Why Preventing Backflow Is Important
Back in 1973, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enacted the “Safe Drinking Water Act” to safeguard public water systems from being contaminated by unwanted particles or pollutants due to cross-connections or backflow. This is a significant concern for farms and lawns using irrigation systems. Image source: mesaaz.gov Overseeing backflow has become so crucial that even an official organization, American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA), was established to make sure that backflows are prevented. The association with more than one thousand members defines backflow as “the undesirable reversal of flow of non-potable water (irrigation water or other treated water) through a cross-connection and into the piping of a public water system or consumer’s potable (drinking) water system.” Backflow can have two causes: backpressure backflow and backsiphonage. Backpressure backflow occurs when downstream pressure, particularly from the irrigation system, becomes greate...