Watering your lawn may cost you more cash as tighter water restrictions go into effect June 1.
Here is the breakdown:
North Texas Municipal Water District
A critical shortage of water in North Texas forced 14 cities in the North Texas Municipal Water District to implement new water restrictions.
Starting Saturday, June 1, more than a million and a half people in the northern and eastern suburbs of Dallas County, and all of Collin County, will only be able to use lawn sprinklers once a week.
The City of Richardson has spent time and money getting the word out. They’ve hung banners around town and sent out postcards to homeowners telling them about Stage 3 water restrictions, as well as when they can and cannot water their lawns with sprinklers.
"We just installed a drip irrigation system,” Richardson homeowner Renee Ball told NBC 5. Drip irrigation systems are exempt from the once-a-week watering schedule. Ball said she also recently purchased drought-resistant plants for the yard.
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"I don't think we're going to have a problem with it. We just put the plants in. I don't know how they'll do, but they’re supposed to do just fine,” said Ball. “I'm not too worried about it."
During the Stage 3 water restrictions, city inspectors will check on sprinkler use regularly.
"We have people who work overnights. We have people in the middle of the day and we also respond to people who call and say my neighbor's watering maybe when they shouldn't be," said Greg Sowell, spokesperson for the City of Richardson.
First offenses will get a warning. After that a $150 fine and a possible municipal court date. City leaders expect most citizens will comply as long as they're asked to.
"When you talk about when is this going to end, the forecast is not favorable for it to end anytime soon,” said Sowell. "Of course, the hope is it will be, but we just don't know when it's going to end."
During Stage 3 water restrictions you can still wash your car, hose down your patio or driveway and keep your swimming pools at the correct water level.
The NTMWD serves the following member cities: Allen, Farmersville, Forney, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Rockwall, Royse City and Wylie. Additionally, the NTMWD lists the following towns as customers: Bonham, Caddo Basin SUD, Cash SUD, College Mound WSC, Copeville SUD, Crandall (Kaufman Four-One), East Fork SUD, Fairview, Fate, Forney Lake WSC, Gastonia-Scurry SUD, Greater Texoma Utility Authority (GTUA), Josephine, Kaufman, Kaufman Four-One, Lavon W.S.C., Little Elm, Lucas, Melissa, Milligan WSC, Mount Zion WSC, Murphy, Nevada WSC, North Collin WSC, Parker, Prosper, Rose, Hill SUD, Rowlett, Sachse, Seis Lagos UD, Sunnyvale, Terrell and Wylie Northeast SUD.
Tarrant Regional Water District
The TRWD will begin Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan on June 3.
The TRWD serves 1.7 million people living in the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, all of Wise, Tarrant, Ellis and Navarro counties and parts of Jack, Parker, Johnson, Freestone and Henderson counties as well as the Trinity River Authority.
Fort Worth wholesales water to the following cities: Aledo, Bethesda, Benbrook, Burleson, Crowley, Dalworthington Gardens, Edgecliff Village, Everman, Forest Hill, Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Northlake, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Roanoke, Saginaw, Sansom Park Village, Southlake, Watauga, Westover Hills, Westworth Village, Westlake, White Settlement, DFW Airport and Trophy Club.
The Trinity River Authority wholesales water to the following cities: Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine, North Richland Hills, Ennis, Avalon, Ferris, Italy, Maypearl, Midlothian, Palmer, Red Oak, Ellis County Water, Nash-Forreston, Venus and Rockett Special Utility District. Additionally, Weatherford, Benbrook, Hudson Oaks, Kemp, Mabank, Malakoff, Star Harbor, Trinidad, Exelon, Payne Springs, Seven Points, Tool, Cal Pine/Freestone, Corsicana and Fairfield all receive water from the TRWD.
According to its website:
Residential customers whose addresses end in odd numbers (1,3,5,7 or 9) will be permitted to only water lawns and landscapes with sprinklers on Sundays and Thursdays. Addresses ending in even numbers (2,4,6,8 or 0) may only water on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Non-residential customers, including apartments, businesses, parks and common areas, may only water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Dallas Water Utilities
The DWU began a permanent Twice Weekly Watering schedule in April of 2012.
The DWU serves 2.4 million people living in the cities of Addison, Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Cockrell Hill, The Colony, Coppell, Dallas Denton, DeSoto, Duncanville, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Glenn Heights, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Highland Park, Hutchins, Irving, Lancaster, Lewisville, Mesquite, Ovilla, Red Oak, Richardson, Seagoville, University Park, Wilmer as well as DFW International Airport.
According to its website:
Residential and commercial customers with street addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8) can water on Sundays and Thursdays. Those customers with addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) can water on Saturdays and Wednesdays. As a reminder, watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is prohibited from April 1 through October 31.
