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Is Your Hose a Health For More Your , Information Hazard? kitchen sink sprayer, If you want to know more about back- and sprinkler system flow prevention, please call: The City of Everett’s are just a few of the ways Cross Connection Specialist 425-257-8800 chemicals or bacteria

could get into your Other brochures available from the home’s drinking . City of Everett: • Is Your Water Safe? This brochure explains • Where Does Your Water Come From? what to do to protect • Concerned About Lead? yourself and your family • Annual Drinking Water Quality Report from this potential Please call the City of Everett Public Works Department for copies of any of health hazard. these brochures at 425-257-8889.

Brought to you by the City of Everett Your Garden Hose Cross Connections Backflow Prevention The Potential Danger The Other Potential Hazards What You Can Do In Your System

t looks harmless enough, but your garden our outdoor hose faucet is actually a he dangers described in this brochure hose-and other hoses around your house- potential cross connection. A cross can occur where unprotected cross I are potential health hazards to your family. Y connection is a point in a plumbing system T connections exist. Inexpensive and Garden hoses, showerheads attached to hoses, where the drinking water supply is connected or easy-to-install backflow prevention devices and kitchen hose sprayers can be found in many can be connected to a non-drinking water source. for all threaded faucets around your home are homes. Left in the wrong place, they could hurt Other examples of potential cross connections available at major hardware or plumbing sup- you and your family. are irrigation sprinkler systems, swimming pools, ply stores. Buy and install hose faucet vacuum boiler systems, and fire sprinkler systems. breakers. They are available for approximately A hazard may be created when one of these hose $5 to $10. And always keep hose ends out of ends comes in contact with a potentially harmful The water delivered to your home by the City’s contaminated water sources. substance such distribution system is perfectly safe to drink. But as chemicals, poisons, it can become contaminated through unprotected Backflow prevention assemblies for landscape or bacteria. This can hap- cross connections. There are irrigation systems are more expensive. These pen when the hose end is two types of backflow which may occur at systems require a double check valve assembly at left submerged in bath wa- cross connections. The first type, called back- a minimum. Contact your landscape contractor, ter, dish water or any other siphonage, is caused by a negative or reduced plumber, local plumbing store, contaminated water. Using in the water supply line. or the City of Everett Public Works Department for a sprayer hose attachment This could be the result of accidental construction more details. outside to apply weed damage to a water pipeline killer could also present or firefighters battling a nearby fire. a hazard. Such incidents are not uncommon. A sudden drop in pres- sure inside the water Another type of backflow, called backpressure, line could cause these may occur whenever the drinking water sup- contaminants to be sucked right back into ply line is connected to another system your home’s drinking water supply. operating at a higher pressure, a booster pump, a boiler system or other Pressure may also build up inside a hose left on pressurized systems, such as high-rise with a shut-off attached. Especially if building water systems. left in the hot sun, high pressure may force bad tasting water inside the hose into your home’s plumbing.