DALLAS — It's hot, really hot.
So hot, in fact, with little rain coming our way that drought conditions have worsened, causing cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to enact water restrictions.
We wanted to help keep track of which cities in our area have these designations. Here is a list (WFAA has reached out to surrounding communities and we'll update the list as we learn of/are notified of more):
Stage 3
Heath
- The city of Heath announced it was in stage 3 of its water conservation and emergency management plan. The following conditions are mandatory and failure to abide by these mandatory conditions is subject to fines of up to $2,000:
- No watering any day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems at each service address to is limited to once every two weeks on the day of your choice.
- Hosing of paved areas, buildings or windows is prohibited. (Pressure washing of impervious surfaces is allowed.)
- Washing and rinsing of vehicles by hose is prohibited; except with the use of a hose with a cutoff nozzle.
- Using water in such a manner as to allow runoff or other waste is prohibited.
- Foundations, new landscaping, new plantings (first year) of shrubs, and trees, may be watered for up to two hours on any single day (no limits on number of days per week) by a handheld hose, a soaker hose or a dedicated zone using a drip Irrigation system. Restricted hours of no watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. apply.
- Golf courses may water greens and tee boxes without restrictions.
- Public athletic fields used for competition may be watered twice per week.
- Locations using other sources of water supply for irrigation may irrigate without restrictions.
- Properly functioning drip irrigation systems may irrigate without restrictions if your system has the drip component. Just be sure the lawn sprinkler component is turned off.
- Landscape associated with new construction may be watered as necessary for 30 days from the date of the certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate of occupancy or certificate of completion.
- ET/Smart irrigation systems are not exempt from these requirements.
- Existing swimming pools may be drained and refilled for repairs and replacement of normal water loss only. Please obtain a building permit prior to draining your pool. Instructions on where water is to be released will be provided.
- Hydro-seeding, hydro-mulching and sprigging is prohibited.
Stage 2
Cleburne
- The city of Cleburne announced on Aug. 5 it had moved from Stage 1 to Stage 2 drought response in its Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan. The Stage 2 drought response, effective Aug. 8, includes additional irrigation restrictions for residential and non-residential operations. During Stage 2, non-essential water is prohibited. Non-essential is defined as washing house windows, siding, eaves and roof with a hose without the use of a bucket and a hose cutoff valve; washing driveways, streets, curbs and gutters; washing vehicles without a hose cutoff valve and bucket; draining filling swimming pools; and flushing water systems. Outdoor unattended use of water (sprinkling of landscape vegetation) will be permitted only one day each week from March through October and only within the designated hours. No watering is allowed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The single watering day schedule for unattended irrigation is as follows: Friday for non-residential sites (apartments, businesses, parks, common areas), Saturday residential addresses ending in even numbers and Sunday residential addresses ending in odd numbers.
- Violators may be subject to penalties up to $500. Community members can report violations by calling 817-645-0977.
- Cleburne will move into its Stage 3 drought conditions when the capacity in Lake Pat Cleburne reaches 50% of the conservation storage, according to Cleburne's director of public works Jeremy Hutt. The director also added that the hope is the restrictions placed in Stage 2 can hopefully prevent the city from having to move to Stage 3. The city's water supply comes directly from Lake Pat Cleburne while also being supplemented with water from Lake Aquilla through a 30-mile pipeline.
- For more information about water conservation and tips to reduce water use at your home, visit WaterIsAwesome.com.
DeSoto
- The city of DeSoto announced on Aug. 5 it had moved to Stage 2 restrictions under the City’s Drought Contingency Plan. Stage 2 restrictions include mandatory reductions in residential and business irrigation systems as well as additional restrictions.
- DeSoto Water customers using automatic irrigation systems or hose-end sprinklers outdoors to water their lawns and landscaped areas will be limited during Stage 2 to watering once every five (5) days between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Permitted days will be based on the last digit of their street address. The following watering schedule shows which days watering will be allowed depending on the last digit of their street address:
- Last digit 0 and 5: 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th
- Last digit 1 and 6: 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th
- Last digit 2 and 7: 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, 27th
- Last digit 3 and 8: 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, 28th
- Last digit 4 and 9: 4th 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 29th
- ***No watering on the 31st***
- Residents are permitted to water their lawns and landscaping with a handheld hose, watering container, or a drip system (IE: Soaker Hose) without penalty; however, the City requests that reasonable efforts are made to curtail non-essential usage.
- Residential hand-washing of cars or other vehicles is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Other non-essential water uses that are prohibited under Stage 2 restrictions include washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas; using water for dust control; operating an ornamental fountain or pond that is not designed to recirculate water, and hosing down buildings or structures unless there is a fire protection benefit.
- Violators could face fines not to exceed $2,000 for each offense.
- To view the City of DeSoto’s Drought Contingency Plan and all of the restrictions that are put in place under Stage 2 visit our homepage at www.desototexas.gov.
Flower Mound
- The city of Flower Mound announced on Aug. 9 it was in a "modified version" of Stage 2 of its emergency water demand management plan.
- On top of the established stage 2 requirements, Flower Mound is taking additional measures to reduce water usage throughout town by restricting outdoor watering to no more than two days per week.
- The Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) is currently in stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan for its service area, which includes Flower Mound. If UTRWD moves into its stage 2, the city will be contractually obligated to escalate its restrictions, including limiting watering to once per week for all water users.
- Here are the "modified guidelines" for Flower Mound residents:
- Watering lawns and gardens between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is prohibited.
- Outdoor watering with automatic systems or hose-end sprinklers is limited to no more than twice per week.
- Residents and businesses with street addresses ending in an even number can water on Sundays and Thursdays.
- Residents and businesses with street addresses ending in an odd number can water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Residents may refill swimming pools but only on their designated watering days.
- The city says water users who fail to follow the modified stage 2 restrictions could be subject to a fine of up to $500 for every day a violation is present.
- For more tips on how you can conserve water in your home, or to report a possible watering violation, visit www.flower-mound.com/waterconservation.
Stage 1
Carrollton
- The city of Carrollton said, effective Aug. 8, it will move into Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan. In Stage 1, property owners or their tenants are not to water their lawns during the peak water usage hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Watering during the heat of the day depletes the City’s water supply and has a minimal effect on landscape because water is lost to evaporation from heat and wind. A mandatory landscape watering schedule will go into effect on Monday, August 8 including a two-days-per-week maximum for watering only from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m.
- Guidelines for Stage 1 watering using automatic irrigation systems: If the last digit of the property address is an odd number, water on Saturdays and Wednesdays. If the last digit of the property address is an even number, water on Sundays and Thursdays. If the property is a non-residential (commercial, industrial, common areas, and parks), water on Tuesdays and Fridays. There will be no watering on Mondays.
- Enforcement actions for Carrollton’s Stage 1 Drought/Emergency Response Stages are as follows: On the first violation, a customer will be given a written notice of the mandatory water use restrictions. On the second and subsequent violations, citations may be issued to customers with fines not to exceed $2,000 per day. After two violations have occurred, the City may install a flow restrictor in the line to limit the amount of water that may pass through the meter in a 24-hour period. After three violations, the City may terminate water service to the customer.
- For more information on water conservation, call (972)466-3120, or visit cityofcarrollton.com/water.
More Texas headlines: