Failure to Administer the Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control Program

Our water system recently identified a violation with the Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control Program administered by Highlands Ranch Water. Although this situation is not an emergency, as our customers you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. There is no evidence that the water you drink was affected.

What happened?

Backflow prevention devices prevent contaminants from a property’s irrigation system or fire suppression lines from entering the public drinking water supply. The state drinking water program requires that all public drinking water systems test each non-residential backflow prevention device annually. Also, the program requires that any device that fails a test is repaired within 120 days. Highlands Ranch Water received a violation because the water system did not follow these requirements for all 2,000 devices in the service area for the calendar year 2023 and 2024.

Uncontrolled cross connections can lead to a back pressure or siphonage event that may allow contaminants or disease-causing organisms to enter the drinking water, which can cause diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches.

What should I do?

You do not need to boil your water or take any other actions. Staff continuously monitors the drinking water system and analyzes over 1,800 distribution system samples annually and found no indications of any backflow event over the last 2 years.

What is being done to correct the situation?

Staff has updated our internal policies and procedures to ensure that the Program is appropriately administered going forward.

The problem was resolved as of May 2025. For more information, please contact our Service Department at 303-791-2185 or servicedepartmentcs@hrwater.org or in-person at 62 Plaza Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO.

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*

This notice is being sent to you by: Highlands Ranch Water - CO 0118015

Date distributed: June 10, 2025