Drought Information

Stage 1: Moderate Drought

In the event one or more of the counties within the District are at least partially included in a Stage 3: Extreme or Stage 4: Exceptional Drought status, the District’s Drought Buffer shall apply to some or all of the permits issued by the District as determined according to the District’s Drought Contingency Plan. Issuance of a Drought Buffer declaration by the District according to the Drought Contingency Plan shall result in the affected permits’ production limits set forth under Rule 6.1 being adjusted upward by fifteen percent (15%) of the maximum quantity of groundwater authorized under the permit. The Drought Buffer shall remain in place until the District suspends the Drought Buffer upon improvement of the drought status.

Current Drought Stage: None

Drought Stages

Drought Information

Stage 4: Exceptional Drought

The various drought stages will be initiated and terminated by the District’s Board of Directors (the Board), utilizing the Texas Water Development Board’s (TWDB) publication of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Each drought stage will last a minimum of 30 days and renew automatically unless changed by Board action.

The drought stages will be implemented and terminated by resolution of the Board of Directors and will be implemented on a county-by-county basis.

Public notification of the initiation or termination of drought stages shall be by means of any of the following: notification on the District’s website, in a newspaper(s) of general circulation, radio announcement, mail, fax, or email to owners/operators of permitted wells. The District’s website will display the most current drought stage.

The weekly map is based on measurements of climatic, hydrologic and soil conditions, as well as reported impacts and observations from more than 350 contributors around the country. Eleven climatologists from the partner organizations take turns serving as the lead author producing the map each week. The authors examine all the data and use their best judgment to reconcile any variances in what different sources report. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a composite index that includes many indicators. The drought stages of this plan will coincide with the various stages of drought which are as follows:

Stage 2: Severe Drought

The District's Drought Contingency Plan

Voluntary Water Reduction Goal - 5%. Encourage water conservation methods through public awareness of methods to reduce overall usage by 5% through the following practices:

Re-use and re-circulate water whenever possible.
Check for and repair all leaks.
Outdoor lawn and landscape watering should be done during times of low evaporation loss and use timers or smart irrigation controllers to avoid overwatering and waste.
Washing vehicles at a car wash usually uses less water than washing at home.
Washing sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, streets, tennis courts, or any outdoor surfaces could be considered waste.
Other water conservation practices.

Initiation and Determination of Drought Stages

Drought Buffer

Voluntary Water Reduction Goal - 30%. Continue to encourage the practice of water conservation methods and reduce overall usage by 30%:

Re-use and re-circulate water whenever possible.
Check for and repair all leaks.
Limit watering of lawns and landscapes to once every 14 days.
No vehicle washing
Do not use water to wash sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, streets, tennis courts, or any outdoor surfaces except when required for human or animal health and safety reasons, or fire hazard prevention.
Providing groundwater to ponds, tanks, lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, or other surface impoundments for holding water regardless of capacity is prohibited.
Water for dust control only when required by law.
Watering livestock in leak-proof troughs is highly recommended.

Voluntary Water Reduction Goal - 20%. Continue to encourage the practice of water conservation methods and reduce overall usage by 20% through the following practices:

Re-use and re-circulate water whenever possible.
Check for and repair all leaks.
Outdoor lawn and landscape watering should be done between the hours of 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM.
Limit watering of lawns and landscapes to once every 5 to 7 days.
Wash vehicles only at a car wash when needed.
Keep decorative fountains, landscape ponds, and swimming pools covered whenever possible to reduce evaporation.
Do not use water to wash sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, streets, tennis courts, or any outdoor surfaces except for human or animal health and safety reasons, or fire hazard prevention.
Providing groundwater to ponds, tanks, lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, or other surface impoundments for holding water that have a total capacity of more than 100,000 gallons is discouraged.
Water for dust control is discouraged.
Watering livestock in leak-proof troughs is recommended.

Stage 3: Extreme Drought

Phone: (855) 426-4433, Fax: (903) 786-8211

Voluntary Water Reduction Goal - 10%. Continue to encourage the water conservation methods with a goal to reduce overall usage by 10% through the following practices:

Re-use and re-circulate water whenever possible.
Check for and repair all leaks.
Outdoor lawn and landscape watering should be done between the hours of 8:00 PM to 10:00 AM.
Limit watering of lawns and landscapes to once every 5 to 7 days.
Wash vehicles only at a car wash when needed.
Keep decorative fountains, landscape ponds, and swimming pools covered whenever possible to reduce evaporation.
Do not use water to wash sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, streets, tennis courts, or any outdoor surfaces except for human or animal health and safety reasons, or fire hazard prevention.
Providing groundwater to ponds, tanks, lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, or other surface impoundments for holding water that have a total capacity of more than 100,000 gallons is discouraged.
Water livestock in leak-proof troughs (livestock tanks) when practical.