Houston, 4th-largest US city, moves to 'Stage 1' water limits as part of drought contingency plan

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Lowered rainfall amounts and higher-than-normal daily temperatures have pushed the city of Houston into Stage 1 of its drought contingency plan.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Houston Public Works urged residents to take voluntary conservation measures in order for the city to reduce water use by 5%.

"During the past month, the City of Houston has had record-setting high temperatures above 90 degrees and a significant decrease in rainfall. As a result, most of Houston's service area is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions," Houston Public Works' statement read.

A significant measure that the city is pushing is a limited watering schedule that allows single-family residences certain days to water their lawns based on their street addresses.

The plan calls for the following:

• Limit outdoor watering to twice a week between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.;
• Single-family residential customers with an even-numbered street address water on Sundays and Thursdays;
• Single-family residential customers with an odd-numbered street address water on Saturdays and Wednesdays;
• All other customers, including businesses, water Tuesdays and Fridays.

The plan also calls for measures around the home, including:

• Check and repair water leaks, including dripping faucets & running toilets;
• Check sprinkler heads to make sure water is not spraying into the street or directly into a storm drain and/or gutters.

The public will be notified when Stage 1 water conservation measures have been lifted, Houston Public Works concluded.

The city is offering additional water conservation measures through the public works website.

SEE ALSO: City of Fulshear asks residents and businesses to help conserve water

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