Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Water Quality topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fulshear council adopts pool- and spa-drainage rules requiring dechlorination and 24‑hour notice
Summary
The council approved Ordinance No. 2025-1493 establishing two permitted drainage options for pool and spa water, requiring dechlorination (less than 0.1 mg/L), pH limits for storm‑drain discharges and written notice 24 hours before draining.
The Fulshear City Council on June 3 approved Ordinance No. 2025-1493, a new local rule for pool and spa water discharge that allows residents two options for draining water and requires written notice.
Under the ordinance, residents may discharge dechlorinated pool or spa water onto their own landscaped property provided the discharge does not flood neighboring properties, the area prevents erosion and the discharge causes no environmental harm. The ordinance specifies a dechlorination threshold of less than 0.1 milligrams per liter and prohibits visible erosion or chemical residue.
As a second option, residents may discharge dechlorinated pool or spa water to the storm drain if the pH is between 6 and 9, the discharge does not include filter media or acidic cleaning waste, and it does not cause flooding onto neighboring properties or ponds. The ordinance expressly prohibits draining into the sanitary sewer. The text adopted requires residents to provide written notice to the city at least 24 hours before draining a pool or spa.
City staff presented the ordinance, saying it was modeled on approaches used by other Texas municipalities and was requested by a council member. The staff presenter described the two discharge options and the technical limits. When asked why the rule was proposed, a council member who requested the item said they had observed pool water being drained into creekside areas and said: "you can clearly see the chlorine or the chemicals, trailing along the trails." That council member said the chemicals appeared to have affected native vegetation along creek corridors.
Council member Kanopy moved to approve the ordinance as amended to require that land discharges be to the resident's own property or lawn; Council member Kent Poole seconded. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote; no opposing votes were verbally recorded on the public record.
During discussion staff said enforcement would rely primarily on resident complaints, and that penalties already outlined in the ordinance would apply if discharges occurred without required notice. Council members asked for outreach measures; staff said they would host a web page and suggested notifying homeowners associations and local pool service companies. One council member also proposed a billing insert to inform residents of the new rule.
