Reminder: Twice-a-Week Watering Has Begun
This is your friendly reminder, University Park residents, that twice-a-week watering has begun as of yesterday.
Even-numbered houses: you water on Sundays and Thursdays.
Odd-numbered houses: you water on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
This ordinance will be in place year-round. Certain exemptions apply, such as watering with a hand-held hose or watering can. Watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31.
University Park officials understand that you need time to reset automated systems. So through Aug. 1, if a code-enforcement officer sees a house with sprinklers running at the wrong time, the officer will leave a reminder notice on the front door or explain the restrictions in person if the resident is present. After that, violation notices will be mailed and repeat violators could be subject to a court citation.
Go to the city’s website here for tips on how to avoid runoff and how to make sure you’re watering the right amount.
Other than this blog, there has been NO notification, much less OFFICIAL notification, about this new ordinance. It wasn’t even in their newsletter that comes with our utility bill. How do they expect to reach most of UP’s residents if they don’t at least place fliers on our doors on put it in their newsletter?
I know for a fact that none of my neighbors visit this blog, and when I told them about this new watering schedule they looked at me like I was crazy. Basically they’re all going to do what they’ve always done. UP has got to do a better job of getting the word out.
What exactly again is the problem? Is the City of UP low on water supply? Why do we need this regulation?
Here’s a message from Steve Mace, the city spokesperson:
Pasty Ann,
Thank you for your comments. Because the City Council approved the ordinance on June 17, it was not possible to get information about the program in the June Arbor.
Here is a brief outline of the steps the City is taking to inform residents about twice-a-week watering:
· The information is on the front page of the July Arbor.
· An ongoing message about the change is on all printed utility bills beginning with the July 1 batch.
· A banner about the program will be on display at the City’s booth in Goar Park during the July 4 festivities. Another banner will be on display at the Holmes Aquatic Center for the remainder of the pool season.
· Information placards are on display at all City buildings, including City Hall, the Peek Service Center and UP Public Library.
· Information has been posted on all the library’s video boards.
· The City has produced a flyer that is available at all City buildings. The flyer will be distributed during the July 4 festivities in Goar Park.
· During July, City Code Enforcement officers will be leaving the flyer at all households that are watering on the wrong days. If the resident is home at the time, the staff member will discuss the changes in person.
· Copies of the flyer are also being distributed to all building contractors who visit the Community Development Service Desk at the Peek Service Center.
· A notice has been posted on all the City’s Facebook pages.
The City’s website has a page dedicated to this topic. It will be updated whenever necessary.
http://www.uptexas.org/watering
The media has also helped us spread the word. Information about the program has been posted twice on this blog. Details were posted on BubbleLife too. Information is also on the front page of the June 26 issue of the Park Cities News and can be found in the NeighborsGo section of the Dallas Morning News.
City communications about this program will be ongoing, in step with this new year-round requirement.
Spelling my name as “Pasty” is often a common mistake, and much ado has been made of it with some of my clients. For example, The Richards Group folks would often take the trouble of buying personalized cakes for me on my birthday with that endearing “name” prominently displayed. I tried my best to be a good sport about it.
But anyhoo, thanks for the note, Steve Mace. I still think door fliers would be the most effective way to reach the residents.
Um, I think you have the watering-restricted-to-times reversed
And in McKinney, sprinklers may run once every two weeks. Makes UP look a bit profligate, no?
I am a little puzzled by the need for the restriction, did something happen/is something happening to our sweet water deal that gives us first rights to a lake or two?
@1st Anon – Seriously? You do realize we’re in the middle of a drought?
I’m in support of curtailing excessive watering, but I am bothered by the lack of citizen input. Did the City consult with professional landscapers? If so, which ones? Why must one of the days be on a weekend when we are out enjoying our yards? Why not try a voluntary conservation campaign first?
Drought or not, I have to admit, I’m a bit puzzled by this restriction as well. I don’t object to it, but like JohnG above, I’ve wondered if something had changed with our water-source deal. I seem to recall that we’ve experienced state-level drought conditions in years past, without this sort of restriction being implemented by UP. So I think what people are actually wondering is not whether the restriction is meritorious, but rather, what specifically made this time different from other times?
Pasty Ann, when your mother said you’d be sorry for eating paste in front of the other kids, you didn’t believe her. And now look what’s happened.
Steve Mace obviously has secret information the rest of us do not – namely, that Patsy Ann was the original consumer of schoolroom paste. Being the alpha female second grader she surely was, Patsy set an example for her classmates, who by setting similar examples started a chain reaction that triggered a nationwide paste-eating craze. I can only imagine how Steve torments himself each night thinking of all the billions of gallons of precious water used to wash paste-crust from the faces, clothes, hair and teeth of these millions of children – all that wasted water that could have been used on our lawns. The next morning, he adds another snapshot of Patsy Ann to his Wall of Crazy.
@Maggie, sure, I know that we are in the middle of a drought. Personally, I think that we’ve run our sprinkler system once this summer. The rains have hit just so that you really don’t need it.
The City of UP does not have a water supply problem, thanks to someone very smart a long time ago who negotiated our water rights. It’s well known. So why create new laws. Well, “The Arbor” (the water bill insert) writes: “to encourage more efficient outdoor water use”.
So, in fact, our city council has implemented some social engineering with unnecessary over-regulating laws.
We do not have an infinite magical source of water. We have been lucky the past few years while other communities’ reservoirs were drying up, but now that’s not the case. Lake Grapevine is now at 62.7 percent capacity and hasn’t had ANY significant rainfall for quite some time, and we’re now heading into our hottest and driest portion of the year. At 62.7 percent capacity, we are just 4.5 feet away from Stage 3 trigger. So we are now being asked to reduce our watering to twice a week which is still way more than what other local communities are allowed.
Go here for Texas reservoir data:
http://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/statewide
Go here for more information about the Park Cities drought triggers and stages:
http://parkcitieswater.com/?page_id=39
I forgot to mention at the beginning of my post above that Lake Grapevine Is our source for water. For some reason I just assumed everyone knew this already.
My dear neighbors, it rained last night in most of PC. Not a lot, but enough. Turn your sprinkler systems off. Today is Thursday. You don’t need your sprinkler again until maybe Monday.