North Penn Water Authoritys Response to Issues Raised about Backflow Prevention Devices in Sellersville Feb.

. 13, 2013 North Penn Water Authority (NPWA) is required by law by the Safe Drinking Water Act to install backflow prevention devices in customers homes. This protects the public water supply from contamination due to possible backflow of water from peoples homes into the distribution system. Its the homeowners responsibility to keep their internal plumbing systems functioning properly. NPWA does not own the households internal plumbing equipment, so we have no right and no obligation to pay for such repairs that may be necessary to maintain their systems. Our new meters and backflow prevention devices are NPWAs property. We pay for these devices and their installation, at no cost to the homeowner. It is costing NPWA $837,000 to install these necessary devices in all of our approximately 1,800 new customers in Sellersville. NPWA is meeting our responsibility as the owner of the water supply system to be in compliance with all legal requirements. Likewise, homeowners need to meet their responsibility as the owner of their internal plumbing systems to maintain them in compliance with code requirements, and upgrade when necessary. The very fact that some homeowners are experiencing some leakage from their hot water heaters is proof that the device is doing exactly what it was designed to do that is, to protect the public water supply from occasional occurrences of backflow. NPWA has installed 850 of these devices in Sellersville over the past few months. Only 2% of those homeowners have contacted us to inquire about the leakage problem. So 98% -- the vast majority are experiencing no problems. This is proof in itself that the situation is not some sort of widespread dangerous situation that everyone in the community should be fearful of. The leakage problem is not a mystery. It has a simple solution. If necessary, the homeowner would need to install a small thermal expansion tank on the hot water heater. This solves the problem and there is no danger. A plumber can do this for a modest cost usually a couple of hundred dollars.

Even in homes where there is no thermal expansion tank installed, the new backflow prevention device will not necessarily create a pressure buildup in the internal plumbing system that is significant enough to cause a hazardous condition. In the few instances where it does cause some degree of pressure buildup, the failsafe mechanism is the pressure relief valve located on the hot water heater, which will leak and discharge water in order to relieve the excess pressure. That is what it is designed to do. If that happens, then the homeowner can readily see that an expansion tank is necessary, and can make arrangements for a plumber to install it. This is a simple solution. NPWA gives the customer a written notice describing the situation on the same day that we install the device, so they are made aware. We cant ask the homeowner for permission to install the backflow prevention device, or take a public opinion poll, because if the homeowner refuses then we would be operating a public water supply system in violation of the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This is not discretionary. It has to be installed, for the good of the general public, to protect water quality. If that means that some homeowners have to spend some additional money to upgrade their internal household plumbing systems to bring it up to code, then that is rightfully the responsibility of the homeowner to incur that cost. There are a couple of people in Sellersville who attended a recent Borough Council meeting who are on a self-appointed crusade to incite fear of an impending catastrophe lurking in peoples basements from exploding hot water heaters. There is absolutely no need to unnecessarily alarm people about some impending disaster that simply is not going to happen. Such unfounded fear-mongering is totally unnecessary and misguided. We simply have not had the experience of hot water heaters blowing up amongst our many thousands of customers. In the example cited in Mr. ORiordans letter about the Middletown Borough Councils experience with this issue in May, 2005, he neglected to mention that in a subsequent meeting in July, 2005 that Borough Council voted to NOT reimburse the homeowners for any costs incurred to install the thermal expansion tanks, because it was properly seen as the responsibility of the homeowners to pay for them. He apparently did not mention this important detail.

NPWA has spent 4.6 million dollars to purchase the Sellersville water supply system, and were spending several million dollars more to upgrade the infrastructure to the required modern standards, including the replacement of water mains, valves, and hydrants. NPWA abandoned Sellersvilles old surface water source and its wells that had contamination problems, and instead has brought in superior quality water from the Forest Park Water Treatment Plant. Water quality has dramatically improved in the Borough. NPWA was brought into Sellersville to solve the many problems that existed for many years with the old water supply system, and that is exactly what we are doing we are solving the problems. The water quality in Sellersville today is better than it has ever been before, because of the efforts of NPWA. The water pressure and the reliability of water service in Sellersville today is better than it has ever been before, because of the efforts of NPWA. The fire protection in Sellersville today is better than it has ever been before, because of the efforts of NPWA. At the same time, NPWA has committed to freezing the rates for customers for 10 years. The rate is 5.28 per thousand gallons. The average customer will pay $353 per year for water, which is 97 cents per day for an entire household of water supply. Thats the best bargain in town. Thats less than one dollar per day for an entire household supply of water a rate guaranteed to not increase for 10 years. So, yes, NPWA is very sensitive to the economic difficulties that people are facing today, and has responded accordingly. Our pricing structure is fair, reasonable, and prudent. NPWA is a municipally owned, public, non-profit organization. We make no profits and we send no dividend money to shareholders. All the money we make goes into operating the organization and the water supply system, and making capital improvements to the infrastructure. Mr. ORiordans accusation in his letter that NPWA is concerned only about profits is not true we have no profits.