prevention assembly device, such as Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA), or Reduced Pressure Backflow Assembly (RPBA), must be tested by a certified individual with a properly calibrated test gauge to ensure that they are functioning properly.

• I have received a letter stating that my backflow prevention device is due for testing, what am I required to do?

  You must have a certified tester to test the backflow prevention device(s) at the subject facility. Contact the City of Pitt Meadows Building Department at 604-465-2428 or building@pittmeadows.ca for an updated list of certified testers.

• How often do backflow prevention devices need to be tested?

  In order to ensure the proper operation of a backflow prevention device, it must be tested upon installation, repair, relocation or replacement, and at least once a year thereafter. To ensure that backflow prevention devices are functioning properly, a certified tester must test them annually.

• Who is responsible for the installation and annual testing of premise isolation backflow prevention device?

  The owner of the property or building that currently has a service connection to the City's water supply or has applied for a new service connection is responsible for the installation of the premise isolation backflow prevention devices, as well the annual testing of the device by a certified tester.

• Where can I find a copy of the test report and how do I submit the results?

  Test results must be submitted on the City of Pitt Meadows Backflow Prevention Device Test Form (contact the Building Division at City Hall for a hardcopy). Completed test forms can be emailed to building@pittmeadows.ca, dropped off at City Hall, or mailed (12007 Harris Rd, Pitt Meadows, BC, V3Y 2B5). 

• Do the test tags have specifications?

  Device tags may be any size, colour, and must be made of a moisture resistant material. The City of Pitt Meadows Cross Connection Control Policy requires that:

  "The owner shall cause to be displayed a legibly marked record card on the premise isolation backflow prevention device that indicates the address of the property, the location, type and date of installation of the device, manufacturer, serial number and size of the device, the test date, the tester's initials, the tester's printed name, the printed name of the tester's employer and the tester's certificate number."

Other FAQs

• Why are residential zoned properties not a focus of this program?

  Single-family homes, where no moderate or severe activities are permitted, pose the least threat for contamination of the water supply. They are considered a minor hazard and lesser protection is required, unless in farming areas where more stringent requirements apply or where actual or potential moderate or severe hazards exist. Homeowners can however help to protect our water supply and the water within their own homes by installing backflow prevention devices on their garden hoses. These are called hose bibs and they can be purchased from hardware stores. Using a hose bib is not a law, but it is good practice in protecting homeowners and their families from contaminated water. Everybody has a role to play in protecting the health and safety of our drinking water.

• If a property use changes from a minor risk to a moderate risk or severe risk, what is the process for compliance?

  It is the property owner's responsibility to notify City of Pitt Meadows Building Department and install an accepted backflow prevention device if there is a change in risk level.

• What are the consequences for failing to comply with the testing or installation requests?

  Failure to comply with the notification may result in fines and or other actions to bring the property into compliance.

• Where are the regulations related to backflow or cross connection control?

  The City of Pitt Meadows Waterworks Bylaw No. 2891, 2021 and Cross-Connection Control Policy C022.

• Are the backflow prevention requirements new in the City of Pitt Meadows?

  No, the City’s Cross-Connection Control Program and the backflow requirements were established in November 2010, when a Water Assessment was completed for the City and then informed the creation of the Cross-Connection Control Policy C022.

  The Cross-Connection Control Policy was updated in 2025 to increase clarity and add provisions allowing a property owner to have their property assessed by a qualified professional, at their cost, to make a recommendation on the type of backflow preventer that is required. 

  The City’s Cross-Connection Control Program has been informed by the AWWA “Canadian Cross-Connection Control Manual” and the Canadian Standards Association “Selection and Installation of Backflow Preventers/Maintenance and Field Testing of Backflow Preventers Standard.” 

• Why doesn’t the City pay for backflow prevention devices through general taxes?

  Backflow risks are created by specific uses and activities on individual private properties. Because these risks are not shared equally across the community, it is appropriate that the property creating the risk is responsible for preventing it, rather than passing the cost on to all taxpayers.

• Isn’t protecting drinking water a City responsibility?

  Yes. The City is responsible for operating and maintaining the public water distribution system and for establishing programs, standards, and oversight to protect drinking water. However, plumbing systems and activities on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. Backflow prevention devices are required where private property use poses a risk to the public system.