Backflow Testing in Rocky Mount, NC

Rocky Mount's backflow rules

The City of Rocky Mount Water Resources department has run its Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control policy since January 1, 2008. It sorts connections by type. Irrigation meters need a reduced pressure assembly (RPA). The one exception: if the owner certifies there's no chemical injection and no booster pump, a double check valve assembly (DCVA) is allowed. All fire lines need at least a DCVA, and so do commercial services.

Testing is tied to size and to the city's judgment. Assemblies 2 inches and larger, plus any others the Cross Connection Control manager specifies, are tested within 15 days of service activation and then every year. Only testers on the city's certified tester list may do the work, and they have 10 business days to send results to the city.

The policy places these assemblies on the customer's side of the meter, so they're the owner's to maintain. Rocky Mount also has an older housing stock, with about 52% of homes built before 1980, and the pipe where an assembly goes is often original. City water is chloraminated and comes from the Tar River.

RPA or double check: which one Rocky Mount wants

Signs it's time to call

• A new irrigation meter is going in and you need the right assembly installed
• The city has asked for a test on a device 2 inches or larger
• An RPA is dumping water from its relief port
• A test failed, or the device was damaged by frost or a vehicle
• You're opening a business in a building with an unknown service setup

Timing notes

The 15-day window after activation is easy to miss on new irrigation and new commercial accounts, so line up a tester before the meter is set. For annual tests, book a few weeks ahead of the due date so there's room for a repair and retest if the device fails. RPAs mounted above ground need freeze protection each winter; their relief valve and test cocks are the parts most often cracked by a hard freeze. In spring, have the assembly looked at before the first irrigation cycle rather than discovering a leak with the system running.