City Contemplates Move to Stage II Water Restrictions

Starting next Monday, if the City continues to experience extremely high demand consumption periods, it will be necessary for the city to move into much stricter Phase II water restrictions.  That will reduce the opportunity for irrigating to once a week.

Thirty-five days of triple digit temperatures, prolonged drought conditions in the Metroplex combined with Southlake’s water consumption has created the need for the City to once again stress the importance of reduced consumption for irrigation.

On July 25, 2011, the City moved into Stage 1 water restrictions mandating a maximum of twice a week watering.  When the restrictions were first enacted and the word was communicated to everyone in the community, the city received cooperation.  However, as we have had to endure temperatures as high as 109 degrees during the past week and a half, many in our community have felt the need to apply additional water to their property.

Public Works Director Bob Price said, “While it is understandable that everyone wants to protect their investment by watering their lawns and shrubs, we all need to abide by the water restrictions.  Failure to comply creates a more difficult burden of those individuals who do comply with the water restrictions. ”

In the past two weeks since the restrictions were enacted, the city has issued approximately six hundred written warnings and seven citations.    Price added, “We believe that some folks are watering twice on their watering day.  There has to be some explanation for the heavy usage that we are experiencing from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.  Watering twice on your designated day just is not necessary unless you have also cut your watering durations in half. ”

Price also reminds everyone when your lawn begins experiencing runoff, turn off your system.  There is just no justification for water being wasted by flowing down the gutter of the street. ”

Please help the City conserve our water by not increasing your water use more than absolutely necessary.   You can learn about the City’s drought contingency and water conservation plan by visiting www.CityofSouthlake.com/waterconservation.