In January, the Town of Yadkinville’s Backflow Prevention Ordinance went into effect. All Town water customers were notified of the ordinance and had until July 1, 2003 to come into compliance. Over the past several months, customers expressed many questions and concerns about the program. Here are some of the most common questions:
Backflow
Call the Town of Yadkinville's Public Works Facility at (336) 679-2990 or visit us at 1626 Fred Hinshaw Road in Yadkinville.
The overall purpose of this program is to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the water you get from the Town of Yadkinville is clean and safe to drink. You can feel confident that Town employees are constantly working hard to deliver quality water to your home or business.
The deadline for coming into compliance with the ordinance was July 1, 2003. The Town sent letters to all high and moderate hazard customers who are not in compliance informing them that they have until August 1 to install an approved backflow device. All testable backflow devices are required to be tested by a certified tester upon installation. The ordinance calls for hefty fines and/or disconnection of water service to customers not in compliance.
The type of backflow device that must be installed on a business or industrial customer’s system varies depending on the type of operation. Most are required to install a testable backflow device, which must be tested by a certified tester upon installation. In January and February, Town Employees hand delivered information to all businesses telling the owners/managers exactly what type of backflow device to install. If you are still unsure of the type of device to install, call Yadkinville Town Hall at 336-679-8732
Most residents are considered to be low-hazard, meaning there is little, if any, likelihood that water from their home’s pipes would pose a threat to the public water supply should it reenter the public system. Therefore, most residents are only required to install a non-testable backflow device. For the past several months, residents had the option to pay the Town of Yadkinville $75 to install a backflow device on their system. This covers the cost of materials and labor only. Homes with irrigation systems, swimming pools, hot tubs or outdoor water gardens are considered to be high-hazard, meaning there is greater potential for harmful substances from their system to pose a threat to the public water supply. State law requires these residents to install a testable backflow device, which must be tested by a certified tester upon installation. For more information on the type of backflow required for your residence, call Yadkinville Town Hall at 336-679-8732.
State law requires the Town of Yadkinville to certify that its distribution system contains safe drinking water. (The distribution system includes town water pipes from the water plant to the customer’s side of the water meter.) In order to do this, State law requires a backflow device to be installed on each service connection to protect against any water flowing from a private water supply back into the public water supply. For example, water from a business or industry that uses dangerous chemicals may, under certain conditions, reenter the Town’s water supply and be delivered to another customer, possibly making them sick or worse.