City encourages residents to report those who may be unaware of water restrictions

     The raindrops last week were a welcome site to city officials and local residents, however the current drought conditions are still a very serious threat to the city’s water supply. Current forecasters predict a multi-year drought throughout the Southwestern United States, including deep east Texas and Nacogdoches. If water usage remains the same amongst residents and businesses it is a very real possibility that the City’s water resources, like Lake Nacogdoches will not be able to support our demands. It is crucial that water conservation methods, like the lawn irrigation watering schedule, be adhered too, and citizens alter their water consumption habits permanently.

     “We know people are listening to our message about water conservation,” said City Engineer Steve Bartlett. “We appreciate the calls and compliance from many of our residents.” To help aid city staff in communicating the importance of following the watering restrictions the City of Nacogdoches has set up a tip line for residents to call and report possible situations where residents may be unaware of the restrictions. Citizens can call 936-559-2515, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Have you noticed water running into the street on your way to work? Have you observed someone not following the watering schedule? Call the tip line and leave a detailed message with the address of the property and city staff can contact the property owner and communicate directly with them the importance of the water restrictions. “We hope that Nacogdoches can come together as a community to decrease our water usage numbers, the tip line is designed to help the city spread the conservation message to those who may be unaware of the current drought restrictions,” said Bartlett.

     Currently the voluntary water restrictions encourage residents to follow a strict watering schedule for lawn irrigation, limiting sprinklers and lawn irrigation to only two days a week. Both residential and business accounts are expected to adhere to the restrictions. Details on the watering schedule and on water conservation tips can be easily found by visiting www.ci.nacogdoches.tx.us. Residents are encouraged to call 936-559-2515 to report addresses that may be in violation of the watering restrictions. It remains critical that citizens adhere to the voluntary watering schedule at this point in time so that mandatory restrictions do not have to be issued.