How can this happen?

Contamination of drinking water is usually the result of cross-connections of piping between your drinking water and some other source such as an irrigation well, pond, swimming pool, or Clear Lake. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) estimates over 100,000 cross-connections occur each day - half of these from garden hoses. Backflow preventers are designed and installed to prevent the flow of water backwards through the pipe.

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1. What is a Backflow prevention program?
2. What is a cross-connection?
3. What is backflow?
4. How can this happen?
5. What is an indirect cross-connection?
6. If I have a well that is not connected to drinking water, do I still need a backflow preventer?
7. Why does this backflow preventer need to be installed in the front of my house?
8. Can I cover or hide the backflow preventer?
9. Why do backflow preventers need to be tested every year?
10. My backflow preventer sometimes leaks water from a relief valve. Can I remove or plug the valve to prevent water loss?