The State requires updates of Water Conservation and Water Resource Management Plans (the Plan) to be prepared at five-year intervals. Since Allen's Plan was last updated in 2014, it is required to undergo an update. The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) recently completed an update of their Model Plan for member and customer cities. That document guided the development of the proposed City Plan. The new City Plan must be adopted by May 1, 2019.
The intent of the NTMWD and City Water Conservation Plan is to implement all practicable water conservation measures to extend the adequacy of current water supplies. Water Conservation Plan measures are intended to become regional standards promoting good resource stewardship. The most significant regional water conservation measure was the permanent establishment of twice weekly landscape irrigation limits on a set schedule in the 2014 Plan. This provision continues in the latest plan and it promotes water conservation at times when there is no reason to initiate any drought related water use constraints.
There is shared regional intent to make the key provisions of the Water Resource Management (Drought) Plans be the same to provide for the consistency of message as drought measures and water use restrictions are implemented in the NTMWD service area. The key regional drought initiative is to establish a consistent three-stage water resource management (drought) plan. Then, to synchronize how and when stages are implemented or discontinued; and to have consistent water conserving measures, or restrictions, at each of the three stages. The proposed City of Allen Plan is designed to support these intents.
The proposed May 2019 City of Allen Water Conservation and Water Resource Management Plan is attached and its key provisions will be reviewed during the Council Presentation. However, current lake levels and raw water availability make it almost a certainty that no drought measures will be necessary in the next few years. Therefore, the Council presentation will stress water conservation measures while giving an overview of the three drought stages and discussing the key drought stage measures. When a drought situation develops in the future, staff will undertake customer education on the water use constraints imposed at each drought stage to provide ample notification and awareness of anticipated drought measures.