Summary of Texas' Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Landscaping
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Texas
- Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for landscaping specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In Texas, water reuse for water reuse for landscapingThe use of recycled water on land to assist in the irrigation of vegetation in residential and non-residential areas. Includes impoundments to store water for irrigation , ornamental vegetation, parks, school yards, sporting facilities (including golf courses), private gardens, roadsides and greenbelts, and cemeteries. Excludes irrigation of areas used for agriculture, commercial reuse applications, or any centralized non-potable reuse. includes residential irrigation, including landscape irrigation at individual homes; urban uses, including irrigation of public parks, golf courses with unrestricted public access, school yards or athletic fields; irrigation of limited access highway rights of way and other areas where human access is restricted or unlikely to occur because the irrigation site is considered to be remote, is bordered by walls or fences and access to the site is controlled by the owner/operator of the irrigation site, is restricted from public access by local ordinance or law with specific standards to achieve such a purpose and/or because the irrigation site is not used by the public during the times when irrigation operations are in progress. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as municipal wastewater. This write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
Texas approves the use of reclaimed water for landscaping, including residential irrigation, urban uses in areas with unrestricted public access and irrigation of areas where human access is either unlikely to occur or restricted given the nature of the irrigation site (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.32). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met. Texas requires specific treatment for the use of reclaimed water for landscaping where public access is expected. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators for water reuse for landscaping and are summarized in the table. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removals of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators is not explicitly specified.
Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Texas
30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.32 defines the following approved water reuse for landscaping:
- Residential irrigation, including landscape irrigation at individual homes (Type I)
- Urban uses, including irrigation of public parks, golf courses with unrestricted public access, school yards or athletic fields (Type I)
- Irrigation of limited access highway rights of way and other areas where human access is restricted or unlikely to occur because the irrigation site is considered to be remote, is bordered by walls or fences and access to the site is controlled by the owner/operator of the irrigation site, is restricted from public access by local ordinance or law with specific standards to achieve such a purpose and/or because the irrigation site is not used by the public during the times when irrigation operations are in progress (Type II)
Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
The various classes of reclaimed water treatment are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. Texas also allows the use of Type I reclaimed water for any Type II uses related to agricultural irrigation (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.32).
- Type I reclaimed water is intended for applications where human contact with the reclaimed water is likely. Required treatment processes (e.g., secondary treatment, disinfection, etc.) are not specified in the regulation but Type I reclaimed water must meet the pathogen and chemical removal requirements outlined in the table.
- Type II reclaimed water is intended for applications where human contact with the reclaimed water is unlikely. Required treatment processes (e.g., secondary treatment, disinfection, etc.) are not specified in the regulation but Type II reclaimed water must meet the pathogen and chemical removal requirements outlined in the table.
Additional context and definitions
Texas defines reclaimed water as “domestic or municipal wastewater which has been treated to a quality suitable for a beneficial use” (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.3). Texas defines an unrestricted landscaped area as land which has had its plant cover modified and access to which is uncontrolled. Examples include parks, school yards, greenbelts and residences (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.3).
The restriction of access to areas irrigated with Type II reclaimed water could include golf courses, cemeteries and landscaped areas surrounding commercial or industrial complexes. The "syringing" or "wetting" of greens and tees on golf courses shall be allowable under Type II so long as the "syringing" is done with hand-held hoses as opposed to automatic irrigation equipment. Public access does not require restriction from areas where irrigation is not taking place. For example, irrigation of golf course fairways at night would not prohibit the use of a club house or other facilities located a sufficient distance from the irrigation.
Texas requires the hose bibs and faucets of municipal reclaimed water systems to be designed to prevent connection to a standard water hose and must be painted purple (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.25). Any area where reclaimed water is stored or whether hose bibs or faucets exist must either (1) have a sign posted at all storage areas and on all hose bibs and faucets reading, in English and Spanish, “Reclaimed Water, Do Not Drink,” or (2) the area must be secured to prevent public access. Reclaimed water piping must be separated nine feet horizontally from potable water piping and three feet horizontally from sewer lines (for reclaimed water lines that parallel sewer lines). All exposed reclaimed water piping within a building must be colored purple and all exposed piping should be labeled in white with a warning reading “NON-POTABLE WATER.”
Water reuse for landscaping specifications
Summary of Texas' Water Reuse for Landscaping Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type I reclaimed water (Residential irrigation and urban uses where public access is unrestricted) |
Municipal wastewater |
5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) or 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD5) |
5 mg/L |
Type I reclaimed water must be sampled twice per week. |
|
Turbidity |
3 NTU |
|||
|
Fecal coliform or E. coli |
20 CFU/100 mL (30-day geometric mean) 75 CFU/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Enterococci |
4 CFU/100 mL (30-day geometric mean) 9 CFU/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Nitrogen |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Phosphorus |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Type II reclaimed water (Irrigation of areas where human access is restricted) |
Municipal wastewater |
5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) or 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD5) (for a system other than a pond system)a |
20 mg/L (BOD5) 15 mg/L (CBOD5) |
Type II reclaimed water must be sampled once per week. |
|
5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) (for a pond system)a |
30 mg/L |
|||
|
Turbidity |
3 NTU |
|||
|
Fecal coliform or E. coli |
200 CFU/100 mL (30-day geometric mean) 800 CFU/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Enterococci |
35 CFU/100 mL (30-day geometric mean) 89 CFU/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Nitrogen |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Phosphorus |
Not specified |
Not specified |
Source= 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.33
* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the State-specific regulations.
a Texas defines a pond system as a “wastewater facility in which primary treatment followed by stabilization ponds are used for secondary treatment” (30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.33).
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for landscaping were found for Texas.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Definitions, 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.3.
Quality Standards for Using Reclaimed Water, 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.33.
Special Design Criteria for Reclaimed Water Systems, 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.25.
Specific Uses of Reclaimed Water, 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.32.
Use of Reclaimed Water, 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 210.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.