The City of Austin takes protection of water very seriously. Spencer Cronk, Austin City Manager, is quoted as saying “Austin has a history of protecting its water quality and making that water quality good for future generations”.
One of the measures that the City of Austin and other Texas municipalities take is the strict requirement for installation, maintenance, and testing of backflow prevention devices on sprinkler systems.
This legislation was implemented for very good reasons.
The regulations requiring backflow devices are rooted in real-world incidents that occurred in various states (including Texas) where drinking water became contaminated with such things as herbicides, industrial chemicals, photo developing solutions, dangerous bacteria, and other harmful substances.
City of Austin Regulations
Did you know that:
- your irrigation system must have a backflow prevention device if connected to a public or private drinking water supply
- it must be tested by a licensed tester upon installation, and annually if installed for protection against health hazards (30 TAC (Texas Administrative Code) 240.44 (h)(4))
The reason you need a backflow prevention device (also called a backflow prevention assembly, or BPA) on your irrigation system has to do with cross connections. A cross connection is any potential or actual physical connection between a public water system or consumer’s drinking (potable) water system and a source of contamination, such as sewage, harmful chemicals, and nonpotable water (untreated water from lakes, rivers, groundwater, natural springs, and untested ground wells).
Because of a cross connection, contamination hazards can enter the potable water system by means of backflow, which is water flowing opposite to its intended direction. This either occurs due to backpressure (downstream pressure is higher than potable water supply pressure), or back-siphonage (negative pressure in the consumer’s potable water system or in the public system).
Sprinkler irrigation systems are usually a direct cross connection to potable water systems through pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and animal waste can collect in pools of water around the sprinkler heads and be drawn into a home’s potable water supply during a backflow event. Parasites, insect larvae, and pathogens can also be living in the irrigation system’s water.
Your public water system provider and the licensed professional who installed your system are responsible for determining the type of BPA required on your property, depending on whether there are potential health or non-health hazards. The BPA must also be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the American Society of Sanitary Engineers, the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research, and the Uniform Plumbing Code.
Both your public water system provider, and licensed irrigation professional are required to follow the TCEQ Cross Connection Control Program rules laid out in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 30, Chapter 290, Subchapter D, Rules and Regulations for Public Water Suppliers.
Austin Water administers its own Cross Connection Control/Water Protection Program based on these requirements, and the regulations for their program are in Chapter 15-1 of the city’s ordinances. You’ll also find Austin’s adopted Plumbing Code and local amendments in Chapter 25-12, Article 6.
Backflow Prevention Assembly Types
Air Gap
- There must be an unobstructed physical separation.
- The vertical, physical separation must be at least twice the diameter of the water supply outlet, but never less than 1.0 inch.
- Effective against backpressure backflow and back-siphonage.
- Provides protection in low and high hazard situations.
Reduced-Pressure Backflow Assembly (RBPA)
- Install at least 12 inches above the floor or finished grade, with adequate clearance for testing and maintenance.
- Effective against backpressure backflow and back-siphonage.
- Provides protection in low and high hazard situations.
- Must be installed when fertilizer, insect repellent, or any other chemical is injected into an irrigation system (30 TAC 344.51 (c)).
Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PVB)
- Install at a minimum of 12 inches above the highest point in the water system downstream of all piping and outlets, with adequate clearance for testing and maintenance.
- Effective against back-siphonage only.
- Provides protection in low and high hazard situations.
Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA)
- Install at least 12 inches above the floor or finished grade, with adequate clearance for testing and maintenance.
- Effective against backpressure backflow and back-siphonage.
- Provides protection in low hazard situations.
Reduced Pressure Zone Vale (RPZ)
- Install at least 12 inches above the floor or finished grade, with adequate clearance for testing and maintenance.
- Effective against backpressure backflow and back-siphonage.
- Provides protection in low and high hazard situations.
Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT) License
Anyone who repairs or tests the installation or operation of BPAs on any domestic, commercial, industrial, or irrigation service must be licensed by the TCEQ and registered with Austin Water Utility. Applicants must meet certain education and work requirements, submit a criminal history attestation, complete a 40-hour course accredited and accepted by the TCEQ, and pass the TCEQ exam to receive the TCEQ BPAT license.
Upon receipt of his license, the BPAT must submit an Austin Water Utility BPAT registration and the test gauge he’ll be using, along with a certificate verifying the test gauge passed calibration test requirements within the last 12 months (gauges must be tested for accuracy at least once a year). Once licensed, the BPAT must complete a TCEQ-accredited 8-hour continuing education course each year to qualify for license renewal every 3 years (8 of the 24 hours must be hands-on training). He must also renew his registration with the Austin Water Utility when renewing his license.
Testing Standards
BPAs must be tested using procedures approved by the TCEQ found in the University of Southern California’s Cross Connection Manual (USC-CCM). These procedures are set up to fail a BPA before it would allow backflow to contaminate the drinking water supply. The equipment used by a BPAT must be calibrated within acceptable tolerances by an approved gauge testing company, as set out in USC-CCM.
Testing and Maintenance Reports (TMRs)
A testing and maintenance report must be completed by the BPAT for each BPA tested, and submitted to Austin Water Utility within 5 calendar days of the test. It can be entered online in the WEIRS database or sent to the Special Services Division (SSD) as a hard copy. The customer also gets a copy.
Along with required information on the TMR, the BPAT must document illegal or unapproved installations, as well as unprotected cross connections. A BPA that is illegal or unapproved must be reinstalled or replaced with one that meets manufacturer’s recommendations and/or local codes, even if it passed the test.
A TMR must also be submitted for each BPA removed or replaced. If the hazard remains, then the BPA has to be replaced for continued backflow protection. If the hazard no longer exists, the BPA can remain, but the situation must be reported to the Special Services Division. The BPA can then be designated “out of service” in the WEIRS database, which removes its testing requirements.
During the testing, if the BPAT sees the assembly will fail the test and needs repair, he must repair it, and retest after the repair. There are sections on the TMR to document these actions.
Customer Responsibilities
Customers must arrange and pay for BPA testing and any related costs, such as repairs, overhauls, and replacements of assemblies that fail the testing.
Customers who have devices registered with the Austin Water Utility’s Special Services Division are sent reminder notices each year for their BPA testing. Two notices are sent — the first in the calendar month prior to the due date, and the second in the month of the due date. Customers who have never registered their required assemblies may not receive notices. This doesn’t exempt them from their testing, maintenance, and reporting requirements. Failing to meet these obligations is a violation of Chapter 15-1 of the Austin City Code, which could result in criminal penalties, fines for each day of non-compliance, and suspension of water service.
Austin Water provides a number of resources on their website to help customers manage their BPA requirements, such as a list of approved BPAs, a water protection hazard list, a list of BPATs, and a test and maintenance requirement section where the customer can check notices.
South Austin Irrigation provides expert commercial and residential sprinkler system repairs, backflow replacement and installation, and service. We are Licensed Irrigators.
Call us at (512) 534-7449 to have your backflow prevention device tested.
