McAllen implements new conservation measures

If we don’t get a big storm bordering on the benign, AKA, a hurricane with minimal wind damage, that dumps buckets of water into the Falcon Reservoir, then the future of Valley farmers and developers is going to remain uncertain.

A water delivery to Amistad Reservoir, northwest of Falcon would also help, but historically, big rain-making storms never track that way.

By the look of the map next to this story, the RGV isn’t as dry as some regions of the state (the darkest red) but tell that to the farmers in the mid-Valley area, whose water supply has already been shut off, with no water to grow crops, and it’s already a heartache that’s only going to get worse unless we get some water.

Twenty years ago, with the circa-2020 drought, the RGV actually saw some rain dancers appear on the local scene, hoping the native mo-jo might still hold some sway. We got some rain not long after, so maybe it’s time to resurrect that occurrence. Can’t hurt.

From houstonpublicmedia.org:

“Nearly the entire state of Texas is facing some sort of drought conditions, with more than half the state in what is classified as “extreme conditions,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“Much of Texas is also experiencing above-average temperatures with little to no relief, and several regions have seen more than 40 days in triple-digit temperatures this year.

“Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, says this time last year Texas wasn’t seeing any extreme drought — but these conditions are expected to persist, and it’s unclear for how long.”

This week, the city of McAllen released a water alert, which implements a new water plan. The details include:

Effective August 1, 2022, McAllen residents are required to implement Stage 2 of the Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan

The plan has 5 stages with Stage 1 being completely voluntary and Stage 5 being the most restrictive. Our water supply from Amistad and Falcon Dam has reached less than 25% capacity. These measures are being taken out of necessity.

Stage 2 delineates the city into six watering zones. Each zone is given two days a week where a business or residence may use a water sprinkling system. A water sprinkling system is anything that sprays water into the air with the purpose of covering a lawn, hedge or plant bedding area.

Your two watering days, or irrigation days, are split into two watering times. You have a morning time and an evening time. The morning time is the ten hours from midnight until 10am. The evening time is the six hours starting at 6pm and ending when the day concludes at midnight.

Stage 2 requires that all McAllen citizens observe the following regulations and use water for the purposes stated below only during the hours of midnight to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to midnight on designated days for the specified zones:

Zone 1: Northern City limits on the north, 10th Street on the east, Nolana Avenue on the south and western City limits on the west—Sunday and Wednesday during the time periods as provided for below.

Zone 2: Northern City limits on the north, eastern City limits on the east, Nolana on the south and 10th Street on the west—Monday and Thursday during the time periods as provided for below.

Zone 3: Nolana on the north, 10th Street on the east, Business 83 on the south and western City limits on the west — Tuesday and Friday during the time periods as provided for below.

Zone 4: Nolana on the north, eastern City limits on the east, Business 83 on the south, 10th Street on the west — Wednesday and Saturday.

Zone 5: Business 83 on the north, 10th Street on the east, southern City limits on the south and western City limits on the west—Thursday and Monday during the times as provided for below.

Zone 6: Business 83 on the north, eastern City limits on the east, southern City limits on the south, and 10th Street on the west—Friday and Tuesday during the time period as provided below.

Irrigation may only be conducted during the hours of midnight to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to midnight on the authorized days.

· Irrigation of outdoor vegetation shall be limited except for during the days and times in such zones as designated. Irrigation by drip method or hand-held hose or buckets is permitted at any time in any zone.

· The washing of automobiles, trucks, trailers, boats, airplanes, and other types of mobile equipment is prohibited except on designated irrigation days and times. Such washing shall be done with a handheld bucket or a handheld hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. Fundraising carwashes are prohibited. Exception: commercial carwash or commercial service station.

· The washing or sprinkling of foundations is prohibited except on designated irrigation days between the hours of 8:00PM and midnight. · The refilling or adding of water to residential swimming pools is prohibited except on designated irrigation days between the hours of 8:00PM to midnight and midnight to 10:00AM.

· Ornamental fountains with recycling systems are permitted. All other fountains are not permitted.

· Fire hydrant use will be limited to fire fighting and maintaining the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens.

· The following uses of water are defined as waste of water and are absolutely prohibited:

· Finally, any residential, commercial or industrial users of recycled water are exempt from these restrictions.