Backflow Testing in Moreno Valley, CA

Two water providers, one set of questions

Moreno Valley was formed in 1984 from Sunnymead, Edgemont and Moreno, and its water still reflects that history. The city's General Plan utilities study lists Eastern Municipal Water District for most of the city and Box Springs Mutual Water Company for a western area of roughly 430 acres that takes in the Edgemont neighborhood. Backflow rules follow the water provider, so the first step is knowing which one bills you.

EMWD's program covers customer site surveys and the inspection and testing of new backflow devices, and test and maintenance reports are sent to Backflow@emwd.org. EMWD notes that single-family homes are not generally required to have a backflow device, so the typical EMWD customer with an assembly is a business, an HOA landscape meter or a property where a survey turned up a hazard. Box Springs Mutual's backflow rules were not confirmed; Edgemont-area customers should ask that company at 951-653-6419. Moreno Valley homes have a median build year of about 1988, so plenty of original irrigation systems, and the vacuum breakers that often protect them, have been in the ground for decades.

Which assembly do you have?

Signs the device needs attention

• An email or letter from EMWD asking for a test report
• Steady water from the relief port of an RP assembly
• Low flow to sprinklers downstream of the device
• Green corrosion or a drip at a test cock or union
• A new tenant, buyer or manager who has never seen a test record

Timing and seasonal notes

Hot, dry summers keep irrigation running hard, and that is when a weak check valve or a cracked vacuum breaker shows itself. Schedule a test before the heavy watering months if a report is due. Santa Ana wind events can strip landscaping and expose above-ground units to sun damage, and an occasional frosty winter morning is a good reason to cover an exposed assembly. If the device sits next to the street, check for impact damage after construction work nearby.