JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of people are receiving notices in the mail from JEA about an annual test for their homes’ irrigation system, but some people thought it was a scam.
JEA said it sent 3,000 notices about having part of the irrigation system tested annually to keep the water from contaminating water sources of other customers.
Christy Rouzie, who has lived in her St. Johns County home for the last 10 years, recently received this notice from JEA.
“We thought it was a scam because these days a lot of things you get in the mail (are) a scam,” Rouzie said. “We thought that maybe it was a case of people wanting to pad their friends’ wallets.”
The notices are part of a pilot program asking people to have the backflow meter of their systems tested annually.
The backflow meter is important because as water flows from JEA to a home, the backflow meter ensures that the water will not flow back to JEA and cause contamination in water used by others.
JEA has a list of recommended vendors that can test backflow meters. Homeowners can also find their own vendors, as long as they are licensed, insured, state certified and abide by the JEA’s code of conduct.
“We have never been notified. As far as I know, this is the only letter we have ever gotten,” Rouzie said.
JEA said it will send more of the postcards until it receives results from customers who have had their backflow meters tested.