How do I submit my backflow test report to Portland Water Bureau?
Good news: this is the step you almost never have to do yourself. The certified tester who performs your test files the report with the Portland Water Bureau as part of the job — it's standard practice, and the tester's certification number has to be on the report anyway.
How the paperwork actually flows
- The tester completes the test and records the results.
- The tester submits the report to the Water Bureau through the Bureau's current submission process. (Submission methods have changed over the years — the Bureau's testing requirements page documents the current process testers must follow.)
- You get a copy for your records. Keep it — it's your proof of compliance if records ever get crossed.
Your two jobs
- When you book, confirm report submission is included. It nearly always is, but asking takes five seconds and removes all doubt.
- Keep your copy.If a non-compliance notice arrives after you've tested, it usually means a report got lost or mismatched — your copy plus the sticker label info sorts it out quickly. Contact the Water Bureau and ask your tester to re-send the report.
If you tested outside Portland
Other purveyors in the metro area (Tualatin Valley Water District, Clackamas River Water, and others) have their own submission processes, but the pattern is the same everywhere: the certified tester files it, and you keep a copy. Your notice letter says which purveyor enforces your address.