Backflow Prevention

Owen Sound’s Backflow Prevention Program helps keep municipal drinking water safe while providing a cost-saving opportunity for property owners. To support compliance with the Backflow Prevention By-law, the City is offering a limited-time subsidy to help cover the cost of installing premise isolation and fire protection backflow preventers.

Since 2022, the City’s Backflow Prevention By-law has applied to all industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) properties. It helps protect drinking water quality by requiring the installation of backflow preventers on water systems. 

Backflow preventers work by automatically closing if water tries to move in the wrong direction (due to a sudden change in pressure).  If there are unprotected connections between the building’s water and the public water system, harmful substances could be pulled or pushed into the clean water supply.

Through the Program, all industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) property owners are only required to pay a plumbing permit fee to have Backflow Preventers installed on their property.  The plumbing permit application can be completed online through Cloudpermit, and the City’s Backflow Coordinator can assist owners in applying for it. 

Paying only for a plumbing permit means paying a couple hundred dollars instead of a few thousand dollars once the program discontinues (and property owners are required to pay for their own installation costs).  Please note this is not for residential properties at this time.

For ICI property owners to start taking advantage of the program, contact Sharah Young, Backflow Coordinator, at 519-376-4274 ext. 3406 or syoung@owensound.ca.

What is Backflow?

Backflow is the undesired reversal of water flow within a plumbing system. This can occur two ways:

1. Backpressure: The pressure within a building is greater than the drinking water system pressure. This results in the water within that building being forced backward and into the drinking water system. 
2. Back Siphonage: The pressure in the drinking water system is decreased to a negative pressure resulting in the water within the building being siphoned into the drinking water system.

In these instances, the unprotected cross connections to the drinking water system can contain contaminants which can be drawn or forced back into the drinking water piping and distributed throughout the City water system. This can result in unsafe drinking water on the property and in the entire drinking water system, putting the citizens of the community at risk.

What is a Cross-Connection?

A cross-connection is any connection between drinking water and any source of pollution or contamination.  Cross connections pose a hazard to the drinking water system if backflow were to occur, causing contaminated water to enter the drinking water system.

What is a Backflow Prevention device?

A Backflow prevention device is a mechanical device installed on a water service downstream of the water meter to prevent backflow.

What steps is the City of Owen Sound taking?

The City of Owen Sound has already conducted a cross connection survey of the plumbing in properties that will require a backflow preventor. In this survey the risk of contamination was assessed for cross connections at these buildings.  Buildings will require a level of backflow protection appropriate to the level of risk.

The next step will be for the City to contact the property owners/managers and plan to have their backflow preventer installed.

Going forward after the installation of the backflow preventors, it will be the property owner’s responsibility to:

• Ensure their backflow prevention devices are tested and maintained every year by a certified backflow preventer tester.
• Have the tester submit the testing reports to the City (or their representative)

To comply with the City’s by-law, testable backflow preventers shall be field tested at the following times:

• Upon installation
• When cleaned, repaired, or overhauled
• When relocated
• When property ownership changes
• Annually