North Texans Could Face Even Tighter Water Restrictions
MESQUITE (CBSDFW.COM) - Has your lawn turned brown yet?
If not, it might start changing soon. With little rain in the weather forecast, there is no sign of the Texas drought reaching an end. And on Thursday, North Texas water officials plan to consider tightening local water restrictions even further.
The North Texas Municipal Water District serves about 1.6 million people across the DFW area – in places like Garland, Frisco, McKinney and Mesquite. Right now, these areas are in Stage 2 water restrictions.
The water district plans to hold a vote on Thursday, which could move the area to Stage 3 water restrictions. This is because the water level of the district's primary reservoir, Lake Lavon, continues to be very low.
The water supply is also cut off for some North Texans because of an infestation of zebra mussels at Lake Texoma.
Under the Stage 3 restrictions plan, lawn watering would be limited to once a week. Local water officials said that this should not matter too much for homes and businesses as we are entering the season when most lawns become dormant.
The restrictions would also prohibit the hosing of paved areas, buildings or windows, and would prohibit the operation of ornamental fountains.
If the district votes for the new restrictions, they would take effect on November 1, but will first need to be approved by the North Texas cities that make up the district.
