Are Stage 4 Restrictions in the Future for Our Sprinkler Repair Plano Service Area?

Watering restrictions are no joke and they are about to become very serious!  The summer of 2013 is the first summer where watering restrictions have entered into Stage 3 for our sprinkler repair Plano service area.  Stage 3 watering restrictions basically consist of watering once a week; however, ET/Smart Controllers and drip irrigation may water without restriction.

Although the summer will hopefully soon be starting to wind down, our Pearson Sprinkler Company service area is still in danger of entering Stage 4 watering restrictions.  Of the cities located in our service area, the ones most in danger of entering Stage 4 watering restrictions include those cities which obtain water from the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD).

According to the NTMWD Water Conservation and Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan dated March 2008, there are several items that would trigger a move into Stage 4 watering restrictions.  These include:

• Water demand is projected to approach or exceed the limit of the permitted supply.
• The storage in Lavon Lake is less than 35 percent of the total conservation pool capacity.  (See discussion below)
• NTMWD’s storage in Jim Chapman Lake is less than 35 percent of NTMWD’s total conservation pool capacity.  (See discussion below)
• The supply from Lake Texoma, the East Fork Raw Water Supply Project, or some other NTMWD source has become severely limited in availability.  (See discussion below)
• The Sabine River Authority has indicated that its Upper Basin water supplies used by NTMWD (Lake Tawakoni and/or Lake Fork) are in a severe drought or emergency.
• Water demand exceeds the amount that can be delivered to customers.
• Water demand for all or part of the delivery system seriously exceeds delivery capacity because the delivery capacity is inadequate.
• Supply source becomes contaminated.
• Water supply system unable to deliver water due to the failure or damage of major water system components.

Based on a review of September 6, 2013 data from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) website, Lake Lavon is 52.8 percent full of the total conservation pool capacity, thankfully well off 35 percent.

Jim Chapman Lake is at a staggering level of 35.6 percent full of the total conservation pool capacity, a mere 0.6 percent from triggering Stage 4 watering restrictions!

In addition, the water supply from Lake Texoma, where the NTMWD usually obtains at least 25 percent of its water, has been completely cut off from the NTMWD since 2009 as a new pipe is being built from the lake to the Wylie Water Treatment Plant due to a zebra mussel infestation in the original connecting pipe.  Lake Texoma straddles the border of Texas and Oklahoma and Texas has rights to 50 percent of Lake Texoma’s total conservation capacity.  Based on the Texas share, Lake Texoma is 99.2 percent full of the total conservation pool capacity.  There is all of this water in Lake Texoma just waiting for NTMWD customers to use!  The new pipe is projected to be completed by the end of March 2014.

The NTMWD sets the watering restrictions for the cities which purchase its water and each city is required to implement the restrictions.  NTMWD Stage 4 watering restrictions include the following mandatory items which we believe would most directly affect our sprinkler repair Plano service area:

• The use of treated water for the irrigation of new landscaping is not permitted.
• Washing of vehicles except as necessary for health, sanitation, or safety reasons is not permitted.
• Landscape watering is not permitted.  Exception – foundations and trees may be watered for 2 hours on any day with a hand-held hose, a soaker hose, or a dedicated zone using a drip irrigation system.  ET/Smart irrigation systems and drip irrigation systems are not exempt from this requirement.
• Permitting of new private pools is prohibited.  Pools already permitted may be completed and filled with water.  Existing pools may add water to maintain pool levels but may not be drained and refilled.

We at Pearson Sprinkler Company are torn between what to wish for.  On one hand, if we wish for a rainy fall, Stage 4 watering restrictions will likely be avoided; however, business has the potential to slow down.  On the other hand, if we wish for a dry fall, we will more than likely be forced to enter in to Stage 4 watering restrictions.  We guess that the best we can do for our sprinkler repair customers in Plano is to do our best to educate and provide useful information and hope that the new pipeline from Lake Texoma to Wylie gets completed on time, alleviating water supply pressures.