The city of Lewisville is asking residents to cut back on their water use as hot, dry weather continues.
Lewisville’s water plant hit maximum capacity multiple times in recent weeks. City officials say the biggest stress on the system comes from residents' sprinklers.
“Let your grass die,” said city spokesperson Matt Martucci. “At this point, we’d rather have water for the residents than nice green grass.”
The city is increasing enforcement of its mandatory outdoor watering restrictions, which are in place through September. Residents who don’t comply could face up to a $2,000 fine.
Under Lewisville’s ordinance, automated and manual sprinklers are not allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the summer months. Residents with an even-numbered address are allowed to water on Tuesday and Saturday, while those with an odd-numbered are free to water on Wednesday and Sunday. Businesses and apartment properties are allowed to do so on Monday and Thursday.
Also, no hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems are allowed on Fridays.
The city water plant has a total system capacity of53.4 million gallons per day, according to the city website. Martucci said the watering restrictions give the city water plant time to refill with its water supply.
If the city does reach its maximum water capacity, then it will have to buy water from Dallas County Water Utilities — and customers could see an increase in their water bill, he said.
“It’s much rather we conserve what we have already,” Martucci said.
While the city watering restrictions are set to end Sep. 30, other conservation measures could be added in the future if necessary.
Residents who are trying to keep green grass are facing a losing battle, Martucci said.
“We've had, what, 40 days of triple-digit heat,” he said. “At some point, you just kind of got to give up the fight, really, for your yard.”
Juan Salinas II is a KERA news intern. Got a tip? Email Juan at jsalinas@kera.org. You can follow Juan on Twitter @4nsmiley.