Water safety is one of our top priorities in Ephrata.
One of the greatest threats to our water safety is probably the one that is most overlooked: Backflow from a cross-connection.
The City of Ephrata has to ensure that all steps are taken to minimize backflow that could cause contamination in your water supply. Starting in the Fall of 2017, the City is educating and informing citizens about the need for a annual certified inspection of every cross-connection in Ephrata. As long as education results in everyone doing his or her part to keep the water system safe, there will be no need to create an enforcement law. However, water safety is critical, and we are all literally in this together.
The City of Ephrata water system is designed to keep water flowing from our distribution system to you, the customer. Backflow can occur due to high pressure on the customer side, or low pressure in the Cities water system. Backflow is the undesirable reversal of water flow in a potable water system through a cross-connection. This situation may allow liquids, gases, non-potable water, and other substances from any source to enter a public water system.
A cross-connection is an actual or potential connection between a public water system line and another line, which contains water or fluids of a questionable or unknown source or quality. When this occurs, the drinking water supply can become contaminated. An example would be a garden hose attached to a service sink with the opposite end of the hose submerged in a tub full of detergent. Another example would be a garden hose attached to a faucet and the other end lying in a swimming pool.
The greatest chance of contamination of water, in your own house, comes from your own cross-connections.
