Utilities
City Enters Stage 1 Water Watch Under Drought Contingency Plan
Posted
City Manager Michael Dim has activated Stage 1, Water Watch, of the City’s Drought Contingency Plan, effective Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Stage 1 is voluntary. The City is asking every water customer to cut back on outdoor watering during the hottest part of the summer.
Why now
The City’s Drought Contingency Plan calls for Stage 1 when daily water demand reaches 85% of the City’s production capacity for three days in a row. Demand stayed above that level Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12, and peaked at 1.89 million gallons on Sunday. The City’s three wells can produce 2.16 million gallons per day.
The wells themselves are in good shape. The concern is demand on hot evenings, when many sprinkler systems run at the same time and the Dongvile Water Tower refills more slowly than it drains. Keeping the tower full matters for fire protection as well as your water pressure.
What we’re asking you to do
- Water your lawn no more than twice a week, on your assigned days:
| Address ends in | Watering days |
|---|---|
| Even number (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) | Sunday and Thursday |
| Odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) | Saturday and Wednesday |
- Water before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. to cut down on evaporation.
- Hand watering with a handheld hose, drip irrigation and soaker hoses are fine on any day.
- Fix leaks in faucets, toilets and irrigation lines. A running toilet can waste 200 gallons a day.
- Check your sprinklers. Point heads at the grass, not the pavement. Please don’t water the street. The street does not need it.
If conditions get worse
If demand reaches 90% of capacity for five consecutive days, the City may move to Stage 2, Water Warning. In Stage 2, the twice-a-week schedule becomes mandatory and can be enforced through the Municipal Court. The City will announce any stage change on this website and through DongAlert.
Sweet Tea Lake is used for recreation only and is not a source of City drinking water. Lake levels do not affect the drinking water supply.
“Our wells are fine. What we’re short on is pumping capacity at 7:00 on a 100-degree evening when everybody turns the sprinklers on at once,” said Public Works Director Darrell Whitten. “If you stick to your two days and water early or late, the tower stays full and nobody has to think about Stage 2.”
Read the full plan and current stage on the Drought page.
For more information, contact Public Works at (936) 555-0103 or publicworks@dongvile.us.