FAQs

The Cooling Tower Efficiency Program requires customers to register their cooling towers with Austin Water and submit annual inspection forms. Austin Water developed this program to help customers:

- Meet cooling tower water efficiency standards and equipment requirements

- Save money on water and wastewater bills by identifying potential water-efficient upgrades and available rebates.

Section 1126.0.1 of the city’s Local Amendments to the 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code requires cooling towers to be inspected annually for compliance with water efficiency standards and equipment requirements and the inspection forms sent to Austin Water. Beginning in 2021, administrative penalties of up to $500 will be assessed for the failure to timely submit fully completed registration and annual inspection forms. In addition, efficiency standards for drift eliminators and the use of biocides will be added to the requirements. Finally, failure to submit required registration and inspection forms will make the tower owners ineligible for evaporative credits on their wastewater bills.

Inspection Form Due Dates

- Must be submitted by March 1 of each year. Inspections must be performed no more than 90 days before the March 1 due date.

- Forms must be completed and signed by either:

o an independent third party Texas licensed mechanical or chemical engineer;

o a person holding a TDLR Texas Air Conditioning and Refrigeration License (Class A) with a combined endorsement for process cooling and refrigeration; or

o other persons approved by Austin Water for performance testing of cooling towers

Efficiency Standards and Equipment Requirements

- All cooling towers installed after December 31, 2007 that use Austin Water potable water must have:

o Make-up and blow down sub-meters;

o A conductivity controller;

o A drift eliminator with a drift rate of not more than 0.005% of the circulated water flow rate for cross-flow towers and 0.002% for counter flow towers (New);

o An overflow alarm;

o Achieve at least 5 cycles of concentration; and

o Use of biocides to prohibit algae growth and prevent airborne bacteria (New)

- New facilities (building permit application submitted after September 5, 2017) with 100 tons or greater combined cooling tower capacity:

o Must have the make-up and blow down meters and overflow alarm connected to the building’s Central Energy Management System or Utility Monitoring Dashboard; and

o The facility must have a water storage tank, plumbing and treatment system to either:

§ Utilize blow down water for wash down, cleaning, toilet flushing, subsurface irrigation and other authorized purposes; or

§ Offset a minimum of 10% of the makeup water with reclaimed or onsite alternative water sources

- Evaporative Loss Credit Ineligibility (New): o Failure to meet the above requirements will make the facility ineligible for Austin Water’s Evaporative Loss Program. This program can reduce monthly wastewater bills for evaporated water from cooling towers that is not returned to the city’s wastewater system.

For more information, email WaterCon@austinwater.gov or call (512) 974-2199.

Yes. Austin City Council approved the mandatory registration and annual inspection requirements on June 8, 2017 as part of the adoption of local amendments to the 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code §1126.0(5) and 1126.0.1 effective September 6, 2017. Beginning in 2021, administrative penalties of up to $500 will be assessed for the failure to timely submit fully completed registration and annual inspection forms. In addition, efficiency standards for drift eliminators and the use of biocides will be added to the requirements. Finally, failure to submit required registration and inspection forms will make the tower owners ineligible for evaporative credits on their wastewater bills.

If the cooling tower(s) was installed prior to January 1, 2008, registered with Austin Water, and has been inspected, then the tower may not need a subsequent inspection. If your tower meets these requirements, you must fill out the first page of the Cooling Tower Inspection Form and submit to Austin Water. If the tower has been replaced, or a new one has been installed, then the new equipment will need to be registered and inspected.

These standards were first adopted by City Council on October 18, 2007 and effective January 1, 2008 (Ordinance No. 20071018-086) and are currently codified under the city’s local amendments to the 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code §1126.0, E 4023.2, E403.3 and 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code §614.0.

Austin Water staff will review the forms and:

- Determine whether the cooling tower is in compliance with existing requirements

- Determine if a facility could increase its cooling tower’s water efficiency

- Provide the customer with water saving recommendations and 

- Provide information about eligibility for Austin Water’s Bucks for Business rebate

A violation of any requirement is a Class C Misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 (§1-1-99 Austin City Code).

Bucks for Business rebates for retrofit projects include:

- $500 for an overflow alarm (for cooling towers installed prior to January 1, 2008) Over the course of three months, a 2 gallon per minute overflow can result in 259,200 gallons of water loss and $3,650 in water costs. Replacing a malfunctioning ballcock style (float on a rod) fill valve with a solenoid-operated valve using an external level sensor to prevent overflows has a payback period of less than six months.

- $550 for an automated cooling tower conductivity controller (for cooling towers installed prior to January 1, 2008) Savings of up to 800,000 gallons and up to 40% in water costs a year, depending on current cycles, cooling size/capacity and load

- Up to $100,000 for water treatment, filtration, or other systems to increase cycles of concentration above five cycles Includes water softeners, sulfuric acid, ozonation, side stream filtration using rapid sand, cartridge, or cyclonic filters that help remove solids

- Up to $100,000 for alternative water systems for cooling tower make-up (for cooling towers installed prior to September 6, 2017) Includes projects to recover and use on-site alternative water sources such as air conditioning condensate and manufacturing process water

The cooling tower requirements seek to optimize the water efficiency achievable by existing systems using Austin Water’s high quality potable water with low Total Dissolved Solids levels (average hardness of 84 ppm CaCO3) if properly operated and maintained. The requirements seek to protect public health from potential airborne bacteria by eliminating drift and preventing water waste caused by the overflow from the cooling tower basin.

The estimated average cost to meet code requirements is less than $10,000. The average payback period is less than one year due to significant savings in water, wastewater, chemical treatment and energy costs. As best management practices, most towers may already have some or all the required equipment.

- Helps meet eligibility requirements for Austin Water’s Evaporative Loss Program. This program can reduce monthly wastewater bills for evaporated water from cooling towers that is not returned to the wastewater system. For more information, call the Consumer Services Division at (512) 972-0000 ext. 4.

- Helps existing buildings qualify for up to two points toward LEED certification. Installing sub-meters on cooling towers and continuously metering water used for cooling towers with data logging can qualify for more LEED points.