Attention New Buffalo Township Water Customers
Beginning in May 2020 there will be changes made with the New Buffalo Township Cross Connection program. Currently the program only consists of inspecting for Cross Connections located within a Commercial or Industrial property. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has now mandated that municipalities include residential home inspections as part of their Cross Connection Program. Due to the volume of homes involved, New Buffalo Township will be contracting with Hydro-Corp Inc. for all future Cross Connection inspections. You can visit the following web site to learn more about Hydro-Corp.
What is a Cross Connection?
A Cross Connection is any connection of piping, which may allow nonpotable water (unsafe to drink) to flow back into the public drinking water supply (potable). State plumbing code requires protective devices (backflow preventors) to be placed where this possibility might exist. The intention of these devices is to protect the public water supply. An example would be a Lawn Irrigation system. If it’s connected to the municipal water supply it is required to have a back-flow prevention device properly installed. All devices must also be tested to certify they operate as designed. To find out more about cross connections visit the following web site.
https://hydrocorpinc.com/municipal-market/homeowner-information/
Next Steps
Over the next 3 years Hydro Corp will be contacting all Township water customers to arrange an inspection date and time. They will need access to the interior of the residence to look for any cross connections, such as boiler units, water softeners, submerged laundry hoses to name a few. While this might seem to be a nuisance, it is to your benefit. It is possible without the correct backflow prevention you could unknowingly contaminate the water within your own home. The link below will take you to the State of Michigan’s web site explaining cross connections. If you have any questions please call the Township Water Department @ 269-231-5250, you can also contact Hydro-Corp directly @ 248-250-5000.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-wd-water-fos-tsu-CrossConnBrochure_247741_7.pdf