Thieves Are Stealing This Unlikely Item in Northern Colorado
A lot of weird things get stolen by thieves daily. When we lived in Florida, the gutters were stolen from our home while we were at the grocery store. I mean, who steals something like gutters? Sure, they did it for the scrap metal, but there is not a lot of weight to a 15-foot section of gutter and downspout.
One Northern Colorado city has been hit by a series of thefts on devices that assist in plumbing. The city of Longmont has reported that 24 of these devices have been stolen from local parks and at least five Longmont businesses have reported thefts too.
Backflow Preventers Are Being Stolen in Longmont
A backflow preventer stops water from flowing back into the main water line. These devices are used on mitigation lines to protect the water quality of many cities in public places, businesses, and homes.
In 2024, a state law was passed mandating the installation of backflow preventers in certain water-related systems. One of those systems is irrigation in public parks. These plumbing-related devices are costly and Longmont has seen a sharp increase in backflow preventer thefts.
Why Are Backflow Preventers Being Stolen in Colorado?
Longmont Public Safety posted the notice of the thefts on Facebook and someone asked why these items would be stolen. The common thought is that thieves are stealing these large backflow preventers to scrap them.
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The other possibility is that since the need for them is much higher under the new state law, and there is a delay in getting them due to need, they are stealing them and installing them to continue their work.
Longmont Public Safety replied to one comment. See the Facebook post from Longmont Public Safety below:
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