Recycled and reclaimed water service in Travis County is largely confined to the City of Austin reclaimed water network, which serves downtown, Mueller, and select east-side districts. Most unincorporated Travis County has no reclaimed water access for irrigation or cooling.
Austin Water operates a Type 1 reclaimed water system regulated by TCEQ Chapter 210 that distributes treated effluent through purple-pipe mains to qualifying customers like Mueller Town Center, the State Capitol Complex, and downtown chillers. Outside the City of Austin service area, reclaimed water is generally unavailable in unincorporated Travis County because surrounding utility districts lack purple-pipe infrastructure. Onsite graywater reuse from showers and clothes washers is allowed under TCEQ rules without a permit if volume stays under 400 gallons per day, and condensate harvesting from air conditioning is unrestricted for landscape use.
Improper cross-connections between reclaimed and potable lines or unpermitted graywater systems exceeding 400 gallons per day can trigger TCEQ enforcement under 30 TAC Chapter 210, with penalties up to 25,000 dollars per day.
Austin, TX
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Austin, TX
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See how Austin's recycled water rules rules stack up against other locations.
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