Water Wise Denton

We have had a few citizens reach out regarding the likelihood of water restrictions this summer. This is a simple question, but the answer can be a bit complex.

Every year from June 1st - September 30th, irrigation is not allowed during the daytime hours of 10am - 6pm. No matter how rainy or dry the weather is that summer, we will always have these restrictions in place.

There may be additional restrictions imposed, either depending on the availability of our water supply or the demand of our customers. Water Supply is based on our lake levels, which is directly affected our weather. Where we have more control as a community, is on the DEMAND side of the equation. This is based on how much water our residents use. When usage hits a certain threshold, we are legally required by the TCEQ to implement restrictions. We did NOT have to do so last summer, but we did come close. The graph below displays our actual usage against the restrictions in place.

Here you can see that towards the end of August we were very close to legally being required to roll out restrictions. The high usage during this time is directly attributed to landscape irrigation.

That said, you have the power to keep us from hitting trigger levels and rolling out additional restrictions by adopting water wise landscaping! We will continue to post tips on heat and drought proofing your landscape as we near summer.

Planning to garden this year? Make your garden water wise and productive through the use of compost and mulch.

Learn how at the FREE webinar hosted by Upper Trinity Water District from 12pm-1pm on March 6th

Click Here to register: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

February rain totals are currently at 1.73", an average February total is 2.92".

We are behind 1.19" for the month, and winter/ spring rainfall is crucial to get us through the summer months. The largest discretionary use of water is irrigation, and you can make a difference now by switching from sprinklers to bubblers and soaker hoses, or even considering xeriscape. Many residents start small, xeriscaping a small portion of their yard at a time.

Avoid the temptation of tropical landscaping, while many tropical plants do well in our heat, they require extensive watering to mimic their rainy environment. Choose beautiful native prairie plants for a water friendly and pollinator friendly landscape.

Are you familiar with the term reuse water? Reuse water refers to treated wastewater that has been repurposed for beneficial use, rather than returned to the lake. Water is pulled from our lakes, treated at our plants, delivered to homes and businesses, used and sent down the drain, then cleaned up and returned to the lake.

Some uses of water don't require full treatment to drinking standards, watering fields, coolant towers, and other applications where the water is not going to be used for human consumption. As part of our commitment to conservation, Denton offers certain customers reuse water. This saves treatment costs and recycles the water we already have.

For more information, check out our reuse program online: https://www.cityofdenton.com/1061/Reuse-Water

When water wise landscaping is discussed, two terms will often pop up as good choices, "Native" and "Adaptive." The difference between these two classification are that Native Plants are plants that have adapted and evolved to our area without human intervention, whereas Adaptive Plants are hardy species that have been introduced to Texas via the horticulture community. Both types of plants are great choices for the area. To learn more, click here Native_and_Adapted_PLants_for_North_TX_AgriLife.pdf (ctfassets.net) to access A&M Agrilife's handy listing of native and adaptive species for our area.

Did you know that Texas state law prohibits HOAs from disallowing water-wise landscaping? Join the free water talk this Valentines, February 14th at noon CST to learn ways to partner with your HOA to make your home and your neighborhood more sustainable by using less water for outdoor irrigation. To register and form more information, click here: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Heading into the weekend, the water department has a few announcements for our community.

First a friendly reminder that there are 13 days left to comment on our water conservation plan, which you can read here: https://www.cityofdenton.com/DocumentCenter/View/850/2019-Drought-Contingency-Plan-PDF?bidId=

Comments should be submitted here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/203b95cde04e4bdab38383ecc8af7459

Additionally we are thrilled to announce that our lakes are almost full, as of today Lake Lewisville is 98% full and Ray Roberts is 97% full. This is great news because climate models predict another brutal summer ahead, hotter and drier than 2023, which was a record breaking year. As water users, that means our job is to conserve now, and implement conservation practices while we have water. One of the 3 reasons we have to put water restrictions in place, is based on lake levels, the more we conserve now, the less strained the lakes will be this summer, when heat drives heavy water use and more evaporation.

If you plan to garden or maintain your landscape this spring, now is the time to prepare.

If possible, replace sprinklers with bubblers, soaker hoses or drip tape. Test your sprinklers now and make repairs. Remember to choose plants that are drought tolerant, but also keep in mind that drought tolerant plants usually need a year or two to get established before they are truly rooted enough to withstand the heat and drought. Consider using pots so that you can move your plants under shade when the summer heat kicks in.

Currently the weather forecast does not anticipate freezing temperatures within the next 10 days. That said, we do request our residents monitor the weather regularly in case any changes occur. If you have lived in the area for a while, you already know that changes can happen quick and without warning!

Typically our area will see a hard freeze in February, it is important to remain alert and be prepared to drip faucets at a rate of 5 drops per minute if freeze occurs.

The Water Conservation Plan is in the process of being updated, and as part of that process we would like to hear from you. This plan is a document that details the way we currently manage water here in Denton, where water is limited, rainfall is unpredictable, and population is quickly growing. This document shapes the way we treat water everyday. A component of this document includes our drought contingency plan. This plan details our water management practices in the event we get into a drought situation.

You can find the document here: https://www.cityofdenton.com/DocumentCenter/View/850/2019-Drought-Contingency-Plan-PDF, and it is also in the documents section on the right side of this webpage.

You can submit your comments here, in our comments form: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/203b95cde04e4bdab38383ecc8af7459

We are taking comments through February 22nd.

Several protective measures should be taken outdoors prior to a freeze. Remove your hoses from outdoor faucets. Wrap the faucets in styrofoam hose covers, which can be purchased at any hardware store. If you do not have access to hose covers, a DIY covering will work just as well.

To DIY in the absence of foam covers,

First, wrap the faucet in an old towel/ rag/ or whatever cloth you may have available.

Next, place a plastic bag, such as a Ziplock, over the entire wrapped faucet.

Then, secure by wrapping with duct tape or by any other means you may have.