Printer Friendly
The Free Library
19,573,962 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

1.5 Million North Texans Face Tougher Water Restrictions Starting Today; North Texas Municipal Water District Challenges Residents to Raise Their 'Water IQ'; Reduce Consumption by 5 Percent.


WYLIE, Texas Wylie is a city in Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 15,132, but recent rapid growth has 2004 estimates suggesting the population is already 25,850. Once solely located in Collin County, Wylie has extended into neighboring Dallas and Rockwall counties.  -- 1.5 million North Texans served by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) today are now required to observe mandatory outdoor water restrictions. The restrictions affect everything from watering landscapes and filling swimming pools to washing vehicles and hosing driveways and sidewalks.

NTMWD raised the drought response to Stage 3, due to increased demand for water, a lack of significant rainfall and the region's worst drought in 50 years. Despite the worsening drought, water consumption has increased 29 percent this year compared with the same period last year. Stage 3 drought requires stricter water-use measures for 60 cities and communities in six North Texas counties NTMWD serves.

"We're asking North Texans to respond with bags of mulch mulch, any material, usually organic, that is spread on the ground to protect the soil and the roots of plants from the effects of soil crusting, erosion, or freezing; it is also used to retard the growth of weeds. , drought-tolerant plants and soaker hoses," said Jim Parks Jim Parks may refer to one of two Sussex and England cricketers:
  • Jim Parks senior (1903–1980), the father, an all-rounder
  • Jim Parks junior (born 1931), the son, a batsman who became a wicket keeper
, executive director for the North Texas Municipal Water District. "Starting today, we're asking everyone to reduce water consumption by 5 percent so we can make Lake Lavon Lake Lavon is an artificial freshwater lake located in North Texas on the East Fork of the Trinity River in Collin County near Wylie. It is off of State Highway 78. Lake Lavon's dominant fish species are the largemouth bass, white bass, blue catfish, and crappie.  -- our primary water source -- last during the drought."

The drought is the primary reason NTMWD launched a new public education campaign June 1 called "Water IQ: Know your water," which arms people with tips to easily save water. Reducing water use by 5 percent is the cornerstone of the campaign.

"We expect the number of people living in the North Texas Municipal Water District's service area to double over the next 50 years to more than 3.5 million people," said Parks. "Unless everyone starts saving water today, we'll have to build an expensive reservoir the size of Lake Lavon every 10 years to keep up with demand."

According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 research by the Texas Water Development Board, four out of five Texans don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)

"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party.
 the natural source of their water. But when they raise their water awareness and learn where their water comes from, they're more likely to save it. NTMWD is first in the state to implement the Water IQ awareness campaign.

Stage 3 Drought: Mandatory Water Restrictions

Cities purchasing water from NTMWD, a wholesale water provider, are required to implement stricter water-use measures under Stage 3 drought. The restrictions affect more than 1.5 million people in six North Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall.

--Landscape watering is limited to once every seven days.

--Outdoor watering with sprinklers is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

--Hosing paved areas like driveways and sidewalks and washing buildings and windows is prohibited.

--Operating ornamental fountains that use treated water is prohibited.

--Washing or rinsing vehicles with a hose is also banned.

--Draining and refilling swimming pools is prohibited during Stage 3 drought except to replace normal water loss.

--Allowing runoff onto streets from irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice.  systems, operating faulty irrigation systems and allowing known leakage to continue is prohibited.

"Member cities may implement their own mandatory water restrictions so it's important for consumers to make sure they understand their local requirements," said Lorrie Reeves, water education coordinator, City of Plano.

"Water IQ: Know Your Water" Public Education Campaign

The Water IQ campaign kicked off with a press conference on Thursday, June 1, on the front lawn of a Plano home, where the homeowners -- who have lush gardens and a pool -- have pledged to reduce water consumption by 5 percent. To demonstrate how, Mike and Candace Fountoulakis invited the media to see firsthand first·hand  
adj.
Received from the original source: firsthand information.



first
 some of the high-tech and low-tech solutions they've employed.

"Reducing water consumption by such a small percentage is really doable," said Candace Fountoulakis, North Texas homeowner. "Little things add up -- making sure faucets aren't leaking, installing drought-tolerant plants and manually operating our sprinkler system so it's not overwatering Overwatering is the act of giving a plant too much water. Overwatering occurs when a plant is watered often without allowing the soil to dry first. Many houseplant owners do this because they want to do something good for their plants. They think that they are being helpful. . You don't have to sacrifice beauty to save water -- my garden is still colorful and attracts butterflies."

During the news conference, NTMWD also premiered its new TV public service campaign, which begin airing June 1. The humorous 15-second spots feature characters almost everyone can relate to. In one spot, a balding, middle-aged man is standing before his bathroom mirror and tries to perfect his well-rehearsed comb-over as the announcer says, "Let's not Let's Not is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in Boston University Graduate Journal in December 1954. It was written for no payment as a favour to the journal, and later appeared in the collection Buy Jupiter.  kid ourselves, his hairline hair·line
n.
The outline of the growth of hair on the head, especially across the front.
 isn't the only thing receding in North Texas -- our natural water supply's way down. Use just 5 percent less water, and we can make it last."

The Water IQ public education campaign also utilizes radio, outdoor, print and gas pump advertising and an experiential marketing Experiential marketing is a methodology, a concept that moves beyond the traditional “features-and-benefits” marketing. Experiential Marketing connects consumers with brands in personally relevant and memorable ways.  outreach tour. Throughout the summer, the Water IQ tour will visit home-improvement stores and community events, teaching people how they can save water around their home and business.

"I'm proud of North Texas for being first out of the gate with this new water awareness campaign," said Kathleen White, chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality The Texas Commission for Environmental Quality is the environmental agency for the U.S. state of Texas. External links
  • TCEQ
. "I believe water will be the most critical issue facing Texas for the next 50 years. Before the state undertakes extraordinarily expensive, high-impact environmental projects like building new reservoirs, we need to determine how much water we can save by efficiently using what we have." Water IQ will be implemented in other regions around the state this summer.

Water-Saving Tips

Landscape

--Use plenty of mulch in your beds -- especially during a drought. Experts recommend 4 to 6 inches to prevent evaporation evaporation, change of a liquid into vapor at any temperature below its boiling point. For example, water, when placed in a shallow open container exposed to air, gradually disappears, evaporating at a rate that depends on the amount of surface exposed, the humidity  and keep soil moist.

--Install drought-tolerant plants like lantana lantana (lăntā`nə): see verbena.
lantana

Any of more than 150 shrubs that make up the genus Lantana in the verbena family, native to the New World and African tropics.
, salvia salvia: see sage.
salvia

Any of about 700 species of herbaceous and woody plants that make up the genus Salvia, in the mint family. Some members (e.g., sage) are important as sources of flavouring.
 and Mexican sage. Ask your local nursery or landscape professional for advice.

--Raise your lawnmower blade and cut grass to a height of 3 inches -- this shades the soil, which reduces evaporation, and allows roots to grow deeper.

--Check for leaks in taps, pipes and hoses. One slow drip can waste 20 gallons of water daily (7,000 gallons per year).

--Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers to water trees, shrubs and beds more efficiently.

Sprinkler Systems

--Operate in-ground sprinkler systems manually -- don't use the timer, and you'll save water. If you must use a timer, learn to operate it correctly. Carefully read the manual or consult your irrigation system professional.

--Check sprinkler systems frequently for directional aim and broken heads to prevent watering driveways, sidewalks and streets.

Swimming Pools

--If you own a pool, pay close attention to the water level. If it varies drastically from day to day, you probably have a leak and need to have it serviced immediately.

About the North Texas Municipal Water District

NTMWD directly serves the following cities and/or water supply agencies: Allen, Farmersville, Forney, Frisco, Garland, Mesquite, McKinney, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Royse City, Rockwall, Wylie, Caddo Basin S.U.D., Cash S.U.D., College Mound W.S.C., Copeville W.S.C., Crandall, East Fork S East Fork is the name of the following places in the United States of America:
  • East Fork, Arizona
  • East Fork, Pennsylvania
  • East Fork, California
  • East Fork State Park, Ohio
See also East Fork Township, a disambiguation page
.U.D., Fairview, Fate, Forney Lake W.S.C., Gastonia-Scurry W.S.C., Josephine, Kaufman, Kaufman Four-One, Lavon W.S.C., Little Elm, Lucas, Melissa, Milligan W.S.C., Mt. Zion W.S.C., Murphy, Nevada W.S.C., North Collin W.S.C., Parker, Prosper, Rose Hill W.S.C., Rowlett, Sachse, Seis SEIS Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
SEIS State Environmental Impact Statement
SEIS Science and Engineering Information Service
 Lagos M.U.D., Sunnyvale and Wylie Northeast W.S.C.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Publication:Business Wire
Date:Jun 1, 2006
Words:1148
Previous Article:CREIA Explains Common Myths & Realities about Home Inspections.
Next Article:Advanced Colon Cancer Pervasive in California Cancer Data Show; Statewide Study Suggests Low Testing for Highly Preventable Disease.



Related Articles
Environmental Health Professionals Get Recognition in Texas.
SUBMETERING RESULTS IN MULTIFOLD BENEFITS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
ACTIVIST TAKING ON INCUMBENTS.
TAA launches residential property management degree program. (NAA Today).
IDEOLOGY CONFLICTS HEAT UP LAS VIRGENES WATER BOARD CAMPAIGN.
The world's water crisis.
Submetering case studies: multifamily property owners explain cost, potential savings and conservation qualities of submetering systems.
WATER BILLS ARE GOING UP.

Terms of use | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles