<div>CONTACT: Michel KadahPrincipal EngineerVentura County Waterworks District No.8City of Simi Valley(805) 583-6893To protect Simi Valley’s drinking water from potential contamination, Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8 adopted Ordinance No. WWD-18, which is focused on maintaining water safety. This ordinance requires homeowners and businesses to install, maintain, and test backflow prevention devices, which stop harmful substances from flowing back into the public water system. It also prohibits cross-connections that could compromise water quality. Businesses and homeowners identified to have a cross-connection on their property must comply with the new regulations by July 1, 2025, ensuring that backflow prevention devices are properly installed and regularly maintained."Keeping our water safe is a shared responsibility," said Simi Valley City Manager Samantha Argabrite. "By following this new ordinance, each of us contributes to protecting the health of our community. This helps ensure our water supply stays clean and safe by preventing harmful substances from entering the public system."Ordinance No. WWD-18 was enacted on May 15, 2023, to set requirements for the installation, maintenance, and testing of backflow devices and to prohibit cross-connections. Following July 1, 2025, Ordinance No. WWD-18 will be revised to comply with new requirements set forth by the California State Water Resources Control Board in the Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook (CCCPH).These standards require water purveyors to protect the quality and safety of their potable water supplies from potential backflow from customer properties into a water purveyor’s water distribution system. A cross-connection is an unprotected, actual or potential connection between the District’s potable water system and any source or system containing unapproved water or a substance that is not or cannot be approved as safe, wholesome, and potable. Backflow is a reverse flow of water, or any other fluid or substance or any combination or any mixture thereof, from the customer’s system into the District’s potable water distribution system.Water users are responsible for the annual testing and maintenance of backflow prevention assemblies to ensure their proper operation. If a customer’s backflow prevention assembly is out of compliance with the annual test requirement, the District reserves the right to have the assembly tested by a certified backflow tester and charge the customer accordingly. Charges shall consist of an inspection fee, testing fee, and penalty fee. After sending the customer a second notice that their assembly is out of compliance with the annual test requirement, the District reserves the right to terminate water service.Until July 1, 2025, Ventura County Environmental Health Division (VCEHD) is contracted to implement the District’s Cross-Connection Control Program. To determine whether your property is out of compliance with the annual test requirement, please contact Kenneth Drake at (805) 654-3634 (kenneth.drake@ventura.org) or Ron Ventura at (805) 654-3519 (ron.ventura@ventura.org). The customer is responsible for contracting a certified tester. For general questions regarding Cross-Connection Control, please contact City of Simi Valley, Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8, Marcos Ferreccio at (805) 583-6804 or (mferreccio@simivalley.org).A list of Ventura County Environmental Health Division (VCEHD) certified backflow prevention assembly testers may be found by visiting: https://www.vcrma.org/backflow/. After July 1, 2025, only certified testers with a valid ANSI-accredited backflow certification (e.g. AWWA) will be accepted. A list of AWWA certified backflow testers may be found visiting: https://ca-nv-awwa.org/canv/CNS/Professional_Certification/Credential_Lookup/. </div>

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Backflow Prevention Ordinance Keeps Simi Valley’s Drinking Water Safe

To protect Simi Valley’s drinking water from potential contamination, Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8 adopted Ordinance No. WWD-18, which is focused on maintaining water safety. This ordinance requires homeowners and businesses to install, maintain, and test backflow prevention devices, which stop harmful substances from flowing back into the public water system. It also prohibits cross-connections that could compromise water quality.