Will the Texas heat, drought affect Fort Worth’s water supply? Here’s when to conserve

Hot and dry conditions persist in Texas, with Tarrant County experiencing its 10th driest year in the last 128 years.

During Tuesday’s Tarrant Regional Water District meeting, Rachel Ickert, Chief Water Resources Officer, said they’re trying to push water conservation, although it’s not time to panic about supply.

Texas’s consistent heat is due to a ridge of high pressure that has impacted the central part of the United States since June. High pressure ridges typically follow an ebb and flow pattern with breaks of rain or cooler temperatures, however that’s not the case this year.

Despite the consistent heat, Ickert said the dry conditions are not as bad as they were this time in 2011, the last time North Texas saw similar high pressure systems. The city of Dallas, North Texas Municipal Water District and TRWD have all issued water conservation notices this summer, but as preventative measures, she said.

“We do prepare for these types of situations, we plan for this as water supply planners. We look at these dry conditions and we try to figure out how much water will be needed in these dry conditions with the increased population,” Ickert said.

TRWD predicts hitting the stage one trigger of its three stage drought response in early October. Currently, TRWD is at 85 percent water storage; the same time of year in 2011 TRWD was at 80 percent storage and hit stage one in August of that year.

The district owns four lakes: Bridgeport, Cedar Creek, Eagle Mountain and Richland-Chambers. TRWD has over 250 miles of pipelines and also stores water from Lakes Arlington, Benbrook and Worth.

Here’s what to know about the three stage drought response.

Stage one: Water Watch

A water watch is put in place when water demand, either citywide or in a specified portion, reaches or exceeds 90% of reliable delivery capacity for three consecutive days. The watch is also put in place for delivery capacity reasons, major water systems failures and water contamination.

The Tarrant Regional Water District applies a water watch for similar reasons, including if the total raw water supply in its western and eastern division reservoirs drops below 75% of the conservation storage. In a stage one water watch, water use is reduced by 5% but the number can be increased if necessary.

Under a water watch, residents using a sprinkler or irrigation system are limited to two watering days a week and have to water outside of the hours between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residential addresses ending in an even number may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays while residences ending in an odd number can water on Thursdays and Sundays.

Lawns and landscaping may be watered on any day, at any time, using a handheld hose, drip irrigation, a soaker hose or tree bubbler. According to the city’s Drought Contingency and Emergency Water Management Plan, this allows for the protection of structural foundations and trees.

Under this stage, vehicle washing is limited to the use of a hand-held bucket or a hand-held hose equipped with positive-pressure shutoff nozzle for quick rinses.

In a water watch, residents are discouraged from filling, draining, or refilling pools and hot tubs except to maintain adequate water levels for structural integrity, proper operation and maintenance and to alleviate an issue that poses a public safety risk.

Stage two: Water Warning

In order to issue a water warning, water demand would have to reach or exceed 95% of reliable delivery capacity for three consecutive days, both citywide or in concentrated areas. TRWD initiates stage two if the total water supply in its western and eastern division reservoirs drops below 60% of the conservation storage.

In a water warning, water use is to be decreased by 10%, with landscape watering reduced to once a week using a sprinkler or irrigation system. Landscapes can still be watered any day and time using a handheld hose, drip irrigation, soaker hose or tree bubbler, according to the emergency plan.

Stage three: Emergency Water Use

This stage is put into effect when water demand citywide or in a specified portion reaches or exceeds 98% of reliable delivery capacity for one day. TRWD puts stage three into effect if the total water supply in its reservoirs drops below 45% of conservation storage. During stage three, water use is decreased by 20%. During an emergency water use stage, landscape watering, including at parks, golf courses, and sports fields, is prohibited except with a handheld or soaker hose.