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

Reclaimed water is not a free-for-all in the City of Burleson. Section 10-615 sits inside Article XVII, Irrigation System Installation, of Chapter 10, and it lists six conditions that all have to be satisfied before reclaimed water runs through a landscape irrigation system.

On the plants themselves, there can be no direct contact with edible crops unless the crop is pasteurized before consumption. On the boundaries, the system cannot spray water across property lines that do not belong to the irrigation system's owner. On the hardware, the system must be installed using purple components, and the domestic potable water line must be connected using an air gap or a reduced pressure principle backflow prevention device, in accordance with title 30, Texas Administrative Code, § 290.47(i). Backflow prevention on the reclaimed water supply line itself follows the regulations of the city's water provider.

The signage rule is specific: a minimum of an eight inch by eight inch sign, in English and Spanish, must be prominently posted on or in the area being irrigated. It must read "RECLAIMED WATER-DO NOT DRINK" and "AGUA DE RECUPERACION-NO BEBER".

Enforcement runs through the irrigation article. Section 10-619 makes a licensed irrigation inspector or licensed plumbing inspector responsible for verifying that the appropriate permits were obtained, inspecting the system, confirming the system complies with the article, and checking that the appropriate backflow prevention device was installed, tested, and reported to the city. Section 10-621 leaves the irrigation system permit fee to the city council, set annually in the city fee schedule. Anything the article does not cover and that is required by law falls to the Texas Occupations Code, Water Code, title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code, and other state rules under § 10-620.