This certification provides a valuable check and balance in protecting the safety of all public potable water distribution systems within the state of Virginia. The necessity to have certified professionals, which are required to be tested to ensure qualifications and experience, is vital to the success of every Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program within the state. Relying on noncertified individuals to test or repair these critical devices would be extremely detrimental to the overall safety and quality of potable water systems statewide and could easily endanger public safety immensely with possible contamination of potable water distribution systems. Furthermore, this would be in direct conflict with the proposed changes to the Virginia Department of Health Waterworks Regulations [12 VAC 5 -590], which have recently concluded their comments period, and are currently under review and final edit by the Waterworks Advisory Committee. These regulations are further slated to be final reviewed by the Virginia Board of Health in December of this year. The specific excerpt is as follows. [12 VAC 5 – 590 – 630] D. Starting January 1, 2022, persons testing and repairing backflow prevention assemblies and devices shall be certified by a Commonwealth of Virginia tradesman certification program (identified by DPOR as backflow prevention device workers). Until January 1, 2022, persons testing and repairing backflow prevention assemblies and devices shall be qualified to perform such work as demonstrated by possessing a certification or license from a local or state agency having legal authority or shall possess a certificate of completion of applicable vocational training acceptable to the owner.