Water Conservation
and Drought Planning
Jennifer Allis
Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality
Water Availability Division
Resource Protection Team
Drought Contingency Plans
(DCP)
A strategy or combination of
strategies for temporary and
potentially recurring water supply
shortages and other water supply
emergencies.
Who is required to have a DCP?
 Retail
Public Water Suppliers
 Wholesale Public Water Suppliers
 Irrigation Districts
Rules and requirements for Drought
Contingency Plans are governed by 30
TAC Chapter 288.20, 288.21 and
288.22
DCP Plan Elements
 Public
Involvement
 Ongoing Education
 Notification Procedures
 Triggering Criteria
 Response Stages
 Quantified targets
 Management measures
 Variances
 Enforcement & Adoption of
the DCP
Communication with Customers
Public
Involvement
Ongoing Education
Coordination with your Regional
Water Planning Group (RWPG)
Examples of Public Education
 Radio
and television public service
announcements
 Newspaper articles and announcements
 Press releases and media alerts
 Bill inserts or notification letters
 Drought Website
 Distribution of fact sheets, brochures, and
pamphlets
 Public meetings and hearings
Triggering Criteria
 Description
of the information to be
monitored by the water supplier
 Specific criteria for the initiation and
termination of drought response
stages
 Explanation of the rationale or basis
Examples of Triggers

Supply Trigger for Surface Water - may be based
on lake level or percent of storage capacity or
streamflow level
 Supply Trigger for Groundwater - may be based
on aquifer level
 Demand Trigger may be based on demand during
specific time period or inability to recover/maintain
water storage supply for time period.
 Emergency Trigger would be a system outage,
equipment failure, contamination, or other
emergency.
Response Stages
 The
DCP shall include emergency
responses for each drought stage
 Water
Supply Reductions- Water
Systems
 Water
Demand Reductions- Water
customers
Specific, Quantified Targets
The
drought contingency plan
must include specific, quantified
targets for water use reductions to
be achieved during periods of
water shortage and drought.
Management Measures
The Drought Contingency Plan must
include the specific water supply or water
demand management measures to be
implemented during each stage of the plan
including, but not limited to, the following:
1. Curtailment of non-essential water use
2. Utilization of alternative water sources
and/or alternative delivery mechanisms
Examples of Measures
for Irrigation
 Limitations
on watering with an irrigation
system, sprinkler or soaker hose
 Restrictions on hand watering with a handheld hose, drip irrigation, bucket or
watering can
 Use of variances or restrictions on
watering new landscapes
 Prohibition of all outdoor irrigation of
vegetation including lawns
Variances
The drought contingency plan
must include procedures for
granting variances to the plan.
Enforcement & Adoption
The drought contingency plan must
include procedures for the
enforcement of mandatory water use
restrictions, including specification of
penalties (e.g., fines, water rate
surcharges, discontinuation of
service) for violations of such
restrictions.
Additional requirements for
Wholesale DCPs
Pro rata curtailment of water
deliveries and water contract
extensions must comply with Texas
Water Code §11.039
Allocation and Surcharges
 In
the event that water shortage
conditions exist, may establish water
allocation plan, with limitations based
on persons per household.
 During period when pro rata
allocation is in effect, may establish
surcharges for excess water diversion
and/or delivery.
Water Conservation Plans (WCP)
 Water
Conservation - everyday
practices or techniques intended to
reduce water consumption, reduce
loss or waste of water, improve the
efficiency in the use of water and
increase recycling & reuse so that a
water supply is available for future
use.
Who is required to have a WCP?
 Non-irrigation
(municipal and industrial)
water rights holders of 1,000 acre-feet or
more and
 Irrigation water rights holders of 10,000
acre-feet or more
 Implementation
reports are required
to be submitted with a WCP
30 TAC Chapter 288
Rules
and requirements for Water
Conservation Plans are governed
by 30 TAC Chapter 288.2, 288.3,
288.4 and 288.5
Municipal WCP Elements
 Utility
Profile
 Record Management (Retail use only)
 5 & 10 year goals for water savings
 Meter calibration and replacement
 Water loss accounting
 Public education program
 Non-promotional water rates
 Implementation and Enforcement
 Coordination with your RWPG
Utility Profile
population
and customer data
water use data in gallons per
capita per day (GPCD)
water supply system data
wastewater system data
Retail: Record Management
Sector based reporting
 Residential
includes: single & multi -
family units
 Commercial
 Institutional
 Industrial
 Agricultural
 Wholesale
Specific, quantified five-year
and ten-year targets
Retail
• goals for water loss programs
• goals for municipal use (GPCD)
Wholesale
• target goals for municipal use (GCPD)
• maximum acceptable unaccounted-for
water
• the basis for the development of these
goals
Deliveries of Water
Retail
• program for universal metering of both
customer and public uses of water, for
meter testing and repair, and for
periodic meter replacement
• measures to determine and control
unaccounted-for uses of water
Deliveries of Water
Wholesale
• a monitoring and record management
program for determining water
deliveries, sales, and losses
• a program of metering, leak detection
and repair for the wholesaler's water
storage, delivery, and distribution
system
Additional Retail Requirements
a
program of continuing public
education and information regarding
water conservation
 a water rate structure which is not
"promotional"
Additional Wholesale
Requirement
 Every
water supply contract entered
into or renewed as well as contract
extensions must include that each
successive wholesaler implement a
water conservation plan or water
conservation measures
Means for implementation and
enforcement
The means of implementation and
enforcement of the plan shall be
evidenced by:
 A copy of the ordinance, resolution, or
tariff indicating the official adoption
Coordination with RWPG
 Documentation
of coordination with
the regional water planning groups for
the service area of the Retail or
Wholesale water supplier in order to
ensure consistency with the
appropriate approved regional water
plans.
Best Management Practices
(BMPs)
Water Conservation BMP Guide
 Voluntary
list of management practices
that water users may implement in
addition to the required components of
TCEQ Rules in Chapter 288.
 Broken out by sector, including
Agriculture, Commercial and Institutional,
Industrial, Municipal and Wholesale.
BMP Examples - Municipal
 System
Water Audit and Water Loss
 Water Conservation Pricing
 Prohibition on Wasting Water
 Residential Toilet Replacement
Programs, Rebates for WaterEfficient Wash Machines and Fixtures
 School Education and Public
Information
Examples of Measures
 Home
water audit to identify leaks
 Rebate to install low-water landscape plants
 Requirement for residential and commercial
builders to install drought-tolerant turf grass
for newly constructed homes or businesses
 Free Irrigation Consultation for residential
and/or Irrigation Design Rebate for
commercial entities
 Cooling tower water audit program
BMP Examples - Wholesale
 Customer
Contract Requirements
to Develop and Implement Water
Conservation and Drought
Contingency Plans
 Technical
Assistance and Outreach
Drought Contingency vs.
Water Conservation
Water Conservation = all the time
Drought Contingency = when necessary
Reminders
 DCPs
should be revised as often as
necessary especially as your triggers
change over time.
 Reminder:
May 1, 2019 is the
deadline to submit DCPs, WCPs &
implementation reports to TCEQ.
Contact & Website
Jennifer Allis
Water Availability Division
Jennifer.Allis@tceq.texas.gov
(512) 239-0027
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/
water_rights/conserve.html