I write to you as a DC Water Cross Connection Control Specialist, in the District of Columbia and citizen of The Commonwealth of Virginia.

I have been advised that DPOR is considering the elimination of the backflow prevention device worker and applicable services that are critical to ensuring a safe and clean drinking water distribution system. The backflow prevention device worker ensures the highest level of proficiency needed to perform the task of field testing a backflow prevention assembly.

Presently, there are a number of cities whose residents have contracted poisons via their drinking water distribution system, many of which have not been tested for decades leading to widespread public dangers and health consequences of drinking and otherwise utilizing polluted or contaminated water. Backflow assembly testing is an important element in protecting the drinking water distribution system from contamination or pollution caused by backflow.

Given the forgoing, I urge you to consider this effort to eliminate the backflow prevention device worker, and thus the stoppage of proficiency high level backflow testing, which is the means of ensuring a safe and clean drinking water distribution system for our citizens.

To proceed with this ill-considered action would represent a dangerous depth of irresponsibility by those who implemented it or manifest this change.