Stage 2 of the City of Allen's Water Conservation and Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan went into effect on August 19. Under Stage 2, the city will accelerate efforts to reduce water use by 5%, and urge residents to conserve every drop of water.
The implementation of Stage 2 comes at the request of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), the city's water supplier. On August 1, 2011, NTMWD initiated Stage 2 of the NTMWD Water Conservation and Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan, as a result of the temporary loss of 22.5% of the Lake Texoma raw water supply due to invasive zebra mussels; the continued drought conditions with NTMWD's Lake Chapman water supply capacity down to just 47%; and peak daily water usage reaching 554 million gallons per day.
"The only perfect storm happening in North Texas is the drought affecting our water supply," said Jim Parks, executive director of NTMWD. "Not only are we facing one of the driest summers in recent years, but with the zebra mussels cutting off our Texoma supply, the need for Stage 2 restrictions is immediate.
The following water conservation practices are required at Stage 2:
Limit landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems to no more than two days per week, as delineated by the map that is being mailed to residents and available online. EvapoTranspiration (ET) and Smart irrigation systems are not exempt from this twice weekly watering limitation.
Water may not be trucked or otherwise transported into the City for irrigation purposes.
The City strongly recommends that citizens and commercial establishments alike wait until the current drought situation has passed before establishing new landscaping.
Prohibit landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems from 10 AM to 6 PM beginning April 1 through October 31 of each year. Hand-held hose or permanently installed drip system watering of plant materials during this time may be permitted as long as no runoff occurs.
Prohibit planting/watering of cool season grasses (such as rye grass or other similar grasses). NO WINTER OVERSEEDING ALLOWED.
Prohibit watering of impervious surfaces. (Excessive sprinkler runoff on sidewalks/streets NOT permitted.)
Prohibit outdoor watering during precipitation or freeze events.
Prohibit use of treated water to fill or refill residential, amenity, and any other natural or manmade ponds with a surface area of 500 square feet or more.
Residential/apartment hand vehicle washing must be done using a positive shut off water nozzle.
The City's Community Services Director, Steve Massey said "The situation has become more serious all summer and improving our water conservation efforts during Stage 2 may well prove crucial to meeting the City's water needs and to delay or prevent the implementation of higher level of drought stages that even further restrict water usage. No one wants to see Stage 3 of the drought plan implemented because that Stage reduces landscape watering to just once weekly."
More information and tips on water conservation can be found at www.ntmwd.com or through the Water Conservation division of Community Services.
