Backflow Testing in Apex, NC

Apex calls itself the Peak of Good Living, and the irrigation systems ringing neighborhoods like Bella Casa and Sweetwater are part of why those lawns stay green through a Triangle summer. Every one of those systems sits on a backflow assembly — an RPZ or double-check valve whose only job is to keep lawn chemicals, well water, and irrigation runoff from ever flowing backward into the drinking supply. The Town of Apex takes that seriously, which is why it runs its own cross-connection control program.

Two markets, one testing standard

Apex is really two housing markets stacked together. The established 1990s and 2000s subdivisions — Scotts Mill, Haddon Hall and their neighbors — have assemblies that are quietly reaching replacement age, where worn check springs and stuck relief valves start failing tests. Then there is the heavy 2010s–2020s new-construction wave, where irrigation and backflow density runs high and many owners are facing their first test cycle. We work both ends of that spectrum every week.

When we test, we bring calibrated gauges, run the full procedure on your assembly, and tell you on the spot whether it passed. If it passed, we file the report. If it failed, we walk you through repair or replacement before the deadline becomes a problem — no scrambling, no second vendor.

Apex water is treated at the jointly owned Cary/Apex plant drawing from Jordan Lake, and the Town of Apex runs its own cross-connection control program separate from the county. The testing schedule depends on what kind of assembly you have, so it pays to know which bucket your property falls into.

Commercial assemblies must be tested annually — every year, without exception. For residential irrigation, the rules changed under North Carolina Senate Bill 166 (effective February 2025): standard residential irrigation assemblies now test every three years instead of annually. The catch is that booster-pump and chemical-feed assemblies still require annual testing regardless of whether they serve a home, so those higher-hazard setups did not get the longer interval.

However you are scheduled, the certified tester — that’s us — must submit your passing report electronically to the Town through the AquaResource portal within 10 days of the test. For residential irrigation on the three-year cycle, the deadline to have testing completed is July 31 of your assigned year. We confirm which year and interval applies to your address, test on time, and file the report so the Town has it on record well before any cutoff.