The Ottawa Backflow Prevention Program (Ottawa’s backflow prevention) is now restarting after the pandemic forced the program to pause for two years.

In a memo addressed to city council members, Scott Laberge, Director of Technology, Innovation and Engineering Services, says notifications to property owners will be mailed starting in May.

The program had been temporarily suspended in March 2020.

At that time, about 7,900 property owners were notified, and 2,500 property owners still need to be notified.

Mailings will be sent to affected property owners in monthly batches, with all notifications expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Laberge wrote: "At this time, staff do not anticipate any impacts or delays to the original 10-year program implementation plan."

In June 2017, city council approved the program implementation plan, which aims to protect drinking water quality by ensuring proper installation and inspection of devices that would prevent water from flowing back into the system, reducing the likelihood of contamination.

The program focuses on preventing backflow incidents from industrial, commercial, institutional buildings, and some residential buildings.

Laberge continues, "Backflow prevention is important for public safety and the long-term integrity of the city’s drinking water system."

The plan focuses on ensuring compliance again for buildings that pose high or medium risk under the applicable law.

To ensure building owners comply with the program, all affected property owners must do the following:

Conduct an on-site survey every five years to identify risks and notify the city of backflow prevention requirements for review.

Install isolation devices to prevent contaminants from entering the city water supply.

Test backflow devices annually to ensure they function properly and submit test results to the city for review.

The program started in January 2018, and it was expected to notify 200 property owners monthly from January to June 2019, increasing to 275 monthly notifications from June 2019 to late 2022.

It was expected that about 15,500 property owners would be notified by the end of the program’s fifth year.

To meet the original program timelines, notifications will be accelerated on a monthly basis.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair