The Cleveland Division of Water works hard to ensure that the drinking water we deliver to your home is safe all the way to your tap. One way we do this is by controlling possible cross connections between drinking water pipes and sources of contamination. When water pressure drops (due to heavy usage, a fire in the area, or a water main break) water may be pulled into your plumbing from an unprotected cross connection in your home. This water may contain contaminants such as pesticides if there is an attachment on a garden hose or perhaps cleaning chemicals if a hose is left in a bucket.

Some examples of cross connections in your home are:

• Handheld showerheads immersed in water.
• Outdoor faucets, swimming & wading pools, fountains, and lawn watering systems.
• Boilers, fire protection systems, in-home water treatment systems, photo labs, solar heating systems, car washes, decorative ponds and soaking tubs in laundry areas.

Recommended safeguards in your home:

• Lawn irrigation systems must be protected with a backflow prevention device.
• Ponds, cisterns, or wells on your property must also be protected with a backflow prevention device.
• Toilets must have a backflow prevention device (these are included in most models).
• Solar heating systems should be equipped with a backflow prevention device.
• A hose-bib vacuum breaker should protect outside faucets.

Garden hoses can pose special problems. Whenever a hose is submerged in a potentially harmful substance, that substance can be pulled into the hose and potentially into your home’s plumbing. A hose bib vacuum breaker is a simple inexpensive device that can easily be installed on the faucet to prevent potentially dangerous substances from entering your plumbing.

If you have a cistern or well on your property, please review our requirements for backflow protection.

If you have a lawn irrigation system please review our requirements for backflow protection.

Special requirements also exist for multi-unit housing, such as group homes or apartment buildings, with fire protection systems. Please contact us at 216-664-3944 for more information.

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Commercial Properties

All commercial properties must be equipped with an approved backflow prevention device on their connection to the water system. This includes both domestic and fire connections. The property owner is responsible for having a certified contractor test these devices when they are installed, each year, and upon repair. The Division of Water’s Backflow Prevention office notifies you in writing when your device is due for testing. After your device is tested and repaired if necessary, the contractor you hired must return a completed form to the Division of Water in a reasonable time frame showing that the device passed the test. If this form is not returned to us, your water service may be interrupted.

The manner in which a business uses the water will determine what type of device is required for proper protection of the water system. Please contact the Cleveland Division of Water’s Backflow Prevention Office at 216-664-3944 if you have questions about what type of device is required for your business. After you know what type of backflow prevention device you need, please visit the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control’s website for a list of approved devices. A list of approved devices by category is available from the American Society of Sanitary Engineer’s website .

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The Division of Water requires that vendors using temporary hook-ups for festivals and community events use proper backflow protection devices.

Proper backflow protection is required for:

• Temporary or permanent hydrant hook-ups
• Mobile units
• Carbonated post mix machines

Click here for a list of organizations offering classes on backflow prevention device testing certification.

Click here for a list of companies that can calibrate backflow device test kits.

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The test gauge should be carried in a sturdy case and protected from freezing conditions.  If you suspect that the gauge has been damaged, from dropping or freezing, then the gauge should be recalibrated before being used.

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