(a)
Triggering conditions.
(1)
Pursuant to the requirements of any wholesale water purchase contract, notification is received requesting initiation of stage 1 of the plan; or
(2)
TRWD initiated stage 1 - water watch for one or more of the following reasons:
(A)
Total raw water supply in TRWD western and eastern division reservoirs drops below 75% (25% depleted) of conservation storage.
(B)
Water demand for all or part of the TRWD delivery system exceeds delivery capacity because delivery capacity is inadequate.
(C)
Water demand is projected to approach the limit of TRWD’s permitted supply.
(D)
TRWD’s supply source becomes contaminated.
(E)
TRWD’s water supply system is unable to deliver water due to the failure or damage of major water system components.
(F)
The TRWD general manager, with the concurrence of the TRWD board of directors, finds that conditions warrant the declaration of a stage 1 drought; or
(3)
Water demand exceeds 90% of reliable deliverable capacity for 3 consecutive days. The delivery capacity could be citywide or in a specified portion of the system;
(4)
Water demand approaches delivery capacity for all or part of the system due to supply, production or delivery capacity limitations; or
(5)
The water supply system is unable to deliver water due to the failure or damage of major water system components.
(b)
Actions available for stage 1.
(Applied locally or to all customers, as necessary; some or all may be initiated). The city administrator or his/her designee may order the implementation of any of the actions listed below, as deemed necessary. The city administrator or his/her designee must implement any action(s) required by TRWD or the City of Fort Worth water department.
(1)
All water users.
Initiate mandatory restrictions to prohibit nonessential water use as follows:
(A)
Discourage hosing of paved areas, such as sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, patios, or other impervious surfaces, except to alleviate an immediate health or safety hazard. This may include premises with raw or processed food, pharmaceutical or vaccine processing, storage or vending establishments including restaurants and grocery stores may be washed to the extent necessary for sanitary purposes. These areas may also include:
(B)
Discourage hosing of buildings or other structures for purposes other than fire protection or surface preparation prior to painting.
(C)
Prohibit using water in such a manner as to allow runoff or other waste, including:
(i)
Failure to repair a controllable leak, including a broken sprinkler head, a leaking valve, leaking or broken pipes, or a leaking faucet;
(iii)
During irrigation, allowing water to: (a) run off a property and form a stream of water in a street for a distance of 50 feet or greater; or (b) pond in a street or parking lot to a depth greater than one-quarter of an inch.
(iv)
Allowing or causing an irrigation system or other lawn watering device to operate during any form of precipitation or when temperatures are at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
(D)
Prohibit outdoor watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
(E)
Limit landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems at each service address to a twice per week schedule as outlined below. This includes landscape watering of parks, golf courses, and sports fields. The city will use the same schedule as the City of Fort Worth to simplify the messages passed to customers through the news media.
(i)
Residential addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
(ii)
Residential addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) may water on Thursdays and Sundays.
(iii)
All nonresidential locations (apartment complexes, businesses, industries, parks, medians, etc.) may water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
(iv)
Exceptions:
a.
Lawns and landscaping may be watered on any day by handheld hose, drip irrigation, a soaker hose or tree bubbler.
b.
Water use necessary for the repair of an irrigation system, plumbing line, fountain, etc. in the presence of the person making the repair.
c.
Outdoor watering at service addresses with large multi-station irrigation systems may take place in accordance with a variance granted by the director, if the director determines that a property cannot be completely irrigated with an average of three-quarters of an inch of water in a single day, and that the property should be divided into sections to be irrigated on different days. If approved, no station will be watered more than twice per week.
d.
Establishing new turf is discouraged. If hydromulch, grass sod, or grass seed is installed for the purpose of establishing a new lawn, there are no watering restrictions for the first 30 days while it is being established. After that, the watering restrictions set forth in this stage apply. (This does not include over seeding with rye, or seasonal grasses, since turf already exists.)
e.
Golf courses may water greens and tee boxes as necessary, however watering must be done before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. Encouraged to reduce water use by five percent.
f.
Skinned areas of sports fields may be watered as needed for dust control.
g.
Watering of athletic fields (fields only, does not include surrounding landscaped areas) used for organized sports practice, competition, or exhibition events may occur as necessary to protect the health and safety of the players, staff, or officials present for athletic events. Encouraged to reduce water use by five percent.
h.
Public areas that are open to the public at-large and have a high impact from frequent use may be allowed additional watering, with a variance granted by the director, if it is deemed to be beneficial to serve and protect the community amenity. Examples may include but are not limited to: outdoor amphitheaters, demonstration gardens, public art exhibitions, outdoor learning areas, arboretums, etc.
(F)
All users are encouraged to reduce the frequency of draining and refilling swimming pools.
(G)
All users are encouraged to use native and adapted drought tolerant plants in landscaping.
(H)
Washing of any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane, or other vehicle shall be limited to the use of a handheld bucket or a handheld hose equipped with a positive-pressure shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. Vehicle washing may be done at any time on the premises of a commercial carwash or commercial service station. 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 vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
(I)
Discourage the filling, draining, or refilling of swimming pools, wading pools, hot tubs and Jacuzzi type pools except to maintain adequate water levels for structural integrity, proper operation and maintenance, and/or to alleviate an issue that poses a public safety risk.
(2)
City and local governments.
(A)
Review conditions and problems that caused stage 1. Take corrective action.
(B)
Increase public education efforts on ways to reduce water use.
(C)
Increase enforcement efforts.
(D)
Intensify leak detection and repair efforts.
(E)
Audit all city and local government irrigation systems to ensure proper condition, settings, and operation.
(F)
Identify and encourage voluntary reduction measures by high-volume water users through water use audits.
(G)
Reduce nonessential water use. As used herein, nonessential water uses are those that do not have any health or safety impact and are not needed to meet the core function of the agency.
(H)
Per the City of Fort Worth water contract, the city is required to institute and apply the same rationing, conservation measures or restrictions to the use of water by its customers for so long as any part of its total water supply is being furnished by Fort Worth.
(3)
Commercial or industrial.
(A)
All actions listed above for all water users apply to commercial and industrial users.
(B)
Stock at commercial plant nurseries is exempt from stage 1 watering restrictions.
(C)
Hotels, restaurants, and bars are encouraged to serve drinking water to patrons on an “on demand” basis.
(D)
Hotels are encouraged to implement laundry conservation measures by encouraging patrons to reuse linens and towels.
(E)
Carwash facilities must keep equipment in good working order, which should include regular inspections to be sure there are no leaks, broken or misdirected nozzles, and that all equipment is operating efficiently.
(F)
All commercial and industrial customers are encouraged to audit irrigation systems.
(c)
Goals for use reduction for stage 1.
The goal for water use reduction under stage 1, water watch, is five percent. If circumstances warrant or if required by TRWD or the City of Fort Worth water department, the city administrator or his/her designee can set a goal for greater water use reduction.
(d)
Terminating conditions for stage 1.
Stage 1 will terminate when the total combined raw water supply in TRWD western and eastern division reservoirs exceeds 95% of conservation storage capacity or remains at or above 85% for 90 consecutive days, whichever occurs first.
(Ordinance 006-2015 adopted 2/17/15)