Granby’s North Service Area water system, which services 1,725 residents, received two related violations from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment during a sanitary survey June 21. Both violations had to do with backflow prevention.

The first issue, a Tier 2 violation that the town posted a public notice for, involved the backflow prevention assembly testing compliance ratio for 2021. The health department requires a ration threshold of 0.90, and the service area only reached 0.88. 

Doug Bellatty, Granby’s water superintendent, said the ratios represent “the number of devices in the system versus the number of devices that were tested that year.”

Bellatty said the second violation came from improperly filling out paperwork related to backflow prevention, but emphasized that North Service Area customers do not need to worry about the violations now.

“The violation has already occurred,” Bellatty said. “That event has passed, and moving forward, we feel we have a very good handle on the program.”

New software already in use will help the town avoid these sorts of violations in the future, Bellatty said.

In the Aug. 9 board of trustees meeting, Town Manager Ted Cherry said the violations came from an “administrative error from an employee who is no longer with us.” Bellatty also characterized the violation as an administrative error, but did not comment on the status of any current or former employees.

“I’m not at liberty to respond to personnel related matters,” Bellatty said.

The town’s public notice advises people with questions about the violations to call the Granby Town Hall at (970) 887-2501 so a receptionist can put them in contact with a water representative.