North Texas Residents, Businesses Asked to Conserve Water as Heatwave Continues

The North Texas Municipal Water District has asked residents and businesses in the region to conserve water after a treatment plant was taken offline for “critical maintenance” this past weekend. The plant that was taken offline is part of the agency’s treatment complex in Wylie, and until it’s repaired there will be a dent in the region’s water supply.

This, coupled with an ongoing drought, has put stress on the water purification and distribution systems.

At the Wylie plant, six sedimentation basins help produce 210 million gallons of water every day, according to the North Texas Municipal Water District. These basins separate particles from the water during the treatment process. Peak demand caused sediment to accumulate in these basins, which made them run less efficiently.

The North Texas Municipal Water District said crews are working around the clock to restore treatment capacity at the Wylie plant. The week ahead will include high temperatures, and there’s no sign the drought will let up. The agency said this “emphasizes the importance of this regional call to action to conserve water and reduce outdoor watering.”

Dallas was seeing first-hand the increased demand for water even before the Wylie plant was down for maintenance. Dallas Water Utilities customers consume, on average, about 380 million gallons of water every day. Earlier this month, though, demand increased to over 600 million gallons a day. 

"Dallas Water Utilities is encouraging customers to be aware of these policies and mindful of their water usage." – Steven Schenck, City of Dallas

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Even if there’s enough water, the increased usage can cause water pipelines to break or leak. Dallas Water Utilities has 18 crews responding around the clock to water main breaks and leaks. Dallas Water Utilities spends $150–$170 million annually to replace and rehabilitate water and wastewater mains, which has led to a decrease in the number of main breaks over the years. However, crews are seeing even more than they did last year.

That’s why the city reminded residents recently that it's enforcing the Twice Weekly Water program to help reduce demand. Under the program, if your address ends in an even number, you’re allowed to water your lawn only on Sundays and Thursdays. People in homes with addresses ending in an odd number get Saturdays and Wednesdays. If your address doesn’t have a number, you water your lawn on Sundays and Thursdays. Then, from April 1 to Oct. 31, watering is completely prohibited every day of the week between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Similar conservation measures are being implemented by cities across North Texas, including Plano and Lewisville.

Steven Schenck, an administrative specialist with the city of Dallas, told the Observer that the Twice Weekly Water program was adopted by the city in 2012 and has been implemented year-round ever since. "No new enforcement measures have been taken in response to the recent hot weather, but Dallas Water Utilities is encouraging customers to be aware of these policies and mindful of their water usage," Schenck said in an email. For example, residents should make sure their sprinklers are working properly and not watering sidewalks, driveways or streets. The city says residents should report any water main breaks by calling 311.

Since the program was adopted, Schenck said, annual water consumption has dipped by 9%, and the number of days that consumption exceeded 600 million gallons a day has decreased from 204 days to just 23 days.

Schenck said this summer’s weather is comparable to that of summer 2011, but things could be worse. “While year to date rainfall is seven inches or 33% below normal, Dallas’ reservoirs are only 9.63% below their full capacities,” Schenck explained. "The first stage of the City’s drought plan would be triggered if the reservoirs were to reach 35% depleted. Dallas Water Utilities continues to carefully monitor both demand and production capacity.”