§ 52.09 DROUGHT RESPONSE STAGES.
   (A)   The Mayor, or his or her designee, shall monitor water supply and/or demand conditions on a daily basis and, in accordance with the triggering criteria set forth in § 52.08, shall determine that a mild, moderate, severe, critical, emergency or water shortage condition exists and shall implement the following notification procedures:
   (B)   Notification.
      (1)   Notification of the public. The Mayor or his or her designee shall notify the public by means of: news media, social media, radio broadcasts on local radio station, local newspapers, telephone calls, posting notices at public buildings, and person to person conversations. Notices mailed to all utility customers may be used at the discretion of the Mayor or his or her designee.
      (2)   Additional notification. The Mayor or his or her designee shall notify directly, or cause to be notified directly, the following individuals and entities:
 
Entity
Notification Stage
City Council
All stages
TCEQ
All stages
Street Superintendent
Stage 4: Critical
Stage 5: Emergency
Water and Wastewater Superintendent
All stages
Fire Chief
All stages
Major water uses
Stage 5: Emergency
 
   (C)   Stages.
      (1)   Stage 1 response; mild water shortage conditions.
         (a)   Target. Achieve a voluntary reduction in the total well capacity or firm booster pump capacity to less than 40%.
         (b)   Best management practices for supply management. The city will reduce water demand by system water loss control and reduced or discontinued irrigation of public landscaped areas.
         (c)   Voluntary water use restrictions for reducing demand.
            1.   Water customers are requested to voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas to between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
            2.   All operations of the city shall adhere to water use restrictions prescribed for Stage 1 of the plan.
            3.   Water customers are requested to practice water conservation and to minimize or discontinue water use for non-essential purposes.
      (2)   Stage 2 response; moderate water shortage conditions.
         (a)   Target. Achieve a voluntary in the total well capacity or firm booster pump capacity to less than 50%.
         (b)   Best management practices for supply management. The city will reduce water demand by system water loss control and reduced or discontinued irrigation of public landscaped areas.
         (c)   Water use restrictions for demand reduction. Under threat of penalty for violation, the following water use restrictions shall apply to all persons.
            1.   Irrigation of landscaped areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for customers located west of Hackberry Street, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays for water customers located east of Hackberry Street and no one shall water between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. However, irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted on a daily basis by means of a hand-held hose, a faucet filled bucket or watering can of five gallons or less, or drip irrigation system before 8:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m.
            2.   Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 10:00 a.m. and between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight. Such washing, when allowed, shall be done with a hand-held bucket or a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rises. Vehicle washing may be done at any time on the immediate premises of a commercial car wash or commercial service station. Further, such washing may be exempted from these regulations if the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
            3.   Use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, or Jacuzzi-type pools is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 10:00 a.m. and between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight.
            4.   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.
            5.   Use of water from hydrants shall be limited to firefighting, related activities, or other activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare, except that use of water from designated fire hydrants for construction purposes may be allowed under special permit from the city.
            6.   Use of water for the irrigation of golf course greens, tees, and fairways is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours 12:00 midnight and 10:00 a.m. and between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight. However, if the golf course utilizes a water source other than that provided by the city, the facility shall not be subject to these regulations.
            7.   All restaurants are prohibited from serving water to patrons except upon request of the patron.
            8.   The following uses of water are defined as non-essential and are prohibited:
               a.   Wash down of any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
               b.   Use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection;
               c.   Use of water for dust control;
               d.   Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street; and
               e.   Failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
      (3)   Stage 3 response; severe water shortage conditions.
         (a)   Target. Achieve a voluntary reduction in the total well capacity or firm booster pump capacity to less than 60%.
         (b)   Best management practices for supply management. The city will reduce water demand by system water loss control and reduced or discontinued irrigation of public landscaped areas.
         (c)   Water use restrictions for demand reduction. All requirements of Stage 2 shall remain in effect during Stage 3 except:
            1.   Irrigation of landscaped areas shall be further limited to a designated watering day.
               a.   NW: Customers located north of 4th Street and Brockman and west of Hackberry Street shall water on Mondays.
               b.   SE: Customers located south of 4th Street and Brockman and east of Hackberry Street shall water on Tuesdays.
               c.   NE: Customers located north of 4th Street and Brockman and east of Hackberry Street shall water on Thursdays.
               d.   SW: Customers located south of 4th Street and Brockman and west of Hackberry Street shall water on Fridays.
            2.   No one may water on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or Sundays. No one may water on any assigned day between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Hand watering flowers, flowerbeds, and potted plants may be done on any day before 8:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. Watering shall be done by means of hand-held hoses, hand-held buckets, drip irrigation, or permanently installed automatic sprinkler system only. The use of hose-end sprinklers is prohibited at all times.
            3.   The watering of golf course tees is prohibited unless the golf course utilizes a water source other than that provided by the city.
            4.   The use of water for construction purposes from designated fire hydrants under special permit is to be discontinued.
            5.   Foundation watering (within two feet) may take place on the assigned water day only. Watering of trees may occur for two hours one day per week with a handheld hose or with a dedicated zone using a drip irrigation system and/or soaker hose, provided no runoff occurs.
            6.   Anyone using more than 20,000 gallons of water per month at the time this stage is implemented will be charged a rate of $5 per 1,000 gallons of water over the 20,000 gallons used.
      (4)   Stage 4 response; critical water shortage conditions.
         (a)   Target. Achieve a voluntary reduction in the total well capacity or firm booster pump capacity to less than 70%.
         (b)   Best management practices for supply management. The city will reduce water demand by system water loss control and reduced or discontinued irrigation of public landscaped areas.
         (c)   Water use restrictions for reducing demand. All requirements of Stage 2 and 3 shall remain in effect during Stage 4 except:
            1.   No one may perform outdoor watering on any given day other than providing water for pets and livestock.
            2.   Foundations may be watered every two weeks. Customers located west of Hackberry Street may soak their foundation on the first and third Wednesday of the month between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. Customers located east of Hackberry Street may soak their foundation on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. The increased rates implemented in Stage 3 will remain in effect through this stage.
            3.   Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle not occurring on the premises of a commercial car wash and commercial service stations and not in the immediate interest of public health, safety, and welfare is prohibited. Further, such vehicle washing at commercial car washes and commercial service stations shall occur only between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
            4.   The filling, refilling, or adding of water to swimming pools, wading pools, and Jacuzzi-type pools is prohibited.
            5.   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.
            6.   No application for new, additional, expanded, or increased-in-size water service connections, meters, service lines, pipeline extensions, mains, or 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 a higher-numbered stage shall be in effect.
      (5)   Stage 5 response; emergency water shortage conditions.
         (a)   Target. Achieve a voluntary reduction in the total well capacity or firm booster pump capacity to less than 75% or reduce water use to prevent more than 50% depletion of stored water volumes at any time.
         (b)   Best management practices for supply management. The city will reduce water demand by system water loss control and reduced or discontinued irrigation of public landscaped areas.
         (c)   Water use restrictions for reducing demand. All requirements of Stage 2, 3, and 4 shall remain in effect during Stage 5 except:
            1.   All non-essential water use shall be prohibited unless necessary for the preservation of health, safety, and welfare of residents.
            2.   Water usage for livestock is exempt.
(Ord. 24-103, passed 6-18-24)