Lakewood doesn't have one backflow program because it doesn't have one water provider: Denver Water sells to nearly 20 providers inside the city, and each sets its own cross-connection rules. Find your provider on the water bill or the city's My Neighborhood tool, and for a test, a repair or a new assembly, call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Lakewood.
Lakewood's water patchwork
Lakewood is a big city with a complicated water map. Denver Water supplies the water, but it sells it to nearly 20 separate providers within city limits. The City of Lakewood's own drinking water utility is one of them; it owns its system, reads meters and bills customers as a Denver Water master-meter distributor. Others include Consolidated Mutual Water Company, Green Mountain, Bear Creek, Alameda, Bancroft-Clover, Bonvue and Lakehurst water and sanitation districts, Southwest Suburban Denver Water and Sanitation, and Denver Water itself.
Our fact sheet didn't turn up a backflow program for any single Lakewood provider, so we won't state a testing interval for the city as a whole. Whoever bills you sets the rules. The city's My Neighborhood tool shows the provider for a given address, and the provider can tell you whether your device needs an annual test and who may perform it.
On the City of Lakewood system, the city maintains the line to the meter pit and the property owner maintains the line from the pit to the building, so a backflow device on that stretch is the owner's. Other districts may draw the line differently. With a median build year of 1977 and about 56% of homes built before 1980, many Lakewood houses near Belmar, Green Mountain and along West Colfax have had sprinklers added years after construction.
Common devices compared
| Device | Where it shows up | Testable? |
|---|---|---|
| Hose bib vacuum breaker | Outdoor spigots | No, replace when worn |
| Pressure vacuum breaker | Residential sprinkler systems | Yes, has test cocks |
| Double check assembly | Lower-hazard lines, some fire systems | Yes |
| Reduced pressure assembly | Higher-hazard lines, commercial irrigation | Yes, with relief valve check |
Signs your device needs attention
- A letter from your water provider about a test or survey
- Water dripping or spraying from the device once sprinklers start
- Low pressure on irrigation zones after a winter
- A tester's report showing a failed check or relief valve
- Cracks or frost bulges in the brass body
Seasonal timing
Most backflow trouble in Lakewood shows up twice a year. In spring, when irrigation is recharged, a device that held water over the winter can leak from a split body or a frozen check. In fall, devices should be drained before nights drop below freezing. If your provider asks for a yearly test, scheduling it right after spring start-up lets the tester catch freeze damage at the same visit.
Backflow Testing questions in Lakewood
How can I tell which water provider serves my address?
How often does a backflow assembly need to be tested here?
Who pays for the backflow device and its upkeep?
Should the backflow preventer be checked when I turn the sprinklers on in spring?
More plumbing services in Lakewood
Backflow Testing nearby
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