West University Place issues water conservation request as drought worsens around Houston

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.

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."

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.