DEFINITIONS.
Austin City Code § 6-4-2
in effect§ 6-4-2 - DEFINITIONS.
Unless a different definition is expressly provided, in this chapter:
(1) ACTION OF THE UTILITY means an action taken by Austin Water pursuant to this chapter.
(2) ALTERNATIVE WATER means a water supply from a source other than Austin Water's potable water supply, also called auxiliary water.
(3) AQUATIC LIFE means a vertebrate organism dependent upon an aquatic environment to sustain its life.
(4) AUTOMATIC BUBBLER means a type of automatic irrigation head designed to bubble over and flood the ground surface around the base of a tree. Also referred to as "tree bubbler" or "flood head".
(5) AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM means any irrigation system connected to and being operated by a programmable controller, including a permanently or temporarily installed irrigation system, also called irrigation system.
(6) AUSTIN WATER, AW, AWU, and the Utility mean the Austin Water Utility.
(7) AUSTIN WATER AUTHORIZED IRRIGATION INSPECTOR means an Irrigation Inspector licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality who has also both passed a director-approved class in landscape irrigation and has been awarded Austin Water Authorized Irrigation Inspector status in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to this chapter.
(8) BLEED-OFF (BLOWDOWN) means the circulating water in a cooling tower which is discharged to help keep the dissolved solids concentrating in the water below a maximum allowable limit.
(9) BLOWDOWN METER or discharge meter means a meter that tracks the amount of water discharged from a cooling tower system.
(10) BROKEN HEAD means a missing, damaged or malfunctioning emitter from an irrigation system, or drip line that is causing water use above what the component was designed to allow.
(11) COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY means an educational institution of higher learning that is public and offers a course of study designed to culminate in the issuance of a degree in accordance with the Texas Education Code.
(12) COMMERCIAL FACILITY means a site with five or more dwelling units, or a municipal, business, or industrial building and the associated landscaping, but does not include the fairways, greens, or tees of a golf course.
(13) COMMERCIAL NURSERY means a facility where plant nursery stock, trees, seedlings, turf, shrubs, flowers, herbs, crops or other plant materials are cultivated, grown, stored, or maintained prior to retail consumer, installer, or reseller purchase, use, consumption, or installation of the materials at any location other than the commercial nursery.
(14) COMMON AREA means an area held, designed, or designated for the common use of the owners or occupants of a townhouse project, planned unit development, apartment, condominium, mobile home park, or subdivision.
(15) CONCENTRATION means re-circulated water in a cooling tower that has elevated levels of total dissolved solids as compared to the original make-up water.
(16) CONDUCTIVITY CONTROLLER means a device used to measure the conductivity of total dissolved solids in the water of a cooling system and control the discharge of water in order to maintain efficiency.
(17) COOLING TOWER means an open water recirculation system that uses fans or natural draft to draw or force air to contact and cool water through the evaporative process that removes heat from water-cooled air conditioning systems and from industrial processes.
(18) COSMETIC POWER WASHING means treatment or cleaning of a surface with specialized equipment that uses a spray of or directed water for the cosmetic cleaning of buildings, vehicles or other mobile equipment, or outdoor surfaces. It does not include industrial cleaning, cleaning associated with manufacturing activities, hazardous or toxic waste cleaning, or cleaning necessary to remove graffiti.
(19) CYCLES OF CONCENTRATION means the ratio of the dissolved solids in recirculating water to the dissolved solids in the make-up water
(20) DESIGNATED OUTDOOR WATER USE DAY means the day during which a person is permitted to irrigate outdoors as prescribed in City Code Section 6-4-13(E) (Water Conservation Guidelines).
(21) DIRECTOR means the Director of Austin Water.
(22) DRIFT ELIMINATOR means a device that captures large water droplets caught in the cooling tower air stream to prevent the water droplets and mist from escaping the cooling tower.
(23) DRIP IRRIGATION means a method of irrigation which is typically installed below ground and consists of porous piping that allows the application of water at a slow and constant rate.
(24) DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN means a strategy or combination of strategies for temporary supply management and demand management responses to temporary and potentially recurring water supply shortages and other water supply emergencies required by Texas Administrative Code Title 30, Chapter 288, Subchapter B.
(25) FOUNDATION WATERING means an application of water to the soils directly abutting the foundation of a building, structure, or improvement on land.
(26) FUNCTIONAL TURF means turfgrass that is regularly used for community events, programmed recreational purposes, such as sports fields, golf course areas used directly for sport (greens, tees, fairways, and practice areas), maintaining the integrity of foundations, cemeteries, and areas designated to be part of a water quality treatment solution required for compliance with federal, state, or local agency water quality permitting requirements.
(27) GOVERNMENT PROPERTY means property owned or operated by a federal, state, or local governmental unit, entity, agency, or a government subdivision for a public purpose.
(28) HOSE-END SPRINKLER means an above-ground water distribution device that may be attached to a garden hose, not designed to be held by a person while in operation.
(29) MAKE-UP means the amount of water required to replace normal losses caused by bleed-off (blowdown), drift, and evaporation.
(30) MAKE-UP METER or intake meter means a meter that measures the amount of water entering a cooling tower system.
(31) MANUAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM means an irrigation system designed to require the manual operation of valves or the attachment of a quick-coupling device.
(32) MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTY means property containing five or more dwelling units.
(33) NEW LANDSCAPE means vegetation:
(a) installed at the time of the construction of a residential or commercial facility;
(b) installed as part of a governmental entity's capital improvement project;
(c) installed to stabilize an area disturbed by construction; or
(d) that alters more than 500 contiguous square feet of an existing landscape.
(34) NONFUNCTIONAL TURF means turfgrass that is not regularly used for community events, programmed recreational activities, such as sports fields, golf course areas used directly for sport (greens, tees, fairways, and practice areas). This also includes but is not limited to turf located at a residential facility, in a street right-of-way, parking lot islands, medians, or transportation corridors.
(35) ONSITE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE means a water source including recycled manufacturing process water, air conditioner condensate, rainwater, stormwater, graywater, black water, cooling tower blow down, and foundation drain water.
(36) ORNAMENTAL FOUNTAIN means an artificially created structure from which a jet, stream, or flow of water emanates and the water is not used for the preservation of aquatic life.
(37) OVERFLOW ALARM means a system that includes a level switch and an electronic signaling device that sends an audible signal or provides an alert via the energy management control system to the tower operator in case of sump overflow.
(38) PERMANENTLY INSTALLED IRRIGATION SYSTEM means a custom-made, site-specific system of delivering water generally for landscape irrigation via a system of pipes or other conduits installed below ground.
(39) PERSON means any natural person or legal entity such as an individual, business, partnership, association, firm, corporation, governmental, or other natural, business, or legal entity that receives, requests, manages, uses, maintains, or is responsible for water utility service at a service address, whether or not the person or entity is a customer or account holder of Austin Water.
(40) POTABLE WATER means water that is treated to drinking water quality and distributed by Austin Water.
(41) PREMISE means the outdoor area of property not enclosed by fencing or walls or containing living areas, and not including areas for storing vehicles or other motorized equipment.
(42) PUBLIC SCHOOL means a school offering instruction at the elementary school level or the junior and senior high school levels and in the branches of learning and study required to be taught in the public schools of the state. The term includes an open enrollment charter school as defined under the Texas Education Code.
(43) RECLAIMED WATER means reclaimed municipal wastewater that is under the direct control of the City treatment plants, satellite facilities, or a treatment plant with which the City contracts, and that has been treated to a quality that meets or exceeds the minimum standards of the 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 210.
(44) RESIDENTIAL FACILITY means a site with four or fewer dwelling units.
(45) SOAKER HOSE means a perforated or permeable garden-type hose or pipe that is laid above ground that provides irrigation at a slow and constant rate.
(46) TEMPORARILY INSTALLED IRRIGATION SYSTEM means a universally applicable above ground irrigation system that uses a flexible hose or hardened pipe to deliver water to a moveable water distribution device.
(47) TON means an evaporative cooling ton of 15,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour.
(48) VEHICLE WASH FACILITY means a permanently-located business that washes vehicles or other mobile equipment with water or water-based products as any part of their operations, including but not limited to self-service car washes, full service car washes, roll-over/in-bay style car washes, apartments with vehicle wash equipment as an amenity, and facilities managing vehicle fleets or vehicle inventory.
(49) XERISCAPE means a landscape which employs certain principles of design and installation which conserve water and energy and where the plant material, at mature growth, will provide at least 50% of the new landscape's areal coverage. The plant material must consist of plants identified on a plant list provided by Austin Water that are very low water usage and low water usage plants.
Source: Ord. 20120816-004; Ord. No. 20160505-003, Pt. 2, 5-16-16; Ord. No. 20201210-007, Pt. 2, 12-21-20; Ord. No. 20240502-006, Pt. 4, 5-13-24; Ord. No. 20241121-006, Pt. 1, 12-2-24.
Source: City of Austin, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ENCOCO_CH6-4WACO_ART1GEPR_S6-4-2DEFetched: 10/27/2026