The city of Brighton, Colorado notified residents Aug. 23, 2019 that the city was out of compliance with state standards for backflow testing within their jurisdiction. City officials said the problem was a result of clerical errors. The city did not submit a status report to the state concerning the required testing reports for backflow preventer to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,(CDPHE).

By regulation at least 70 percent of the city’s commercial customers must turn in backflow reports to the city, who then submits that information to the CDPHE. When the city of Brighton sent in the reports in 2018, there were a number of duplicate reports which brought the city’s numbers below the required percentage. City and state officials say the issue isn’t over the water’s quality, which is tested regularly and reported to the CDPHE.

MaryAnn Nason, a CDPHE official stated that the water quality had not been impacted but also made clear that Brighton needs to meet state sanitary quality assurance requirements that includes testing backflow assemblies. In the future the hope is that city council will vote to require stricter reporting requirements for local businesses to prevent future non-compliance issues.