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1. Who selected the Tuesday/Friday, Wednesday/Saturday, and Thursday/Sunday watering schedule?

The lawn watering schedule was established by a joint water conservation panel of various municipal technical staff, and water conservation experts. The specific days were chosen by a committee of representatives from Fort Worth, Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), and some of the 26 wholesale customer cities served by Fort Worth and TRWD. It allows residential customers to water twice weekly, each group having a weekday and a weekend day. This watering schedule evenly distributes the consumption of water throughout the region. Mondays were purposefully excluded because it has historically been a day of unusually high demand for the entire area, possibly because many commercial and industrial users resume production activities after having been closed for the weekend.

2. What if I want to change my watering days?

The twice-per-week watering schedule, based on address, is mandatory for Southlake. NO exceptions or changes in the assigned watering days are allowed.

3. How long should I run my sprinkler zones?

Ideally, irrigation zones should be run long enough to fill a rain gauge or small cup by 1 inch of water on your two designated watering days or every 5 to 7 days if possible.

4. May I water using a handheld hose?

Yes. Watering on any day at any time is allowed with a handheld hose.

5. Who determines Southlake's water restrictions?

Based upon Southlake's wholesale water purchase contract with the City of Fort Worth, the drought contingency standards that Southlake operates under are required by contract. Failure to follow these guidelines would be a breach of contract and may result in a loss in water service. Based upon recent efforts, all regional utilities are attempting to communicate the same message and as such are using the twice-per-week watering schedule if they purchase from the City of Fort Worth or Dallas Water Utilities. Most of the area cities, including Keller, Westlake, Trophy Club, and North Richland Hills all are served by the City of Fort Worth and follow the same watering restrictions.

6. If I have a water well, am I still subject to mandatory water restrictions?

No. If you have a water well, you are exempt from the water restrictions. However, the City of Southlake asks that you post a visible sign to indicate that a well is present on the property. As we are out enforcing the restrictions, posting a sign will help us identify those properties using well water versus City water and, more importantly, will ensure that you are not unduly targeted for any perceived violations of the water restrictions.

7. Is Southlake's water storage and distribution system adequate?

Yes, the City of Southlake exceeds the State's minimum standards for storage and pumping capacity based on population size; however, consumption is unusually high in Southlake in part due to population density (large lots). This in part explains the high consumption that the City experiences during dry seasonal weather.

8. Why doesn't Southlake purchase water from the City of Grapevine (Grapevine Lake) which is closer than the City of Fort Worth?

The City of Grapevine does not have the production capacity or sufficient water rights from Grapevine Lake to provide water to Southlake. Water rights on surface lakes are owned by individual municipalities and /or water authorities. The water rights for Grapevine Lake were established in the 1940's at the time of construction of Grapevine Lake. Primary water rights for Grapevine Lake belong to the Park cities (Highland Park and University Park). The secondary water rights for Grapevine Lake are owned by Dallas Water Utilities. The City of Grapevine holds tertiary water rights for the lake. There are no available water rights for the City of Southlake to take water from Grapevine Lake. The City of Grapevine operates a 12 million gallon per day production capacity water plant to serve their utility customers. The City of Grapevine is also served by the Trinity River Authority. Grapevine maximizes their production facility in order to minimize the end cost to their customers. As such, no treated water is available for the City of Southlake to purchase.

9. Water Conservation and Drought Contingency: What is the difference?

The City of Southlake has both a Water Conservation Ordinance No. 895-D and a Drought Contingency Ordinance No. 662-F. A Water Conservation Plan is a combination of strategies to: 

• Reduce the consumption of water 
• Reduce the loss of water 
• Improve the efficient use of water 
• Increase the reuse and recycling of water 
• Set consumption targets. Southlake’s goal is 268 gallons per capita per day by 2030.

A Drought Contingency/Emergency Water Management Plan is: 

• A statement of a water supplier’s capacities 
• A response plan to address external conditions including drought or system failure that may create the need to restrict usage for the protection of health, safety and welfare of the public