In an effort to protect local water supplies from contamination or pollution, Dougherty County passed a new ordinance in January that requires “approved backflow preventers or devices … on main water service lines for all business and residential locations, and particularly on irrigation systems.” One of the few companies in Georgia certified to install, test and service backflow preventers is located right here in Albany: Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow Inc. With such a new law on the books, one might assume the family business would be swamped with calls about installing backflow preventers, but that has not necessarily been the case.

“Since the law took effect nearly eight months ago, we’ve found that no one is enforcing it,” said Ward Summerell, owner of Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow. “We’ve talked with local leaders about creating a permitting process with required annual inspections, but nothing has been done thus far.”

Protecting the public health
Backflow prevention assemblies are used to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution when system pressure fails or drops significantly creating a backflow condition.  According to Summerell, federal law and local laws in other areas that mandate backflow preventers typically require installation by a certified technician and annual inspections.

“That’s the only way to ensure backflow preventers will perform properly and protect the public health,” Summerell added.

There are three generally accepted certification programs in the United States for backflow prevention device installation, testing and servicing run by the American Backflow Association, the University of Southern California, and the University of Florida’s Center for Training, Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (TREEO). Summerell and his team work with the TREEO Center for certification.

Although the backflow prevention market in southwest Georgia is relatively small today, Summerell is confident it will grow as enforcement efforts increase.

Managing a precious commodity: water
In addition to backflow services, Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow provides installation and service for lawn irrigation systems. Summerell strives to educate every customer on the best irrigation system to install and the right way to use it.  For example, his company installs a rain sensor on every new system to avoid unnecessary irrigation.

“Water is a precious commodity,” Summerell said.  “When we waste water, we’re not being good stewards of our environment and our limited resources.”

Since 1999, Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow has installed and serviced irrigation systems for residential, commercial and industrial customers.  The economic downturn has caused many customers to cut back on spending on irrigation.

“Installing a new sprinkler system or upgrading landscaping is a luxury item for many people,” Summerell said.  “As the economy recovers, I expect our business to get back to where it was pre-recession.”

According to Summerell, Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow has the largest share of the service market for irrigation systems and is growing its share of the installation market. The company continues to add new customers mostly through referrals.

Looking to local leadership
Beyond enforcement of the municipal ordinance mandating backflow prevention, Summerell would like local leaders to require all workers on any project to have proper documentation.  Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow uses a payroll service to verify that its workers have passed a background check and are legally able to work in the United States.

“There is a process to enter and work in our country legally and we need to follow it,” Summerell said.  “Illegal workers are a drain on our country’s resources.”

Along the same lines, Summerell believes local government needs to ensure all contractors have the appropriate licensing and certification.  Enforcing these standards not only helps licensed and certified contractors, it protects the public from substandard, potentially unsafe work.

For more information on Advanced Sprinkler and Backflow, Inc., contact Ward Summerell at [email protected].

About Barbara Kieker

Barbara Kieker is a freelance writer who writes on business-related topics for a number of web-based properties. She also provides communications services to Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.