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Council asks staff for plan to create city-run backflow inspection unit after residents report high private fees
Summary
After concerns about high private inspection fees for required backflow preventer tests, the council asked Utilities staff to return in 60 days with options — including a city inspection program, training for private contractors, or a utility fee model — to make annual backflow testing affordable and accessible.
The city council directed utilities staff to produce a proposal within 60 days for establishing a city-run backflow inspection division after members and residents complained that private contractors were charging high fees for required annual backflow-preventer tests.
What the city heard: Councilmembers said homeowners with irrigation systems and some commercial customers reported inspection fees rising to $150–$400 per test. Councilmember Melissa Perez, who placed the item on the agenda, said Laredo has had a backflow-prevention requirement for decades but enforcement has been inconsistent, and that residents are surprised by the cost when the rule is enforced.
City staff explained the current approach: the Utilities cross-connection program performs customer-service inspections (CSIs) but the city currently does not have staff licensed to perform certified annual backflow testing (the license is commonly referred to in the meeting as a “P‑back” or backflow assembly tester certification). Utilities said TCEQ recommends customers be responsible for their own testing because access to private property and private plumbing lines raises liability and operational questions. The department said it can train staff and offer an inspection/testing service, but would need to recover personnel and equipment costs; a staff estimate discussed in the meeting suggested the city could do tests for materially less than current private-market rates, perhaps on the order of 30% lower, depending on staffing.
Council action: Councilmember Melissa Perez moved, and the council approved, a direction that staff return within 60 days with a proposal (and multiple options) to establish a city backflow inspection capability. Perez amended her motion during debate to ask that the staff report also include (a) an assessment of how many customers would be affected, (b) the costs to train and certify city staff, (c) design of a fee schedule or utility charge if the city provides the test, and (d) an option to host or subsidize training for private plumbing companies so more local firms can be certified, increasing competition and lowering private-market prices.
Why it matters: Backflow preventers stop contaminants from entering the public water system when private plumbing systems experience pressure reversals. The council’s request seeks to make annual testing, already required by local regulation, more affordable and more reliably enforced while preserving the city’s public-water safeguards.
Next steps: Utilities will return with multiple options and cost estimates for council review in about 60 days. The council did not change ordinance language or budget at the meeting; it only directed staff to develop proposals and implementation schedules.
