Amarillo, TX Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Section 4-5-36, part of the Landscape Irrigation article, requires any reclaimed water system to be installed to the city's Gray Water Recycling Systems provisions. Reclaimed water may be used in irrigation only if six conditions are met together: it cannot contact edible crops unless the crop is pasteurized before consumption; the spray pattern cannot cross onto a neighboring property; the irrigation system must be built with purple-coded components so it is visibly distinct from potable lines; the connection to the domestic potable water line must include an air gap or reduced-pressure principle backflow prevention device meeting Title 30, Texas Administrative Code, Sec.

47(i); a minimum eight-inch by eight-inch sign in English and Spanish reading "RECLAIMED WATER, DO NOT DRINK" and "AGUA DE RECUPERACION, NO BEBER" must be posted prominently in the irrigated area; and backflow prevention on the supply line must follow the city's water provider's regulations. The same article requires anyone installing, maintaining or repairing the system to hold a state irrigator license (Sec. 4-5-26), obtain a permit (Sec. 4-5-27), and pass city inspections (Sec. 4-5-33) before the system may operate, and a city irrigation inspector under Sec.

4-5-40 verifies permits, licensing, backflow testing and code compliance. Backflow devices used where a health hazard exists must be tested on installation and annually thereafter under Sec. 4-5-28.