HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8846INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8846
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 29, 2007
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} SUBJECT: Water Conservation & Drought Update
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The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide the City Council with an update on the water supply
system status as well as a water conservation master plan and drought plan update.
The time of day watering restriction the City Council adopted last summer to promote efficient water use
will again be in effect starting June 1, as specified in the ordinance. This time of day restriction is not part
of the drought plan, but part of the effort to promote efficient water use all the time. The Water Department
will continue to take the lead on enforcement of the conservation measures with warnings issued for initial
violations. Citations will be issued after multiple repeat offenses. Citizens can still report possible
violations via the online reporting system that was implemented last summer. Warning letters will be sent
to the addresses reported online, while actual citations only will be issued upon visual observance by Water
Department enforcement personnel Messages on the monthly bill have been used to remind customers of
the June 1 date. In addition, the current utility bill contains an insert reminder and a City Page story is
scheduled to run on Monday, May 28.
Winter and spring rains raised our water supply lake levels to the point that this region is no longer
considered in a drought. On May 1, the East Texas supply lakes were at 102 percent capacity and the West
Fork Lakes were at 82 percent capacity, for a system total of 97 percent capacity. As you may recall, just
six months earlier the levels were 66 percent for East Texas, 54 percent for the West Fork and 65 percent
for the entire system
While this is very good news going into this summer, it is still important that the city continue its efforts to
update the existing drought contingency plan and implement a proactive water conservation program
Tarrant Regional Water District will have to demonstrate that its customers are using existing water
resources efficiently in order to procure the state permits needed for new supply sources to meet our needs
beyond 2025.
In the coming weeks, staff will present an update on both the proposed revisions to the existing Drought
Contingency Plan and unveil the Water Conservation Master Plan. Over the past year, Fort Worth has been
working with Tarrant Regional Water District and its other major customers to make the drought plans as
uniform as possible and develop triggers that can extend the existing supply. The Water Conservation
Master Plan provides a roadmap for implementing measures that will extend the existing supply, even
when drought conditions are not a factor. This will include additional leak detection efforts, commercial
and residential retrofit and rebate programs, and an extensive water meter replacement program
Please contact Water Director Frank Crumb at (817) 392 -8207 with any questions.
Charles R. Boswell
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS