Why is the water company requesting that I Get my Backflow Preventer Tested?
We hear things like this all the time:
Why are they making me get this tested?
I don't understand, I never was asked to comply with this in the past?
My neighbors never had to get their irrigation backflow tested, Why Me?
Many residential and commercial water customers have not been required to have their Backflow Preventers tested in the past. This is not a new requirement and it's found in the plumbing codes that are in place to protect the water supply.
The TCEQ is the state regulatory agency tasked with enforcement action on local water suppliers that do not have adequate Backflow Prevention and Customer
Service Inspection programs in place. One component of an adequate backflow program is ANNUAL inspection of HIGH degree of hazard backflow preventer assemblies. The backflow preventers required for High degree of hazard are the RP and the PVB. The DC is a low hazard backflow preventer and should be installed where the degree of hazard is not deemed hazardous to health. The inspection of low hazard backflow preventers can be an annual requirement, but it can also be less frequent as the water purveyor or TCEQ recommends.
Backflow Inspectors DO NOT have the authority to make you or ASK you to get your backflow preventer tested. Backflow Inspectors are here to help you with an issue requested by other entities. This requirement for testing can be requested by a plumbing inspector, health department, water supplier.
Included is the TCEQ Hazards list most applicable to home owners
For your Reference
Please click on these pics to expand the listed hazards.
For the list of Hazards to the water supply and the type of backflow required by the TCEQ to address the water hazards click the link below.
