By Jared Janes, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Aug. 16--PHARR -- The heat and dry conditions are pushing this city's water treatment plant past its limit.
On two days last month, peak demand had 11.2 million gallons of water flowing through its system.
The problem?
The plant was made with a maximum daily capacity of 10 million.
As record-high heat combines with record-low rain this summer, water treatment plants are wilting almost as much as the manicured lawns in Hidalgo County.
Because of that, some cities are turning up water conservation efforts in an attempt to reduce the likelihood that water pressure drops during peak usage.
At least four Hidalgo County cities are in stage 2 -- mandatory compliance of water conservation. Other cities are asking residents to conserve voluntarily but are eyeing the next step.
Water levels at Amistad and Falcon reservoirs are still at 85 percent this month, so the biggest concern is treatment systems tasked beyond what they were built for, said David Garza, Pharr's utility director. An ongoing expansion to Pharr's plant has helped it keep up with demand that has been either at or over daily capacity the past month.
Garza said asking the public to help out by following conservation guidelines is the way to go.
"It's Mother Nature at its best and we have to learn to conserve," he said. "This is when we learn how precious water is."
In Weslaco, which is still in stage 1, or voluntary water conservation efforts, the Weslaco Water Treatment Plant exceeded its pumping capacity with water demand the highest in history.
As water pressure dropped at its water tower, Weslaco imported potable water from Mercedes to restore pressure at faucets and at hydrants for fire suppression abilities.
Edinburg has required residents to comply with water conservation attempts since a drought scorched the area before Hurricane Dolly last summer.
When the hurricane filled the reservoirs, the city stayed in stage 2 but stopped enforcing the ordinance, said David Salinas, Edinburg's director of utilities.
With the plant running at 80 percent of capacity during peak demand, the city expanded the authority to issue citations to the code enforcement office.
First offenders get off with a written warning, but repeat offenders can be subject to fines up to $400 and may get their water disconnected.
Salinas said they're using a threat of citations to nudge residents to conserve water during a persistent drought.
"You see the news every day," he said. "There seems to be no end in sight to this drought."
Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.
General Water Conservation Plans:
Dave Gragg
Metro Editor
The Monitor
www.themonitor.com
McAllen, Texas
(956) 683-4435
Stage 1: Mild water shortage(
- residents are asked to voluntarily conserve water
Stage 2: Moderate water shortage
- mandatory water conservation
- watering is limited to specific times, usually in the morning and the evening. Watering is only allowed on specific days with odd-numbered and even-numbered addressed allowed to water on days coinciding their address
- Washing of vehicles is limited to specific times or prohibited
- Use of water to wash hard-surfaced areas such as sidewalks is prohibited
Stage 3: Severe water shortage
- Industrial and commercial users must prepare a plan to curtail water usage
- Maximum monthly water usage for residential customers may be implemented
- The use of water for privately owned and municipal swimming pools is prohibited
- Use of commercial car washes may be prohibited
Tips to Conserve Water:
Outside:
--Water early in the morning~
--Avoid watering in the afternoon
--Wet the soil to the depth of 4 to 6 inches.
--Adjust the sprinkler so only the lawn is watered and not your house, driveway or street
--One to 1.5 inches of water every fifth day is adequate
*A sprinkler that releases large drops of water close to the ground will save water.
--Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway
Inside:
--Fix leaking faucets, pipes or toilets
--Wash only full loads of laundry
--Take shorter showers
--Don't let water run while shaving or brushing
--Run the dishwasher only when full
--Replace inefficient shower heads with low-flow shower heads that use 2 gallons per minute
(Alamo, Edinburg, Pharr, San Juan)McAllen, Mission, Weslaco)
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