(a) 
The purpose of this drought contingency and water emergency response plan is as follows:
(1) 
To conserve the available water supply in times of drought and emergency.
(2) 
To maintain supplies for domestic water use, sanitation, and fire protection.
(3) 
To protect and preserve public health, welfare, and safety.
(4) 
To minimize the adverse impacts of water supply shortages.
(5) 
To minimize the adverse impacts of emergency water supply conditions.
(6) 
To satisfy the requirements set forth by TCEQ and other agencies.
(b) 
A drought is defined as an extended period of time when an area receives insufficient amounts of rainfall to replenish the water supply, causing water supply shortages. In the absence of drought response measures, water demands tend to increase during a drought due to the need for additional outdoor irrigation. The severity of a drought depends on the degree of depletion of supplies and on the relationship of demand to available supplies.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
The city will provide opportunity for public input in the development of this drought contingency and water emergency response plan by the following means:
(1) 
Providing written notice of the proposed plan and the opportunity to comment on the plan by newspaper, and notice on the website http://www.lancaster-tx.com/.
(2) 
Making the plan available on the website http://www.lancaster-tx.com/.
(3) 
Providing the draft plan to anyone requesting a copy.
(4) 
Holding a public meeting at a city council meeting to receive public comments on the draft plan.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
(a) 
After the plan is adopted the city will continue to inform and educate the public about the drought contingency and water emergency response plan by the following means:
(1) 
Making the plan available to the public through the website http://www.lancaster-tx.com/.
(2) 
Including information about the drought contingency and water emergency response plan on the website http://www.lancaster-tx.com/.
(3) 
City water customers will be notified in their water bill of the availability of information on the water conservation and drought contingency plan and of any additional water use restrictions that may become effective in response to future drought conditions.
(b) 
At any time that the drought contingency and water emergency response plan is activated or the drought stage or water emergency response stage changes, the city will notify local media of the issues, the drought response stage or water emergency response stage, and the specific actions required of the public. The information will also be publicized on the city website. Information about the current stage and restrictions will be included in the quarterly newsletter sent to customers.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
(a) 
Initiation of a drought or water emergency response stage.
(1) 
The public works director or official designee may order the implementation of a drought or water emergency response stage with city council approval when one or more of the trigger conditions for that stage is met. The following actions will be taken when a drought or water emergency response stage is initiated:
(A) 
The public will be notified through local media and the city website as described in section 24.07.063.
(B) 
Lancaster MUD #1 and the City of Dallas will he notified by e-mail with a follow-up letter or fax that provides details of the reasons for initiation of the drought/water emergency response stage.
(C) 
If any mandatory provisions of the drought contingency and water emergency response plan are activated. The city will notify the executive director of the TCEQ and the director of the Dallas Water Utilities within 5 business days.
(2) 
Drought contingency/water emergency response stages imposed by the City of Dallas will be initiated by the City of Lancaster. For other trigger conditions internal to the city, the public works director or official designee may decide not to order the implementation of a drought response stage or water emergency with approval of city council even though one or more of the trigger criteria for the stage are met. Factors which could influence such a decision include, but are not limited to, the time of the year, weather conditions, the anticipation of replenished water supplies, or the anticipation that additional facilities will become available to meet needs. The reason for this decision should be documented.
(b) 
Termination of a drought/water emergency response stage.
(1) 
The public works director or official designee may order the termination of a drought or water emergency response stage with city council approval when the conditions for termination are met. The following actions will be taken when a drought or emergency response stage is terminated:
(A) 
The public will be notified through local media and the city website as described in section 24.07.063.
(B) 
Lancaster MUD #1 and the City of Dallas will be notified by e-mail with a follow-up letter or fax.
(C) 
If any mandatory provisions of the drought contingency and water emergency response plan are terminated, the city will notify the executive director of the TCEQ and the director of the Dallas Water Utilities within 5 business days.
(2) 
The public works director or official designee may decide not to order the termination of a drought or water emergency response stage with approval of city council even through the conditions for termination of the stage are met. Factors which could influence such a decision include, but are not limited to, the time of the year, weather conditions, or the anticipation of potential changed conditions that warrant the continuation of the drought stage. The reason for this decision should be documented.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
(a) 
Stage 1.
(1) 
Initiation and termination conditions for stage 1.
(A) 
Stage 1 of the drought contingency and water emergency response plan will be initiated when with approval of city council the public works director or official designee deems it necessary to implement stage 1 restrictions. Circumstances which may cause initiation include:
(i) 
System demand exceeds 85% of delivery capacity for 3 consecutive days.
(ii) 
Ground storage reservoirs have dropped below 65% capacity.
(iii) 
Natural or manmade contamination occurs anywhere in the system.
(iv) 
Conditions are such that initiation of stage 1 is desirable.
(v) 
Dallas Water Utilities has initiated stage 1.
(B) 
Stage 1 may terminate when Dallas Water Utilities terminates its stage 1 condition, when the circumstances that caused the initiation of stage 1 no longer prevail, or when conditions are such that termination of stage 1 is desirable.
(2) 
Goal for use reduction and actions available under stage 1.
(A) 
Stage 1 is intended to raise public awareness of potential drought or water emergency problems. The goal for water use reduction under stage 1 is to achieve a 5 percent reduction in water use.
(B) 
The public works director or official designee may order the implementation of any of the actions listed below and may also take other actions not listed, if deemed necessary:
(i) 
All water users.
a. 
Encourage reduction in frequency of watering new and first year landscaping.
b. 
Encourage only initial filling of ornamental fountains.
c. 
Encourage reduction in frequency of washing or rinsing of vehicles and recommend use of bucket/container, handheld hose with positive shut-ff valve or commercial carwash.
d. 
Encourage reduction in frequency in draining or refilling swimming pools.
e. 
Encourage reduction in frequency of recreational use including use of faucets, hoses, or sprinklers.
f. 
Encourage reduction of water use through voluntary day of week lawn watering schedule for established landscape. Irrigation of landscapes areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) and for locations without addresses, and Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, or 9). Apartments, office building complexes or other property containing multiple addresses may be identified by the lowest address number. Irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted at any time by means of a handheld hose, a faucet filled bucket or drip irrigation system.
(ii) 
City government.
a. 
Initiate public education campaign and encourage reduced water use practices.
b. 
Encourage 25% reductions in frequency of water street seeping, vehicle washing and rinsing.
c. 
Intensify normal leaks detection and repair activities on water pipes and mains.
d. 
Encourage reduction of water use in city-owned ornamental fountains.
e. 
Encourage reduction in landscape used for parks and city-owned golf courses.
(iii) 
Commercial customers.
a. 
Identify and encourage voluntary reduction measures by high-volume water users.
b. 
Encourage reduction in landscape uses for parks and golf courses.
c. 
Encourage reduction in water use for landscape nursery stock.
(iv) 
Wholesale water customer.
Encourage implementation of like procedures by wholesale customers.
(b) 
Stage 2.
(1) 
Initiation and termination conditions for stage 2.
(A) 
Stage 2 of the drought contingency and water emergency response plan will be initiated when with approval of city council the public works director or official designee deems it necessary to implement stage 2 restrictions. Circumstances which may cause initiation include:
(i) 
System demand exceeds 90% of delivery capacity for 3 consecutive days.
(ii) 
Ground storage reservoirs have dropped below 55% capacity.
(iii) 
Natural or manmade contamination occurs anywhere in the system.
(iv) 
Conditions are such that initiation of stage 2 is desirable.
(v) 
City of Dallas has initiated stage 2 restrictions.
(B) 
Stage 2 may terminate when the City of Dallas terminates its stage 2 condition, when the circumstances that caused the initiation of stage 2 no longer prevail, or when conditions are such that termination of stage 2 is desirable.
(2) 
Goal for use reduction and actions available under stage 2.
The goal for water use reduction under stage 2 is a fifteen (15) percent reduction in water use. If circumstances warrant or if required by the City of Dallas, the public works director or official designee can set a goal for greater water use reduction with city council approval. The public works director or official designee may order the implementation of any of the actions listed below, as deemed necessary. Measures described as "requires notification to TCEQ" impose mandatory requirements on customers. The supplier must notify TCEQ and the City of Dallas within five business days if these measures are implemented:
(A) 
All water users.
(i) 
Continue or initiate any actions available under stage 1.
(ii) 
Encourage further reduction of in frequency in draining and refilling of swimming pools
(iii) 
A 10 percent rate increase of high water demand users (greater than 10,000 gallons per month per account) or any other percentage as deemed appropriate by the public works director with city council approval.
(iv) 
Requires notification to TCEQ:
a. 
Restrict operation of ornamental fountains or ponds to initial filling except where necessary to support aquatic life or where such fountains or ponds are equipped with a recirculation system.
b. 
Prohibit recreational water use including use of faucets, hoes or sprinklers, which uses water in such a manner as to allow runoff or other wastes.
c. 
Restrict washing of any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle to the use of a handheld bucket or a handheld hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. Vehicle washing may be done at any time on the immediate premises of a commercial carwash or commercial service station. Further, such washing may be exempted from these regulations if the health, safety and welfare of the public are contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks or vehicles used to transport food or perishables.
d. 
Prohibit hosing off paved areas, buildings, windows or other surfaces.
e. 
Requires reduction of water use through mandatory day-of-week lawn watering schedule and requires watering only during off-peak hours. Irrigation of landscapes areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) and for locations without addresses, and Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with an address ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, or 9). Irrigation of landscaped areas is further limited to the hours of 12:00 midnight until 10:00 a.m. and between 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight on designated watering days. Apartments, office building complexes or other property containing multiple addresses may be identified by the lowest address number. Irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted at any time if it is by means of a handheld hose, a faucet filled bucket or drip irrigation system.
(B) 
City government.
(i) 
Initiate engineering studies to evaluate alternatives to mitigate drought conditions should conditions worsen.
(ii) 
Accelerate public education campaign teaching and encouraging reduced water use practices.
(iii) 
Reduce frequency of water street sweeping and city vehicle washing or rinsing by 50 percent.
(iv) 
Prohibit flushing of new mains not immediately required to provide service.
(v) 
Continue intensified leak detection and repair activities on water pipes and mains.
(vi) 
Prohibit operation of ornamental fountains by city government.
(vii) 
City government restricted to day-of-week landscape watering schedule except for parks and city-owned golf courses.
(viii) 
Increase enforcement efforts.
(C) 
Commercial customers.
(i) 
Identify and encourage voluntary reduction measures by high-volume water users.
(ii) 
Require reduction of water use through day-of-week landscape watering schedule for private parks and golf courses.
(iii) 
Encourage further reduction in landscape uses for nursery stock.
(D) 
Wholesale water customer.
Require water demand reductions in accordance with contract obligations for wholesale water customers.
(c) 
Stage 3.
(1) 
Initiation and termination conditions for stage 3.
(A) 
Stage 3 of the drought contingency and water emergency response plan will be initiated when with approval of city council the public works director or official designee deems it necessary to implement stage 3 restrictions. Circumstances which may cause initiation include:
(i) 
System demand exceeds 95% of delivery capacity for 2 consecutive days.
(ii) 
Ground storage reservoirs have dropped below 45% capacity.
(iii) 
Water demand exceeds a reduced pumping capacity for all or part of the system, as determined by the director of public works.
(iv) 
Pump or system failures occur, which causes unprecedented loss of capability to provide water service.
(v) 
Natural or manmade contamination occurs anywhere in the system.
(vi) 
Conditions are such that initiation of stage 3 is desirable.
(vii) 
City of Dallas has initiated stage 3 restrictions.
(B) 
Stage 3 may terminate when the City of Dallas terminates its stage 3 condition, when the circumstances that caused the initiation of stage 3 no longer prevail, or when conditions are such that termination of stage 3 is desirable.
(2) 
Goal for use reduction and actions available under stage 3.
(A) 
The goal for water use reduction under stage 3 is a reduction target of twenty (20) percent in water use. If circumstances warrant or if required by the City of Dallas, the public works director or official designee can set a goal for greater water use reduction with city council approval.
(B) 
The public works director or official designee will implement any action(s) required by the City of Dallas. In addition, the public works director or official designee may order the implementation of any of the actions listed below, as deemed necessary. Measures described as "requires notification to TCEQ" impose mandatory requirements on customers.
(C) 
The supplier must notify TCEQ and the City of Dallas within five business days if these measures are implemented:
(i) 
All water users.
a. 
Continue or initiate any actions available under stages 1 and 2.
b. 
Irrigation of turf, shrubs, perennials, annuals, ground covers and any other landscaped area by any method is absolutely prohibited. Trees may be irrigated with drip irrigation system, soaker hoses or with a handheld hose one day per week on the stage 2 watering schedule and within the permitted watering hours. Installation of new landscapes or turf areas is prohibited.
c. 
Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer or other vehicle not occurring on the premises of a commercial vehicle was facility or commercial service stations is prohibited. Companies with an automated on-site vehicle washing facility may wash its vehicles at any time. Further, such washing may be exempt from these requirements if the health, safety and welfare of the public are contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks and commercial vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
d. 
Prohibit the filling, draining and refilling of existing swimming pools, wading pools, Jacuzzi and hot tubs except to maintain structural integrity, proper operation and maintenance or alleviate a public safety risk. Existing pools may add water to replace losses from normal use and evaporation.
e. 
Foundations may be watered for a two-hour period during off-peak hours with soaker or handheld hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle.
f. 
Operation of any ornamental fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes is prohibited except where necessary to support aquatic life or where such fountains or ponds are equipped with a recirculation system.
g. 
No application for new, additional, expanded, or increases-in-size water service connections, meters, service lines, pipeline extensions, mains, or other water service facilities of any kind shall be approved, and time limits for approval of such applications are hereby suspended for such time as this drought response stage or higher-numbered stage shall be in effect.
h. 
Permitting of new swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, ornamental ponds and fountain construction is prohibited.
i. 
A 50 percent rate increase for high water demand users (greater than 15,000 gallons per month per account) or any other percentage as deemed appropriate by the public works director with city council approval.
(ii) 
City government.
a. 
Wet street sweeping and city vehicle washing is prohibited except for reasons of public health, safety and welfare.
b. 
Municipal landscape watering prohibited except golf courses (see below).
c. 
Water of golf courses greens and tee boxes restricted to off-peak hours, watering of other golf courses areas and parks is prohibited.
(iii) 
Commercial customers.
Watering of golf course greens and tee boxes restricted to off-peak hours; watering of other golf course areas and parks is prohibited unless the golf course utilizes a water source other than that provided by the City of Lancaster.
(iv) 
Wholesale customer.
Require water demand reductions in accordance with contract obligations for wholesale water customers.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
(a) 
The public works director or official designee may, in writing, grant temporary variances for existing water uses otherwise prohibited under this drought contingency and water emergency response plan if one or more of the following conditions are met:
(1) 
Failure to grant such a variance would cause an emergency condition adversely affecting health, sanitation, or fire safely for the public or the person or entity requesting the variance.
(2) 
Compliance with this plan cannot be accomplished due to technical or other limitations.
(3) 
Alternative methods that achieve the same level of reduction in water use can be implemented.
(b) 
Variances shall be granted or denied at the discretion of the public work director or official designee. All petitions for variances should be in writing and should include the following information:
(1) 
Name and address of the petitioners.
(2) 
Purpose of water use.
(3) 
Specific provisions from which relief is requested.
(4) 
Detailed statement of the adverse effect of the provision from which relief is requested.
(5) 
Description of the relief requested.
(6) 
Period of time for which the variance is sought.
(7) 
Alternative measures that will be taken to reduce water use.
(8) 
Other pertinent information.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
(a) 
Mandatory water use restrictions may be imposed in stage 2 and stage 3. The penalties associated with the mandatory water use restrictions will be determined by the City of Lancaster.
(b) 
Appendix F to Ordinance 2019-03-16 contains potential ordinances, resolutions, and orders that may be adopted by the city council including enforcement of same.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)
A copy of this water conservation and drought contingency and water emergency response plan will be provided to the City of Dallas and the Region C Water Planning Group. A copy of the cover letter to be sent with those plans is included in appendix E to Ordinance 2019-03-16.
(Ordinance 2019-03-16 adopted 3/25/19)