BACK-FLOW PREVENTION
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PROTECT YOUR WATER FROM CONTAMINATION
 

• Normally, your water supply is under 40 to 80 pounds of pressure when it enters your home or business. On rare occasions, this pressure is interrupted—perhaps by a water main break, a power failure, firefighters battling a nearby blaze, or some other disruption in water service. When there is a significant loss of pressure, water can flow back into the public water supply system. When water flows backward into the public water supply, it is called “back-siphonage” or “backflow”. Backflow can also occur when the customer’s water system has a higher pressure than the ELCO water system.
  
  In rare instances, backflow can contaminate the public water supply. Contamination occurs when a water supply line is connected to equipment containing a non-potable (unsafe to drink) substance. Such connections are called cross-connections and they are dangerous if no protective measures are taken.