Record setting heat along with no rain has led to water conservation plans for many cities throughout the Lone Star State. Now Killeen, Texas is following suit with a Drought Contingency and Water Conservation Plan.

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The City of Killeen has adopted a Stage 1 plan for Mild Water Shortage Conditions.

Drought Contingency and Water Conservation Plan

July has set weather records across the state of Texas for temperatures. The heat combined with the current drought has taken its toll on the water supply. We've seen water levels at Belton Lake, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, and Lake Waco decrease pretty significantly over the course of the summer.

Very little to no rain in Killeen has led the Killeen City Council to issue a Stage 1 recommendation for water restrictions. Stage 1 is on a voluntary basis.

STAGE 1 – MILD WATER SHORTAGE CONDITIONS

1. Water customers are requested to voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8), and Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9).

2. Water customers are requested to voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas only between the hours of midnight to 10:00 am or 8:00 pm to midnight on designated watering days.

3. Water customers are requested to practice water conservation and to minimize or discontinue water use for non-essential purposes.

As of now, this is voluntary, but with the current weather conditions and low lake levels, we should all be careful how much water we are using. Killeen City Council has laid out the plan for Stage 2 - 5 should we get that far.

20 WAYS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER YOU USE

Here are 20 helpful tips you can do to help with the current water situation.

- Repair all leaky faucets, fixtures, and pipes at your residence.
- Install flow restrictors on faucets.
- Do not leave water running continuously during dish washing, shaving, brushing of      teeth and while washing hands.
- Run the dishwasher and clothes washer only for full loads, or utilize the lowest water setting for small loads.
- Use the garbage disposal sparingly or start a compost pile for vegetable scraps.
- Scrape dishes clean instead of rinsing them clean.
- Rinse vegetables and fruit in a sink or pan filled with water instead of running them under running water.
- Reuse water from rinsing vegetables for watering plants.
- Keep container of cold water in the refrigerator, as opposed to running the faucet to get cold water.
- Install a low-flow shower head to limit the amount of water dispensed per minute.
- Reduce shower time and/or install a cutoff valve.
- Reduce the amount of water used for bathing by 1 to 2 inches.
- Take a shower not a bath.
- Never use the toilet to dispose of cleaning tissues, cigarette butts or other trash.
- Water lawns only when needed, use a soil moisture meter to determine the need to water.
- Do not over water your yard; over watering results in water run off.
- Use sprinklers that produce large drops of water instead of those that produce a mist.
- Set automatic sprinklers to provide thorough, but infrequent, watering (1 inch every 5 days).
- Utilize rain shutoff devices to prevent watering during rain.
- Use drip irrigation systems for bedded plants, trees, shrubs, or turn the hose upside down so that water penetrates directly into the ground.

For more info regarding the conservation plan, click here.

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