What you need to know
To combat potential water shortage, as previously reported, Conroe City Council implemented a temporary development moratorium, defined as a moratorium on the acceptance, authorization and approvals necessary for development.
New developments will be halted during the moratorium, and residents will only be affected through irrigation restrictions, according to an Aug. 21 city presentation.
The affected areas include the northern portion of Conroe but exclude Panorama Village, the April Sound subdivision and the Montgomery County Municipal Utility Districts (MUD) No. 3 and No. 4, as previously reported.
How we got here
In April, city officials first warned City Council about a decline in water capacity, Community Impact previously reported, and at a May 22 workshop meeting, city officials said around $50 million is needed to fund the water infrastructure needed.
During a June 13 meeting, City Council approved irrigation restrictions between May through October, according to prior reporting.
What they’re saying
- “Overdevelopment and previous decision making has put Conroe in a tough situation,” council member Howard Wood said in a statement sent to Community Impact Aug. 29. “This temporary pause in building is required to ensure we maintain basic core government services to our citizens and put Conroe back on track for responsible development. Our infrastructure requires immediate attention. Discussions with developers [and] builders have been well received, we'll work appropriately with them while we move to correct this challenge.”
- “The four wells that we're anticipating putting online as quickly as possible just meet the needs for today,” mayor pro tem Harry Hardman said during the Aug. 29 special meeting. “I applaud the effort, [Public Works Director] Norman [McGuire], with your staff to look at—what is the future going to look like for the next 10 to 15 years? What do we need to do now in order to ensure we don't find ourselves in this position again? ... We're all in this together.”
