FAQ's

Water Line Breaks

Questions about service line and main line breaks.

What if I have a water line break?
During business hours (Monday - Friday 7:00 am- 4:00 pm), call (321) 433-8890.

In case of emergencies after hours (weekends and holidays), call (321) 433-8400.

Cross Connection

Protecting your home against cross connections.

Without proper protection devices, something as useful as your garden hose has the potential to poison your home's water supply. In fact, over half of the nation's cross-connections involve unprotected garden hoses.

What is a cross-connection?
A cross-connection is a permanent or temporary piping arrangement which can allow your drinking water to be contaminated if a back-flow condition occurs.

What is back-flow?
It's just what it sounds like: the water is flowing in the opposite direction from its normal flow. With the direction of flow reversed due to a change in pressures, back-flow can allow contaminants to enter our drinking water system through cross-connections.

A potentially hazardous cross-connection occurs every time someone uses a garden hose sprayer to apply insecticides or herbicides to their lawn. Another cross-connection occurs when someone uses their garden hose to clear a stoppage in their sewer line.

Without a back-flow prevention assembly between your hose and hose bibb (spigot or outside faucet), the contents of the hose and anything it is connected to can back-flow into the piping system and contaminate your drinking water.

This hazardous situation can affect more than a single home. In 1977, an entire town in North Dakota had to be rationed drinking water from National Guard water trucks while the town's water distribution system was flushed and disinfected following contamination by DDT. Investigation determined that two residents spraying DDT had made direct cross-connections to their homes. A back-flow condition had occurred, sucking the DDT through the home piping systems and out into the town's water distribution system.

Back-flow due to cross-connections can be a serious plumbing problem. it can cause sickness and even death. However, it can be avoided by the use of proper back-flow prevention assemblies. Each spigot at your home should have a hose-bibb vacuum breaker installed. This is a simple, inexpensive assembly which can be purchased at any plumbing or hardware store. Installation is as easy as attaching your garden hose to a spigot.


Are you unknowingly exposing your family to potentially harmful bacteria and viruses?
All too often, people who use a blue dye toilet tank freshener complain about "blue water" appearing at their kitchen sink. Where did this "blue water" come from? That's right - the toilet tank!

And, did you know that you may be exposing yourself and your family to bacteria and viruses just by flushing your toilet? Experts say that each time you flush your toilet, a little bit of sewer gas seeps into your toilet tank. To prevent the seepage of sewer gas and the germs associated with it from getting back into your drinking water, it is essential that the toilet flush valve in your toilet tank be properly air-gaped from the water contained in your toilet tank. An air gap is essential to prevent a cross-connection between your drinking water and the sewer.

Air gaps eliminate cross-connections between your drinking water and the contaminated water in your toilet tank. Unfortunately, not all toilet flush valves provide this essential air gap. If a cross-connection exists, the slightest change in water pressure could allow contaminated water to back-flow into your house, including your kitchen sink. To prevent this type of back-flow, be sure to install a plumbing-code approved toilet flush valve.

The air inlet on the flush valve must be located above the water level maintained in the tank by the float and the overflow pipe. It is important that the refill tube be attached to the over-flow pipe and properly air gaped above. Incorrect installations create cross-connections.

For more information on cross-connection control and back-flow prevention for your home or business, please contact the Transmission / Distribution Division- City of Cocoa Utilities Department at (321) 433-8810.

Attention Property Owners

Effective: October 1, 2008
The City of Cocoa Utilities Department will have a contractor test your back-flow prevention assembly each year. The cost for this will be on your monthly utility bill.

Do not hire a plumber or contractor to test your back-flow assembly.

If you have questions, please contact:
City of Cocoa
Utilities Department
351 Shearer Blvd.
Cocoa, Florida 32922

Meters

Who owns the water meter?
City of Cocoa Utilities Department owns the meter and the back-flow prevention assembly as well as the pipes connecting them to our system. The property owner owns the from the outside of the back-flow prevention assembly into the building or home and is responsible for repair and maintenance.