April 30, 2025

Subject: Important Notice to Certified Backflow Testers – Program Transition Effective July 1, 2025

Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD) is posting this notice to inform backflow testers of a significant update regarding the administration of the backflow prevention program within our service area.

Effective July 1, 2025, Casitas Municipal Water District will assume full responsibility for the Backflow Prevention Program, a function previously managed by the County of Ventura Environmental Health Department (EHD). This transition is being made in response to updated requirements outlined in the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook.

To prepare for this transition:

• Submission of a valid certification from an ANSI-accredited organization (e.g. AWWA, etc.) and a gauge calibration report from within the last 12 months will be required. Submit by emailing certifications to backflow@casitaswater.com.
• Once your certifications have been reviewed and approved, your contact details will be added to Casitas’ list of certified testers. This list will be available online at www.casitaswater.org/backflow and provided to customers upon request.
• Submit results for tests completed through June 30, 2025 into the existing VCEHD portal. Starting July 1, 2025, all backflow test results must be submitted directly to Casitas Municipal Water District. Submissions to the County of Ventura EHD will no longer be accepted after this date.
• Existing VCEHD “BD Numbers” will be maintained to identify customer’s backflow devices for submission, while new and replaced devices may be assigned a separate naming convention. Due dates for submitting a passing test will be within the same timeframe of the VCEHD due dates, however, some due dates may be pushed back to allow for beta testing of the new test submission system after the transition. Due dates will be provided to customers on future correspondence from CMWD.

Casitas will be utilizing the Clappia internal data management system on an interim basis until a more comprehensive data management solution is implemented following the 2025 budget cycle. Further details regarding the new system will be shared once it becomes available.

If you have questions or would like to be added to our preliminary list of certified testers, please contact us at 805-649-2251 ext. 122 or email us at backflow@casitaswater.com.

We appreciate your continued partnership in protecting the public water system and look forward to working with you under this updated program.