While water supplies and
pressure are sufficient to meet current needs, Mayor Johnny Isbell has
announced that the City of Pasadena has now implemented Stage II water
conservation measures as a precautionary move to help minimize the
chance of tighter water restrictions down the road.
Acting upon the recommendation of public works director
Robin Green, Isbell is harmonizing Pasadena’s water conservation
measures with those of the region, as a record-breaking drought
devastates just about all of Texas. The balance was tipped when Houston
acknowledged pressure issues in their system which feeds our community’s
supply, much of that due to water main leaks and breaks. At the same
time, Houston announced it was tapping into Lake Conroe to try to make
up for the lower volume they are experiencing with their normal water
sources, such as Lake Houston.
“Pasadena residents responded recently when we first asked
for voluntary conservation,” Isbell said. “We had hoped to avoid a
further tightening, but with no sustained rainfall since that time, it’s
prudent to bring our efforts in line with our neighbors, and so I’ve
just announced the Stage II level of conservation.”
Stage II is known as Water Demand Watch, and is triggered
when total water use from all sources exceeds 90 percent of current
capacity for five consecutive days. While Pasadena's use is just short
of that metric, it was decided to move forward with the tighter
restrictions now as a proactive move. Its goal is a 15 percent reduction
in overall water demand, with an emphasis on across the board
elimination of wasteful water use rather than limiting normal household
(excluding outdoor use) and necessary commercial consumption.
The complete Stage II conservation information is available as PDF here,
but there are priority actions you should be aware of immediately.
Please keep in mind there are some suggested measures that would be very
helpful to the community if followed, but are marked as voluntary
compliance in the complete PDF document
at the link above. Those activities designated as mandatory, on the
other hand, must be complied with immediately to avoid the possibility
of incurring a fine for any infraction.
As you look these restrictions over, you’ll find they leave
the greatest latitude for use in health, public safely and other
high-priority needs. Where do the reductions come from?
- Watering with sprinklers--for
either landscaping or vegetable gardens--is restricted to the hours of 7
p.m. to 8 a.m. twice every seven days (MANDATORY);
Outdoor water restrictions in effect: Customers with even numbered addresses may water on Sundays and Thursdays between the hours of 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. of the following day.
Customers with odd number addresses may water on Saturdays and
Wednesdays between the hours of 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. of the following
day. Hose attachments are exempt if handheld, but sprinkler and other
dispersal heads that are hose attachments left to run unattended are
restricted to the same schedule as in-ground automatic systems.
- New pools, hot tubs and similar amenities may not be filled or topped up;
- Aesthetic uses such as in fountains and other purely ornamental functions may only be done with reused water;
- The washing of impervious surface that causes water runoff is prohibited, except for immediate human health, safety and welfare;
- Non-commercial washing of
vehicles, trailers, boats and the like is permitted twice every seven
days and is restricted to the hours of 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. on designated
days (MANDATORY);
- Vehicle water restrictions in effect: Even number addresses may wash on Tuesday from 7 pm until Wednesday at 8 am. Odd number addresses may wash on Wednesday from 7 pm until Thursday at 8 am.
- Restaurants may only serve water when specifically requested by a patron;
- Sewer line and fire hydrant flushing is prohibited, except for emergencies.
The City has provided a number of ways that you may remain
in lawful compliance while still managing to keep your favorite shrubs
alive until rain does return, or enjoying other personal preferences:
- You may water with hand-held hoses, buckets or drip systems;
- You may irrigate at any time if reused water is employed;
- You may fill and top up existing pools, hot tubs and similar amenities.
There are more
details you can look over in the longer document, but if you want the
short version, here it is: Water resources across the state are
beginning to reach stressed levels even in our large cities. It's a good
time to recall that water is a precious resource that we've had in
abundance in the past but now must rethink old patterns of use if we
want sustainable water resources into the future. The Stage II
conservation measures just implemented are a way for Pasadena residents
and businesses to easily contribute to slowing unnecessary use until
steady rainfall begins to recharge our water sources across the state.
Now that you know the challenges we face, take a few moments
to look around your home or workplace and see if there examples of
water waste you can correct. Most likely, you'll see there's a lot of
room to improve water use efficiency while still enjoying the many
benefits water brings into our lives.
