Arlington Water Utilities Offers Inspections, Repairs for Irrigation Backflow Preventers
Arlington Water Utilities is offering a limited number of Arlington residents the chance to have their irrigation system backflow preventers inspected and repaired for free.
Arlington's will use $26,250 to improve low-hazard backflow assemblies on residential irrigation systems throughout the city. Customers who apply for the program will receive the services on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted. Priority will be given to older irrigation systems. Proper backflow prevention is essential to public health because it decreases the chance of water contamination through an unintentional reverse flow of water.
"Backflow preventers are typically only tested after an irrigation system is installed. Over time, they can become stuck open or wear to a point where they don't function properly," said Joe Gildersleeve, Water Resource Services Manager for Arlington Water Utilities. "These improvements help protect our water supply from contaminants."
The new program is the result of an enforcement action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In September, the TCEQ assessed a $26,250 penalty against Arlington as the result of two 2015 incidents where wastewater was discharged into or adjacent to a waterway as the result of collapsed wastewater lines. The TCEQ allows cities to offset penalties for violations of the Texas Water Code by proposing a supplemental environmental project.
In both violations, Arlington Water contained and stopped the discharges of wastewater, installed bypass pumping to pump the wastewater from the creek back into the collection system and disinfected the area. Arlington Water replaced the collapsed wastewater collection line and wastewater main.
To request an irrigation backflow preventer inspection, please visit http://webapps.arlingtontx.gov/Water/SEPApplication.
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