The town of Marana is asking homeowners to check their Backflow Prevention Devices. The system works to prevent anyone from contaminating their own drinking water system.
“Backflow is a reverse of water,” Louis Valencia, Marana Chief Water Quality Operator said. “It can occur through back pressure or back siphonage. And what this does is it can draw contaminants into your water system if it’s not protected.”
Backflow can happen when a water main breaks or firefighters tap into hydrants near your home.
Marana Water says the devices can be found in areas like Gladden Farms.
“With the residential areas in Marana, especially Gladden farms, Rancho Marana there are over 1,000 back flow assemblies,” Valencia said. “To these sole residences due to the fact that they have second source irrigation water provided by Cortaro Management Marana Irrigation District.”
A Backflow Prevention Device can keep contaminants from getting into your clean water supply.
“It’s a lot to keep track of and some of it’s slipped through the cracks,” Valencia said. “We’re trying to get a handle on every single back flow in that neighborhood to make sure it’s it’s up to date and tested.”
“So we’ve been living in Gladden farms for 18 years now,” Shawn Cochran, Marana resident, said. “So it’s been an annual thing. We’ve known about it for quite a while, but we get notices.”
So how much does it cost to get your device checked annually?
“Not much. We sign up with a kind of like a biannual contractor who comes out and checks it every year and it’s like 25 bucks a year,” Cochran said.
For more information on a Backflow Prevention Device, click here.