cROSS-cONNECTION COMMITTEE

I've been asked to serve on the eleven-member Cross-Connection Control committee that was recently formed by the Washington State Department of Health.  I'm looking forward to a new opportunity to be involved at the policy level within the water industry.  My unique position as both a regulator and a service provider should be a valuable asset as we work to develop a comprehensive manual for identifying water-using equipment and prescribing the appropriate backflow protection.  This should prove beneficial for my clients, too, as it will give me insights as to how they will be regulated in the future.

One thing I can tell you already--there will be tighter regulation of cross-connection control in the very near future.  The Department of Health has pledged to begin enforcing the mandate for all Group A water systems to hire a Cross-Connection Control Specialist.  They will also be building a program to review the backflow protection in place on each system, ensuring that they installed where needed and are being tested annually.