Media Contact:
Amy Mehaffey
Communications & Main Street Director
mehaffeya@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us
936.559.2572
State and Federal regulations require all cities to perform Customer Service Inspections (CSI) to ensure individual businesses in Nacogdoches have installed all necessary plumbing controls to prevent back contamination of the public water system.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has sharpened their enforcement of cross connection regulations since the 2016 contaminated water incident in Corpus Christi, where a backflow device failed at a local industry’s facility. After receiving formal notice, installation of the below described improvements is required within 90 days at any facility that is not in compliance.
“The enforcement of backflow prevention devices is in response to the State’s mandate and we are making CSI visits to every business and working with our customers to have them install the necessary backflow prevention controls,” City Engineer, Steve Bartlett said. “This is an important component to ensure the public water system is as safe as possible.”
Residential properties are not included in this inspection process. Businesses not in compliance will be required to install a Reduced Pressure Zone Backflow Preventer (RPZ) assembly at their meter. This fixture must be installed by a licensed plumber as close to the meter as possible and must be located before any private fixture like a sink, faucet or hose connection. Business owners may also be required to install cross connection plumbing controls inside their building. A copy of an individual’s CSI report will be provided in order to identify specific locations and fixtures around the facility that must be protected with a properly installed backflow prevention device.
All applicable backflow prevention assemblies must be tested annually by a licensed Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT). Businesses will also be required to submit a copy of an annual backflow assembly test report to the City of Nacogdoches every year. Not all assemblies require testing but fixtures like a RPZ will need a documented test annually.
City of Nacogdoches staff members are available to answer questions and assist the public with understanding the process of installing and testing backflow prevention devices. Please feel free to contact, Bart Allen at allenb@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us or Steve Bartlett at bartletts@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us with questions.
