Cross Connection Control

A cross-connection is any connection between your safe drinking water and a source of pollution or contamination. If it is not properly protected, unsafe water can flow back into your home pipes—or even into the city’s water system.

Cross-connections can happen in everyday situations, like a hose left in a bucket of water or certain plumbing fixtures installed incorrectly. By finding and preventing these connections, Milwaukee Water Works keeps your drinking water safe for you, your family, and the community.

• Backsiphonage: This occurs when water pressure suddenly drops, such as:
  • A fire hydrant is opened.
  • A water main breaks.
  • A pump loses power.
  • Repairs are being made to the system.

These events can suck water from sinks, hoses, or buckets back into the pipes.

• Backpressure: Backpressure happens when equipment in your home, like a boiler, creates more pressure than the city water system. This can push contaminated water back into your plumbing.

Here are examples of where unsafe water could mix with drinking water:

• A hose submerged in a sink or bucket.
• A toilet fill valve sitting below the water line.
• A shower hose without a backflow preventer.
• A water softener drain pipe connected directly to the sewer.

• Keep hose ends out of sinks, tubs, and buckets.
• Install hose bibb backflow prevention devices on threaded faucets indoors and outdoors.
• Make sure dishwashers and water softeners have a proper air gap (a space above the drain).
• Do not leave hoses submerged in pools, ponds, or containers.
• Store garden hoses on a rack, not on the ground.

We check for potential cross-connections when we replace a water meter. Our meter technician will look for risky connections, such as threaded laundry tub faucets.

If needed, we will give you hose bibb backflow prevention devices to install yourself. For liability reasons, our technicians cannot attach them.

Questions?

Call Milwaukee Water Works – Meter Services at (414) 286-8000, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.