Water conservation is balancing act for Grand Prairie

by Kirk Dickey of Grand Prairie TODAY

A presentation of Grand Prairie's proposed water conservation plan turned into discussion about balancing priorities earlier this month.

Public Works Director Ron McCuller told the city council in an April 7 briefing session that the city had to comply with state and local water conservation regulation while also preserving water quality in a city some distance from its water source. All cities with more than 3,300 water connections are required to formulate a conservation plan that will help stem the use of water.

The area has already had some success with this - the Texas Water Development Board Region C had projected the area would run out of water supply by 2010, but since then, a number of water conservation programs have been put in place. But more must be done under state law.

Grand Prairie's plan uses both mandatory and non-enforcement elements to achieve lower levels of water use. Mandatory elements include: no lawn irrigation allowed from 10 a.m-6 p.m. from April 1 through Oct. 31; no watering during any form of precipitation; all new construction requiring wind, rain and freeze sensors; no “knowingly and recklessly” allowing water to fall on impervious surfaces; no missing or broken sprinkler heads; and a requirement to maintain one's irrigation system so as to prevent waste.

Exceptions include the use of a hand-held or soaker hose, the establishment of new lawns, dust control on sports fields and maintenance, repairs or testing of an irrigation system. Those exceptions can only be used for a period of 30 consecutive days.

The water department will continue its public education efforts, improve leak detection equipment, change out meters - old meters run more slowly and allow water waste - and will make city facilities more drought tolerant.

The city's goal is to reduce Grand Prairie's gallons per capita per day from 151.5 to 148.5 in 10 years. The proposed reduction is a 1 percent reduction every five years. That falls short of other the legislature's goal of a 1 percent reduction per year, but McCuller said to do that would sacrifice the city's water quality even though Grand Prairie uses less water than its neighbors - up to 220 GPCD.

“We may well be taken to task for this by some of the wholesale suppliers or the state,” McCuller said. “But I think we have to do the best we can with our water system.”

McCuller explained that since parts of Grand Prairie are so far from the water source, the water sits in the pipe and “ages.” As water ages, the quality diminishes and the possibility of bacteria growth grows.

The city already fights this bacteria growth by flushing the system regularly, releasing water into the street at such a rapid rate that it creates a vortex which scrubs the pipes clean.

Councilman Jim Swafford asked McCuller what he thought of the city's selling as much as a million gallons of treated water to natural gas drillers putting in wells across the city. And McCuller said that in certain situations that helps the city's aged water problem, because it moves water down the pipes. But, he said, if the city cannot afford to sell them that water, it can stop doing so.

Swafford expressed concern about the competing interests of conservation and water quality and said many residents would wonder why they were being restricted if the city sells such large amounts of water and flushes the system.

“I know there is a contradiction,” McCuller said, then later added, “Believe me, I am not looking forward to talking to citizens and telling them they can't water at a certain time, and I am flushing the fire hydrant across the street.”