City of DeSoto Under Stage 2 Watering Restrictions

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DeSoto Water tower
DeSoto water tower Photo by Kristin Barclay

Water Usage for Residents and Businesses Restricted

DESOTO-Nearly two months of drought conditions, high temperatures, and multiple fire suppression events have resulted in record-level water usage in DeSoto. City officials are declaring the immediate activation of Stage 2 restrictions under the City’s Drought Contingency Plan to ensure safety and ongoing water service. Stage 2 restrictions include mandatory reductions in residential and business irrigation systems as well as additional restrictions.

“In order to keep our residents and businesses safe and to ensure that all have essential water services, the City of DeSoto has enacted the next stage of our Drought Contingency Plan. The immediate goal is to reduce the current higher demand so that we can return our water supply back to safe and sufficient volumes to get us through the remainder of the drought,” said DeSoto’s Deputy City Manager Isom Cameron.

DeSoto Water customers using automatic irrigation systems or hose-end sprinklers outdoors to water their lawns and landscaped areas will be limited during Stage 2 to watering once every five (5) days between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Permitted days will be based on the last digit of their street address. The following watering schedule shows which days watering will be allowed depending on the last digit of their street address.

Watering Schedule

Last Digit of Address Allowed Watering Dates

0 and 5 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th

1 and 6 1st, 6th,11th, 16th, 21st, 26th

2 and 7 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, 27th

3 and 8 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, 28th

4 and 9 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 29th

(No watering on the 31st)

Apartments, office building complexes, or other properties containing multiple addresses will be identified by the lowest address number. If there aren’t any numbers, the City of DeSoto will assign them.

Residents are permitted to water their lawns and landscaping with a handheld hose, watering container, or a drip system (IE: Soaker Hose) without penalty; however, the City requests that reasonable efforts are made to curtail non-essential usage.

The City is also directing residents and businesses to immediately discontinue non-essential water usage outside of irrigation. This will prohibit all restaurants from serving water to customers except by request.

Residential hand-washing of cars or other vehicles is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. In those cases, residents would need to use a hand-held bucket or hand-held hose equipped with a shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. Or you can take your vehicle to a commercial car wash anytime without restrictions.

Using water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, or Jacuzzis/hot tubs is prohibited except on the designated watering days between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Other non-essential water uses that are prohibited under Stage 2 restrictions include washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas; using water for dust control; operating an ornamental fountain or pond that is not designed to recirculate water, and hosing down buildings or structures unless there is a fire protection benefit.

These restrictions apply to all residential and business properties in the utilization of water provided through DeSoto Public Utilities. Properties with private water sources, including wells, are not limited by these restrictions.

The City of DeSoto has the ability to monitor water usage and will be checking for improper and excessive usage. Violators could face fines not to exceed two thousand dollars for each offense.

To view the City of DeSoto’s Drought Contingency Plan and all of the restrictions that are put in place under Stage 2 visit our homepage at www.desototexas.gov