City of Bend reminds about end-of-season backflow testing requirement

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- With fall approaching, the City of Bend Utility Department reminds water customers that irrigation backflow assemblies must be tested before the end-of-season sprinkler system blowouts.

City water customers must contact a state-certified backflow tester to perform the test. Click here for list of state-certified backflow testers. Testers get very busy this time of year so the City recommends contacting a tester to schedule an appointment soon, before appointments are full.

“Safe drinking water is our priority,” says Safe Drinking Water Coordinator Donald “DJ” Buhmann. “Annual testing assures backflow assemblies are working properly and doing their job, protecting all of us.”

Backflow assemblies prevent contaminants from entering the City’s water mains through the customer’s waterlines. In the event a City distribution main breaks or a significant amount of water is used, such as during fire suppression, water can travel backward through waterlines.  

Homeowners who have landscape irrigation systems are at risk of contaminating their households. They are required to have a backflow assembly on their in-ground sprinkler system and complete annual testing of the assembly.

\Backflow assemblies that fail the test must be repaired as soon as possible and retested until they pass. The homeowner must hire a state-certified backflow tester to perform these tests.

Renters should contact their landlord or property management company to ensure their home is compliant and safe.

“Backflow testing is the single most critical thing a homeowner can do to assure the water inside their home is safe and clean,” said Buhmann. An appropriate backflow assembly and annual testing are required by the Oregon Administrative Rule and the City of Bend Code. 

There are 36,437 backflow assemblies protecting our water in Bend. Of those, 18,125 are owned by the City of Bend and tested annually by a contractor. The remaining 18,312 are privately owned and require annual testing arranged for and paid for by the property owner.

For more information, contact the City of Bend Safe Drinking Water Program at 541-317-3000, opt. 2 or visit www.bendoregon.gov/crossconnection.