In areas with higher than normal system pressure, the District owns and operates pressure reducing valves (PRVs) on the District side of the water meter.   These regulators are meant to protect the meter from the pressure, not protect the customer’s pipelines.

In the Districts ongoing effort to reduce systemwide pressure in our water mains we are installing larger Pressure Reducing Stations (PRS) to reduce the pressure in water mains where possible.  Once installed, the entire system in that area has lower pressure, but still above what is considered standard pressure inside of homes. All homes should already have a second pressure reducing valve installed, usually in a garage or where the pipeline enters the home.

As meters in the District are upgraded through the Water Service Upgrade Project (WSUP) the District’s PRV will be removed in areas where new PRS have been installed as these PRVs are no longer needed to protect the meter.  It is possible that the PRV at your home is not working correctly, so we encourage our customers to inspect and test their regulator. 

If you do not currently have a PRV on your side of the water service, you will need to have one installed as the system pressure – even when reduced by our larger PRS stations– could exceed the recommended pressure for inside homes (80 PSI).  This will ensure that you control the pressure at your home within the recommended pressure range.

For more details about this project go to WSUP

Please feel free to contact us by email at WSUP@rainbowmwd.com or by phone at (760) 728-1178 ext. 328.