Allowable Discharges

  • Air conditioning condensation
  • Dechlorinated swimming pool discharges that do not violate Texas Surface Water Quality Standards. (Before discharging water from a pool it should be allowed to off-gas any chlorine. Chlorine is a very toxic substance to most aquatic organisms and can be very harmful even at very low concentrations.)
  • Discharges from potable water sources that do not violate Texas Surface Water Quality Standards
  • Discharges or flows from emergency fire fighting activities (fire fighting activities do not include washing of trucks, run-off water from training activities, test water from fire suppression systems, and similar activities)
  • Discharges that are authorized by a TPDES or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit or that are not required to be permitted
  • Diverted stream flows. (Streams are diverted from time to time for different reasons. If a stream is diverted from its natural flow into a County storm drainage system it is not considered a risk to water pollution because the stream water will not be adding pollutants to our waterways)
  • Flows from wetlands and riparian habitats. (Wetlands and riparian areas will retain water for much longer periods of time than most other types of land cover. This means they may still be releasing water even though there has not be a rainfall event recently. The water released from these areas has been filtered and does not pose a risk to our water resources.)
  • Foundation and footing drains
  • Individual residential vehicle washing. (While residential vehicle washing is an allowed discharge into our storm drainage systems, it is recommended that the washing occur over a grassy area, or be performed without the use of detergents. Soaps and detergents that runoff the vehicle will end up in our lakes and streams and cause problems for the aquatic organisms living there.)
  • Non-stormwater discharges that are specifically listed in the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (TPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) TXR050000 or the TPDES Construction General Permit (CGP) TXR150000
  • Other allowable non-stormwater discharges listed in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 122.26(d)(2)(iv)(B)(1)
  • Other similar occasional incidental non-stormwater discharges such as spray park water, unless the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) develops permits or regulations addressing these discharges
  • Rising ground waters and springs. (Springs naturally bring ground water to the surface. Additionally, ground waters may be brought to the surface when they become saturated from rainfall. These water sources generally contain very low levels of pollutants and do not pose a great risk to our water resources.)
  • Runoff or return flow from landscape irrigation, lawn irrigation, and other irrigation utilizing potable water, groundwater, or surface water sources
  • Street wash water excluding street sweeper waste water
  • Uncontaminated ground water infiltration. (Ground water infiltration generally occurs in underground storm sewer pipes. As ground water is generally free of pollutants, this form of discharge poses little risk to our water resources.)
  • Uncontaminated pumped ground water. (Many individuals in the County use wells as their source of water. Water pumped from wells is generally free of pollutants of poses little risk to our water resources.)
  • Water from crawl space pumps
  • Water line flushing (excluding discharges of hyperchlorinated water, unless the water is first dechlorinated and discharges are not expected to adversely affect aquatic life)