Prepare for Stage 2 cutbacks, Trinity River Authority warns
January rainfall increased the water supply in Lake Grapevine according to the Tarrant Regional Water District, which had experienced dropping water levels since August, but as of Feb. 13 the lake level is still low—3.3 feet lower than the same day last year. According to the TRWD, this is year five in a drought the area just can't seem to overcome.
"It takes rainfall to make runoff, and we just haven't seen any [rain]," said David Marshall, the engineering services director for the Tarrant Regional Water District. "It's really been for the last four years that we have seen below-average rainfall, but last year was dramatically lower than other years."
Marshall said 2014 ranked as the 13th driest year on record for the area.
Residents in Grapevine receive 70 percent of their water from the Trinity River Authority and 30 percent from Lake Grapevine.
As of Feb. 13 the lake's elevation stood at 523.03 feet; at the same time in 2014 it was at 525.4 feet.
Lakes are measured by the U.S. Geological Survey in elevation above sea level—not depth because the bottoms of lakes are not uniform.
Water restrictions
The TRA, Colleyville's water supplier, has already informed the city that it expects Stage 2 drought restrictions to begin March 1.
Because the water used by Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake all falls under the control of the TRA, all will enter Stage 2 restrictions at the same time. The TRA has already informed its cities to expect Stage 2 water restrictions to begin March 1.
In January, Colleyville changed watering days under its drought contingency plan to ease confusion.
According to Colleyville communications and Marketing Manager Mona Gandy, residents previously were allowed to water based on where they lived in the city. The updated 2015 plan allows residents to water on certain days based on whether their home address ends in an odd or even number.
The updated schedule now matches other cities in the area who already use the system.
Stage 1 restrictions allow for watering twice per week; Stage 2 only allows for watering once per week.
"I think that the most critical thing besides changing the way we water is again on March 1 we will go into more restrictive measures," Colleyville Mayor David Kelly said. "Unless we have torrential rains in the interim, it's going to be that way.
Texas has been in a drought for many years, and it has hit Northeast Tarrant County pretty hard," Kelly said. "I want to get the word out that we're really going to have to prepare and really start conserving water as much as possible."
Planning for the future
The Texas Water Development Board, a governmental agency responsible for assisting water development programs, has been monitoring the drought while also planning 50 years into the future to ensure that there is enough water for everyone.
"The worst time to plan for a drought is when you're in a drought," TWDB Communication Director Andy Saenz said. "We always want people to think of the drought, even when it's raining."
Saenz said the current 50-year plan will have to serve millions of additional residents. The TWDB is planning for a dramatic increase in statewide population, from 26 million to 46 million.
"There is going to be a lot more people and not enough water. That is the reason why we plan this far out," he said.
For now Saenz encourages residents to reduce their current water consumption and find ways to reuse water if possible. He added that a small amount of water saved by thousands of people adds up.
"A common misconception is that a wet year could fix [the drought]," Saenz said. "The ground is dry—it's so, so dry. It's going to take a number of rainy seasons to occur before we can say that we're out of the drought.
Try going a day without water. Can you last a day without water? Probably not. That's why I put up with these restrictions—to make sure that something is there for the future," Saenz said.
