Testing Requirements
Federal and state laws require all water providers to meet certain standards to obtain, treat, and deliver water to protect public health. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires all water providers establish a Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program. Generally, this includes establishing requirements for the installation of backflow assemblies or devices preventing the flows or back-siphonage from unwanted connections that may threaten public health. TCEQ requires all backflow devices or assemblies:

Must be tested upon installation and at least once annually. Additional testing may be required depending on the health hazard.
Must receive a periodic Customer Service Inspection. The inspections are intended to identify and validate all device locations, their appropriateness, and determine if additional devices are required.
Hazards
The City will begin mailing informational letters to businesses and residences that are potential high hazard connections to the public water system in January 2016. Recipients who receive this notification have active water connections that may potentially contaminate the City’s water distribution system through improper cross-connections within structure plumbing and/or improperly functioning backflow prevention devices.

Types of high hazard locations include, but are not limited to:

Apartments
Commercial kitchens
Dry Cleaners
Funeral homes
Laboratories
Medical and Dental facilities
Multi-tenant centers
Restaurants
Schools
Septic system locations
Veterinary facilities
Water connections from outside water sources (e.g., amenity lakes, canals, and reclaimed water)
Well water locations
Additionally, effective April 1, 2016, the City’s third party service provider, BSI Inc., will begin mailing official notifications requiring annual certification of applicable backflow assemblies for these locations. Archived backflow certifications have been sent to BSI for their database. If a certification has been completed and submitted to the City within the past twelve months, BSI will schedule the location’s next annual testing accordingly.

Program Implementation
Implementation of this program is mandated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Compliance verification will be scheduled by the Building Official to review location’s backflow requirements.

Contact the City’s Building Department Inspector, Ralph Blanco, at 281-554-1420 or email BPAT with questions and/or concerns.