Northlake Neighborhood Runs Out of Water

Water was restored to a Northlake neighborhood late Wednesday after residents went 15 hours without it because the supply simply ran out.

Brookelyn Wiggins, who lives in Northridge Estates, said she had to take a toothbrush to work because her home had no water.

Mayor Peter Dewing said the demand was so heavy, the storage tanks went almost dry. There were no mechanical malfunctions, he said.

"I would say it's a lesson to be aware of what you're doing," he said. "A couple of consumers in this area have used over 100,000 gallons in the last 29 days. That's a lot of usage."

The city had to turn off the supply to the 164 homes in Northridge Estates in order to refill the tanks, Dewing said.

Dewing said lush lawns are great but people need to conserve.

The homeowners association, for example, used 103,000 gallons in the last 29 days just to water the entrance to the neighborhood, he said.

"I personally believe, in an environment like this, they should use the natural, zero-scape, zero-watering for those types of entrances," Dewing said.

On Wednesday night, Dewing ordered residents to cut back watering their lawns from every other day to once every five days.

Many residents agreed it is necessary to cut back on the water they want so they will have the water they need.

"The grass will come back," Dewing said. "It might go dormant, but it will come back."

The city urged residents in the area to boil their water for 24 hours as a precaution in case any bacteria got into the pipes.