Backflow Testing in Pittsboro, NC

Who is my water provider now?

For in-town homes, it's TriRiver Water, the regional utility run by the City of Sanford. Pittsboro approved a merger that handed Sanford its water and sewer operations, effective July 1, 2024. Three subdivisions outside town limits are different: Laurel Ridge, Chapel Ridge and The Parks at Meadowview are billed and serviced by Aqua, a private company, under a 2002 contract with the town. Out in the county around Pittsboro, homes may be on county or TriRiver lines or on private wells, depending on the address. Your bill is the quickest way to know whose rules you follow.

Does TriRiver require backflow testing?

Research couldn't confirm it. TriRiver's home page lists no cross-connection page, and its subpages couldn't be read. That's a gap in what's published, not proof there's no rule, so if you have irrigation, a pool or a business connection, call TriRiver customer service and ask whether a device and a yearly test are required, who may test, and how results are reported. Aqua customers should ask Aqua the same questions.

Why would a newer Pittsboro home need a device?

Because newer homes are the ones most likely to have sprinklers. Pittsboro's housing is young, with a median build year of 2002 and only about 11% of homes built before 1980, and the 7,100-acre Chatham Park development keeps adding more. Builders often hand over irrigation as part of the landscaping. Those lines run through soil where fertilizer and runoff collect, and a pressure drop in the main can pull that water back toward the house. A properly installed assembly stops it. After 10 or 20 years, the springs and rubber parts inside wear, so an original device may leak or fail even if nobody has ever asked for a test.

A local note on permits

Chatham County Central Permitting & Inspections handles building inspections for the Town of Pittsboro as well as unincorporated Chatham, including plumbing inspections. New irrigation work or a replacement assembly should go through that office. If your home is in an Aqua-serviced subdivision such as Chapel Ridge, ask Aqua as well whether it wants to know about the device, since the permit office and the water provider are separate.