Lawn irrigation systems require back-flow preventers whether commercial or residential. Testing is required every three years for residential and annually for commercial.
A new back-flow preventer ordinance recently approved by the Corpus Christi City Council requires residential devices to be inspected and tested every three years. Commercial back-flow devices must be tested annually by a licensed back-flow tester.
The ordinance was approved at a council meeting in February after council members sent drafts of it back to city staff several times in January for changes. The original document presented to the council for approval required annual testing for residential as well as commercial users.
Updating and strengthening the current back-flow ordinance was made a priority after a chemical spill at an asphalt plant in December. The city was put on a no-use notice for four days because officials at the local, state and federal levels feared the city’s water supply might have been tainted.
Several council members were surprised with the first ordinance presented to them by staff, which suggested increasing residential testing to once a year from three times a year. They pointed out that residential back-flow preventers were not the cause of the December water problem.
“You want to triple the cost of the residential user to solve a problem you don’t have,” said at-large council member Joe McComb. “With a track record of no damages being done by residential customers, I’m trying to think of the rationale of moving it from three years to one year other than it’s a revenue generator and it makes you feel good.”
When presented with an ordinance that tightened restrictions on commercial users rather than residential, the council voted to approve the ordinance.
The city has since compiled an FAQ informational document for residents to help them better understand what back-flow preventers are and how they fit into the city’s water system. Lawn irrigation systems, for example, require back-flow prevention devices and must be tested every three years. It’s once a year for commercial irrigation systems.
While the city’s ordinance better defines regulations and enforcement, it does not directly affect the situation faced in December when a chemical spill in the industrial sector threatened the city’s water supply. While companies in the industrial area are water customers, they are not within the city limits and do not pay city taxes or have to follow city ordinances.
