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Council amends backflow control ordinance to ease annual testing for residential irrigation
Summary
City amended Article 11.100 to exempt nonhazardous residential irrigation backflow preventers from required annual testing; devices must still be inspected at installation and whenever a hazardous change occurs; staff said TCEQ allows the change.
The City Council approved Ordinance O2025-11 amending Article 11.100 (Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program) to eliminate the requirement that nonhazardous residential irrigation backflow preventers be tested annually.
A member of staff explained that under the amendment residential irrigation backflow assemblies would still need inspection at installation and after any substantial system change, but would not be subject to annual testing unless the device changed classification to a hazardous connection (for example, by adding a chemical feed). The presenter said the current ordinance required annual testing for every backflow preventer and that noncompliance could draw action from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; the amendment aligns local practice with what many comparable cities use.
Council approved the ordinance on a voice vote. Staff said the state (TCEQ) is "okay with that" and that the change is intended to reduce compliance burden for homeowners while maintaining protections for the potable water system.
