Backflow Testing in Glendale, CO

Glendale's water and backflow tracking

Glendale is a small, dense city surrounded entirely by Denver along Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek. All of its water comes from Denver Water, but the City of Glendale maintains its own mains and bills customers directly, so questions about backflow go to Glendale Public Works at 303-639-4500 rather than Denver Water.

The city tracks annual tests on the backflow prevention assemblies in its system. If an assembly fails, its water page notes a 120-day retest requirement. Glendale is the most densely populated municipality in Colorado, and most of its water connections serve apartment buildings, offices, restaurants and retail along Colorado Boulevard and East Virginia Avenue, which tend to have assemblies on domestic, fire and irrigation lines.

Permits are handled locally, too. Glendale's building permit application covers plumbing work, and inspections are requested through the Building Department at 303-639-4605, with no Friday inspections.

What a visit usually looks like

Signs your assembly needs attention

• The yearly test date is coming up
• A failed result is sitting unresolved
• The relief valve on a reduced pressure assembly is discharging
• Low pressure at fixtures in a building with a domestic assembly
• Patio or courtyard irrigation devices that froze

Seasonal notes

Most Glendale assemblies are indoors, but irrigation devices around buildings and along the Cherry Creek Trail edge sit outside through freezing nights. Drain them in fall. Indoor assemblies don't freeze, but they still wear, and debris after main work can foul checks. Testing well before the anniversary date leaves room inside the 120-day window if repairs are needed.

Building managers can make the visit smoother by keeping a simple log: each assembly's location, size, serial number and last test result. Glendale's buildings often have several devices tucked into parking garages and mechanical rooms, and a log keeps a tester from missing one. Note any recent water main work nearby too, since debris is a common cause of failed checks.