In an effort to maintain the standards of public health and safety, Provo City's Water Resources Division has joined forces with the Fire Marshal's Office. According to a recent social media post by Provo City Government, these departments are coordinating to safeguard our drinking water while also ensuring that fire suppression systems meet code compliance.
It's a must by state code to have testable backflow prevention assemblies installed on fire suppression systems that are linked to the public water supply or that have a Fire Department Connection, with mandatory annual testing. Some of these older systems are set to undergo a retrofit, as the rules do not make exceptions for legacy installations when the safety of drinking water is the question.
The city acknowledges that retrofitting can lead to a hefty expenditure for businesses. They've communicated through their announcement, "While backflow protection is required, we encourage you to get multiple bids and do your due diligence to ensure fair pricing," as per the Provo City Government. The recommendation is to shop around, not just to comply with regulations but to do so in a financially prudent manner.
