HOUSTON, Texas -- The city of West University Place entered Stage 2 of its Drought Contingency Plan on June 23, calling on citizens to voluntarily limit water usage.
The video above is from a previous story.
As part of the city plan, recommendations for Stage 2 include limiting outdoor irrigation; watering between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.; refraining from filling outdoor pools and tubs; and checking for leaks in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor appliances.
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The city of Houston, which supplies water to West University Place, has called for similar restrictions as rising heat levels coupled with extreme drought conditions.
Drought stages are determined using a formula that takes water capacity levels and water use into account. Under the city's plan, a safe capacity level is one that "allows for the largest pump or well to be out of service and the system to maintain enough reserves to provide adequate fire protection."
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On the supply side, Stage 2 is triggered in connection with the city of Houston issuing its own voluntary water restrictions. On the demand side, it can be triggered when the total daily demand exceeds 65% of the safe pumping capacity for three consecutive days, according to the city's plan.
If the city were to move into Stage 3 of its plan, mandatory conservation measures are put into place with repeat offenders fined up to $500 per incident per day.
This comes from our ABC13 partner at Community Impact Newspaper.