Water use becoming an issue in Grand Prairie

by Kirk Dickey of of Grand Prairie TODAY

The problem is simple. Just ask Public Works Director Ron McCuller.

“It doesn't matter how full (local lakes are), as long as you are taking water out faster than you are putting it in,” McCuller said. “And that is really the problem in the Metroplex. We use water faster than we can develop water supplies.”

That is at the heart of an initiative by the city of Grand Prairie to reduce water usage by residents and local businesses through conservation education and enforcement. In the next couple of months, McCuller will introduce a proposed water conservation plan to the city council that will help cut water use down to manageable levels over a period of 13 years.

He presented a preview of the plan to the city council public safety, health and environment committee on May 16.

The reason for concern

It may fall from the sky, but water is a finite resource. And at the rate people in the North Central Texas area, known to water resource planners as Region C, are using water, the demand could exceed supply by 2010 (see graphic at right), causing shortages that will be none too comfortable and possibly dangerous.

Residents in Region C already are using the full capacity of the region and are being forced to import water from East Texas. The reservoirs being tapped in that area have helped ease the burden on Region C, but as the population expands and cities build up, the demand will only increase without steps to curtail water use.

Adding to the problem is the fact that proposed new reservoir sites in East Texas are being challenged by local groups who would rather see the land put to a different use. And Region C does not have any sites suitable for use as a reservoir.

Another challenge is that it takes 20 years minimum to build a new reservoir. And more likely, it would take 30-40 years to do so.

“Even if there were no objections, it would take a long time,” McCuller said.

There are some recycling projects in the works in Palestine and Lewisville, but they will only be part of the solution.

With few new resources coming online, conservation is increasingly seen as the solution to the problem. And the need is urgent.

“It is important to start now, because in a relatively few years we are going to be to our limit,” McCuller said. “It takes time to develop additional water resources and it takes time for people to adapt to water conservation practices.”

The plan

McCuller and the public works department will propose a multi-faceted approach to the problem.

First is a stronger public information campaign on water conservation.

The city has had a water conservation program for some time, but it has been relatively informal. The city has a audio-animatronic puppet called Professor G.P. Goodwater, which educates children on water conservation. And the city and school district join forces for events like MayFest.

“We need to do more with this water conservation program that has real goals, that is not just a public education program,” McCuller said.

He said it would combine some other programs with the existing one and will encourage the use of water-saving landscaping practices, discouraging washing down driveways instead of sweeping them, educate on the use of ornamental fountains, etc.

More efficient indoor water usage is one key. Although the majority of water use has switched to outside (see table above), inside uses are important to pay attention to and the city plans to educate residents on those as well.

The city also thinks it needs a water conservation ordinance “with some teeth in it,” according to McCuller. He said that although the city now encourages people to conserve water, it should also discourage people from overuse.

Although the ordinance is by no means set, some of the proposals include: prohibiting irrigation between 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (year-round); exceptions for alternative water sources (such as wells), dust control for sports fields and the establishment of lawns; seasonal water rate structures, increasing the rate differential for high volume users; a continuation of the inverted rate structure; a requirement that all new irrigation systems have rain, freeze and break sensors to shut off water in those events (freeze sensors are already required); and penalties, likely fines, for violations of any ordinance provision after one warning.

The final ordinance, which will have to be approved by the council, must comply with ordinances from the Dallas and Fort Worth water authorities. Fort Worth's contract is more specific, in saying that whatever Fort Worth does, Grand Prairie will do also.

Fort Worth should finish its ordinance this month or next.

Public Works will likely propose incentives as a flipside to the ordinance - a carrot to go along with the stick. Conservation program features include: the xeriscaping of city projects (landscaping practices that limit water consumption); an awards program for homeowners who xeriscape their yards); recognition for builders who xeriscape homes offered for sale; enhanced public education and incentive program for water conservation; and possible incentives for replacing water wasting plumbing fixtures with water conserving fixtures.

The city is also working on water supply strategies beyond conservation. They include: additional local water storage; increase pipeline capacities to allow more water to flow from Dallas Water Authority and other areas; increase well water production through well rehabilitation; and additional water contracts with providers like Midlothian, Mansfield and Arlington to help supply Grand Prairie's Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction, which is not currently in the Dallas Water Authority's planning area.

If all goes well

The city has set what it believes are attainable water savings targets for residents.

Within five years, the city would like to hold per capita use at the present level of 167 gallons per person per day. In 10 years, the city would like to reduce per capita consumption by 5 percent to 159 gallons per person per day.

The hope is that by 2020, the city will reach the Region C goal of 140 gallons per person per day, what is considered a manageable amount.

McCuller said that these are the proposed goals, but they may well be set by the state, which is looking at the same issues. He said the goals are reasonable for the residents, compared to other area cities, which are facing greater water shortages.

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