Lafayette requires every backflow assembly on commercial and non-single-family accounts to be tested once a year, with irrigation reports due by May 31 and domestic and fire assemblies by August 31 on BSI Online. The city owns the water line only to the meter pit. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Lafayette.
Lafayette at a glance
Lafayette runs its own water and wastewater. Treated water reaches about 10,000 properties from four reservoir intakes, Baseline, Waneka and the two Goose Haven reservoirs, and the city measures chlorine as its disinfectant. Sewage goes to the city's Water Reclamation Facility, which releases treated water to Coal Creek. The city owns the water service line from the main to the meter pit; from the pit to the building is the owner's.
What to do first
- Turn off water at the fixture, or at the building's main if a leak is spreading.
- Stop using any drain that's backing up and put out wet-floor signs.
- For a main break or sewer backup in the public system, call Public Works at 303-661-1277, or Boulder County Dispatch at 303-441-4444 after hours and on weekends.
- If anyone smells gas, get everyone outside, then call 911 and the gas utility shown on your bill.
- Photograph any damage and note the time.
- Call the number on this page for a plumber on the private side.
Symptoms and causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Irrigation assembly leaking at spring startup | Freeze damage or worn internal parts |
| Fire line assembly due for testing | The annual cycle, with reports due by August 31 |
| Wet spot between the meter pit and the building | A leak on the owner's service line |
| Kitchen drains slow by late afternoon | Grease and food solids collecting in the line |
| Hot water running short during service | A heater too small for the business or near the end of its life |
Cost factors
Most of the cost depends on the scope of the job: the number of fixtures, the size of the building and how hard the problem is to reach. Lafayette's backflow program adds its own timeline. Each assembly on a commercial or non-single-family account must be tested yearly by an ABPA- or ASSE-certified tester, and fire sprinkler assemblies also call for a Colorado Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow certification. A failed test has to be reported within 24 hours, and the assembly repaired and retested within five days. Missing deadlines can lead to water shutoff, so a failed device can mean fast parts and labor. Excavation on the owner's line, after-hours scheduling and permits from the Planning and Building Department's Building Division also affect the price.
Commercial Plumbing questions in Lafayette
Does a business here need its backflow assemblies tested every year?
Do fire sprinkler and irrigation services need their own backflow protection?
Where does the utility's share of the water service line end?
Who do we call if a water main or meter problem shuts down the building?
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