The test is a condition of continued water service, the deadline runs from the anniversary of the last test, and the only notice most get arrives 60 days ahead
DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Double M Plumbing is encouraging Dallas homeowners, landlords, and commercial property owners to confirm when their backflow prevention assembly was last tested, as irrigation systems across the metro run at their heaviest load of the year.
The timing is not incidental. An irrigation system is one of the most common cross-connections between a property and the public drinking water supply, and August is when those systems run daily, through yards carrying fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide, with water standing around heads and in valve boxes.
Backflow happens when pressure conditions reverse. Backpressure occurs when downstream pressure exceeds the supply line. Back-siphonage occurs when supply pressure drops, which is most likely during the same summer stretch when demand peaks, mains break, and hydrants are drawn down. Without a functioning assembly between the two, water that has been sitting in an irrigation system can move toward the potable supply rather than away from it.
The requirement is not optional, and it is not new
Backflow prevention in Texas is governed by Title 30, Chapter 290 of the Texas Administrative Code, administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, with Sections 290.44 and 290.46 setting the minimum standards for cross-connection control.
Those minimums require that every backflow prevention assembly be tested upon installation, repair, replacement, or relocation. Assemblies installed to protect against a health hazard must be tested at least annually, and no more than 12 months may pass from the previous test date. TCEQ requires a licensed tester to check an assembly when it is installed on an irrigation system, and notes that individual water providers may adopt additional rules requiring annual testing.
Dallas Water Utilities has done exactly that. DWU runs a Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control Program under both TCEQ Chapter 290 and the Dallas City Code, requires annual testing of installed assemblies, sets the deadline by the anniversary date of the previous test, and sends notification letters roughly 60 days in advance. Properties that miss the deadline face escalating enforcement.
Who can perform the test, and which devices need one
Testing is not a homeowner task and not something any plumber can sign off on. Texas requires a current Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester license issued by TCEQ, which involves an approved 40-hour course and a state examination, and testers must use gauges calibrated annually by an approved laboratory.
Not every device is testable. Reduced pressure principle assemblies, double check valve assemblies, pressure vacuum breakers, and spill-resistant vacuum breakers are. Single check valves and atmospheric vacuum breakers are not.
One detail catches property owners outside city sewer service: the presence of an on-site sewage facility raises the hazard classification of an irrigation system, which in turn requires a reduced pressure assembly rather than a lesser device.
Separately, a customer service inspection is required for all new construction, for existing customers who have made substantial plumbing modifications, and whenever there is reason to suspect a hazard or source of contamination on the property. Owners who have recently remodeled, added an irrigation system, or bought a property with unclear records are the most likely to be out of compliance without knowing it.
What to do now
Double M Plumbing recommends property owners locate their last test report, confirm the anniversary date, and schedule ahead of the notice rather than after it. Owners who cannot find a record, who have recently purchased, or who have added irrigation or a pool fill line since the last test should assume an inspection is warranted.
The company provides backflow testing, assembly installation, and annual maintenance alongside its plumbing services, and can be reached at 214-714-6600.
About Double M Plumbing
Double M Plumbing is a locally owned, licensed, and insured plumbing contractor serving Dallas and the surrounding metro from its East Dallas shop, in business since 1988 with more than 15,000 commercial and residential jobs completed. Services include emergency plumbing, slab leak detection and repair, water heater installation and repair, drain cleaning and hydro jetting, sewer line repair and replacement including trenchless options, backflow testing and prevention, fixture and remodel plumbing, outdoor and irrigation line repair, and commercial plumbing maintenance. The company is BBB accredited and holds Texas Master License M-19050. Double M Plumbing is located at 6477 Lontos Dr, Dallas, TX 75214.
Lisa Appleby
Service Scalers
email us here
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