McAllen utility staff outline expanded backflow prevention notice, testing and enforcement measures

Mark Vega, general manager of McAllen Public Utilities (MPU), told the McAllen City Commission at a Feb. 24 workshop that MPU has revised its backflow prevention policy to increase customer notice and to ensure yearly testing required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The changes include a 90-day initial notice, followed by 60-day and 30-day reminders; a list of licensed testers provided with the notice; a standing subcontractor who can be dispatched to test devices when account holders do not respond; and the possibility of interrupting water service for devices found noncompliant if the owner does not repair or replace them. "This is for information only," Vega said, adding the goal is to educate commissioners so they can answer constituent questions.

The revisions respond to recurring backflow incidents across Texas that have led to boil-water notices and other contamination events, Vega said. He cited MPU deployments to aid other cities including Laredo, San Angelo and Corpus Christi and said those experiences prompted policy review. "In each one of these deployments that we assist, we learn something that we didn't know before. And we come and we compare that with our existing policy and ask the question, how do we make our policy better?" Vega said.

MPU staff explained the hazards that backflow — water flowing in reverse from a customer connection back into the distribution main — can cause, distinguishing nuisance issues such as taste and odor from health hazards that can cause illness or death. Edward Gonzales, MPU water systems director, and Juan Vallejo, assistant director, joined Vega for the presentation and described causes such as backsiphonage during a large main leak or backpressure from pumped buildings.

On enforcement and cost: Vega said MPU previously sent a single 30-day notice and judged that timeframe insufficient. The new notice sequence is intended to give homeowners and businesses more time to schedule annual testing, which MPU logs to demonstrate compliance with TCEQ requirements. The notice includes a list of licensed testers; staff said typical test prices range about $35 to $50 depending on provider. "It ranges... we've seen some that'll be $35, others that'll be $50," Vega said.

Staff said MPU has already sent 1,200 letters under the revised approach and recorded about 800 responses, a roughly 66% response rate. Vega said MPU has a four-year subcontractor contract that runs through 2026 to perform testing when account holders do not respond and that test charges would be billed through the utility account. If a device is found noncompliant and the owner does not remedy the problem, staff said service could be interrupted for that connection.

Commissioners asked about triggers for the city's notice database and inspection methods for older homes. Vega and staff said the city's permit process places devices into the database (permits are the trigger for receiving a notice); older dwellings with no recorded permit may not receive a notice and may need to self-identify. Staff noted MPU is deploying an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program that will reduce meter-reader contacts and that inspections and a planned press release will help reach customers.

Vega emphasized the policy is meant to protect public health and business continuity and to reduce the chance of boil-water events. "We will... walk them through that," he said of customers who contact MPU with questions. He asked commissioners to treat the presentation as informational; no formal commission action was requested at the workshop.

Ending: MPU presented the revised notification timeline, enforcement steps and outreach plans, and staff said the changes have already produced a strong customer response. Commissioners did not take action at the workshop; the presentation was billed as informational and intended to equip commissioners to answer constituent questions about backflow prevention and compliance.