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INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10255
April 2, 2019
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 2
SUBJECT: 5 YEAR WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY
AND EMERGENCY WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATES
The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide the City Council an update on both the 5 Year Water
Conservation Plan and the 5 Year Drought Contingency and Emergency Water Management Plan. Staff
will present the revised plans for adoption by resolution in the coming weeks.
Every five years water utilities are required by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules
to review and resubmit these plans to document changes that may have occurred to them. The plan update
must be submitted by May 1, 2019.
In 2013, the Water Department worked extensively with Tarrant Regional Water District, customer cities
and other regional utilities to develop drought plans with the same number of stages and similar actions in
each stage. The goal was to make the actions at each stage consistent throughout the service area so that it
is easier to communicate required actions and gain compliance. After reviewing
Drought Contingency and Emergency Water Management Plan and consulting with Tarrant Regional
Water District, there are no major changes proposed to the drought plan and only minor language has been
added to highlight the capability that MyH2O may afford the utility in the future when analyzing
consumption during the different drought stages.
The 5 Year Water Conservation Plan provides a roadmap for implementing measures that will extend the
existing water supply and delay the need for more costly water supplies and infrastructure. This 2019 plan
includes additional leak detection efforts, commercial and residential retrofit and incentive programs, and
an extensive water meter replacement program as a component of the MyH2O program implementation.
The 2019 Water Conservation Plan highlights the many achievements Fort Worth has accomplished in the
past five years.
The utility exceeded its
water savings targets
from the 2014 Water
Conservation Plan
through regional
adoption of mandatory
no more than twice per
week watering
schedule and other
programs and efforts
aimed at reducing
wasteful water
consumption.
Recipient of the
Environmental
Protection Agencies
(EPA) 2018 WaterSense
Promotional Partner of
the Year which is the highest recognition for water conservation from EPA.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10255
April 2, 2019
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 2 of 2
SUBJECT: 5 YEAR WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY
AND EMERGENCY WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATES
Because of the gains made over the past five years, the updated 2019 Water Conservation Plan includes
changes to its 5- and 10-year target goals. These goals include the following:
Reducing total system-wide consumption from 159 gallons per person per day (gpcd) in 2018 to 136
gpcd in 2029, and residential consumption from 70 gpcd in 2018 to 58 gpcd in 2029.
Reducing total water loss percentage from 18% in 2017 to 12% in 2030, and Real Water Loss per
Connection from 76 gallons/connection per day in 2017 to 70 gallons/connection per day in 2030.
Strategies to reach those goals through best management practices are outlined in the plan
MyH2O program will play a significant role in reaching these targets, and it will allow the opportunity for
customers to detect and repair leaks much sooner, reducing customer water loss. Additionally, MyH2O
will allow the utility to target programs to specific areas based on water use patterns and history. The plan
also recognizes the potential benefits of implementing strategies such as customer characterization, updated
landscape ordinances, landscape and irrigation system incentives, advanced community engagement, and
irrigation design criteria. This suite of regionally appropriate best management practices will help ensure
future goals are met and long-term water availability is provided for our citizens.
Please contact Water Director Chris Harder at (817) 392-5020 with any questions.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS