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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 210USE OF RECLAIMED WATER
SUBCHAPTER CQUALITY CRITERIA AND SPECIFIC USES FOR RECLAIMED WATER
RULE §210.32Specific Uses of Reclaimed Water

Numerical parameter limits pertaining to specific reclaimed water use categories are contained in §210.33 of this title (relating to Quality Standards for Using Reclaimed Water). These limits apply to reclaimed water before discharge to initial holding ponds or a reclaimed water distribution system. It shall be the responsibility of the reclaimed water producer to establish that the reclaimed water meets the quality limits at the sample point for the intended use in accordance with the monitoring requirements identified in §210.34 of this title (relating to Sampling and Analysis).

  (1) Type I Reclaimed Water Use. This type of use includes irrigation or other uses in areas where the public may be present during the time when irrigation takes place or other uses where the public may come in contact with the reclaimed water. The following types of uses would be considered Type I uses:

    (A) Residential irrigation, including landscape irrigation at individual homes.

    (B) Urban uses, including irrigation of public parks, golf courses with unrestricted public access, school yards, or athletic fields.

    (C) Use of reclaimed water for fire protection, either in internal sprinkler systems or external fire hydrants.

    (D) Irrigation of food crops where the applied reclaimed water may have direct contact with the edible part of the crop, unless the food crop undergoes a pasteurization process.

    (E) Irrigation of pastures for milking animals.

    (F) Maintenance of impoundments or natural water bodies where recreational activities, such as wading or fishing, are anticipated even though the water body was not specifically designed for such a use.

    (G) Toilet or urinal flush water.

    (H) Other similar activities where the potential for unintentional human exposure may occur.

  (2) Type II Reclaimed Water Use. This type of use includes irrigation or other uses in areas where the public is not present during the time when irrigation activities occur or other uses where the public would not come in contact with the reclaimed water. The following are examples of uses that would be considered Type II uses.

    (A) Irrigation of sod farms, silviculture, limited access highway rights of way, and other areas where human access is restricted or unlikely to occur. The restriction of access to areas under irrigation with reclaimed water could include the following:

      (i) The irrigation site is considered to be remote.

      (ii) The irrigation site is bordered by walls or fences and access to the site is controlled by the owner/operator of the irrigation site.

      (iii) The irrigation site is not used by the public during the times when irrigation operations are in progress. Such sites may 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. The public need not be excluded from areas where irrigation is not taking place. For example, irrigation of golf course fairways at night would not prohibit the use of club house or other facilities located a sufficient distance from the irrigation.

      (iv) The irrigation site is restricted from public access by local ordinance or law with specific standards to achieve such a purpose.

    (B) Irrigation of food crops where the reclaimed water is not likely to have direct contact with the edible part of the crop, or where the food crop undergoes pasteurization prior to distribution for consumption.

    (C) Irrigation of animal feed crops other than pasture for milking animals.

    (D) Maintenance of impoundments or natural water bodies where direct human contact is not likely.

    (E) Soil compaction or dust control in construction areas where application procedures minimize aerosol drift to public areas.

    (F) Cooling tower makeup water. Use for cooling towers which produce significant aerosols adjacent to public access areas may have special requirements.

    (G) Irrigation or other non-potable uses of reclaimed water at a wastewater treatment facility.

  (3) Any Type I reclaimed water may also be utilized for any of the Type II uses identified in subsection (b) of this section.


Source Note: The provisions of this §210.32 adopted to be effective February 12, 1997, 22 TexReg 1103.

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