According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 90% of Americans rely on public water systems for safe, reliable drinking water. While these utilities vary in both size and capacity, they are committed to providing water, free from contamination, from treatment facility to tap. It’s a massive challenge, considering that the distribution network extends into many buildings that may contain any number of actual or potential cross-connections with non-potable piping. Without proper protection, an unintentional flow reversal could bring drinking water into contact with pathogens, creating a health risk that might go undetected.

Many states and municipalities mandate that buildings be fitted with backflow prevention devices that allow drinking water to flow in one direction. Though quite effective in protecting drinking water, these devices also require regular, comprehensive inspection and maintenance by the utility for proper operation and performance.

Larger System Complexity

This effort can be particularly daunting for large water systems, given the number and variety of backflow prevention devices that must be assessed, tracked, and, if needed, repaired and reinspected. Then there are the bookkeeping and other administrative tasks necessary to carry out the program as intended. Without the right tools to help manage the process, even the most well-trained water system staff could easily find itself struggling to keep the inspection program on track, and with inspection data that is accurate and error-free.

The city of Chelsea, Massachusetts, wanted to avoid those costly and time-consuming pitfalls as it transitioned its backflow prevention inspection program from a contractor to in-house management. With a population of approximately 50,000 across 2.5 square miles, the city is one of New England’s most densely populated municipalities. As such, the city would have to perform approximately 2,000 inspections annually, each with different assessment, schedule, and reporting requirements. Though there were many technologies that could be used to develop the program, our challenge was to identify and optimize the best tools to match the city water system’s specific profile and needs, and meet the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s reporting requirements.

A Data-Driven Solution

Our resulting data-driven and tablet-based solution converted existing paper inspection documents into digital survey forms that can be filled out quickly and easily. We also augmented the tablet form with features that help expedite the inspections, including locating backflow devices on a building floorplan and highlighting only those fields relevant to the type of device being inspected.

Linking inspection tools to the city’s GIS and email systems helps speed the transfer of data between the field and the central office. For example, backflow devices that need to be inspected at a specific time appear on the tablet in a map or list format, and can be filtered any number of ways, such as by address or when the device was last inspected. Submitting the completed inspection automatically updates the city’s GIS and utility records, while a failed inspection can trigger notifications to the appropriate city staff.

City utility managers now access a dashboard that displays high-level data like the number of inspections performed, results by area or type, and locations of recent failed inspections." Michael Hanley

In addition, our team built a dashboard that provides city utility managers with a real-time visual of the program’s high-level metrics, such as the number of inspections performed, results by area or type, locations of most recent failed inspections, and other valuable data. The dashboard also helps the city identify and address emerging issues with a cross connection before they become more serious.

If ever there was a win-win tool for water system backflow prevention programs, this may well be it. The city of Chelsea has a fast, economical tool to consistently monitor the program while inspectors can focus on the actual process of assessing device performance, rather than filling out cumbersome forms by hand. Best of all, it’s an innovative approach to backflow prevention device management that can be adapted to any public water system of all sizes, benefitting both the utilities and the people who rely on them for safe drinking water.