Dallas residents are expressing frustration as they say they’ve received fines for improper watering without warning from the City.
The Dallas Water Utilities website states that all Dallas customers are under a mandatory twice-weekly watering restriction. This mandate has been in effect since 2012.
“No watering is allowed on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays and from April 1-October 31, watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on all days of the week, including the allowed watering days,” the City of Dallas website reads. “Drip irrigation, soaker hoses and hand watering are allowed on any day and at any time.”
Citizens with an address ending in an even number or no number are only permitted to water on Sundays and Thursdays. Those with odd-numbered addresses are restricted to Saturdays and Wednesdays.
These measures extend the life of existing water infrastructure and save water due to the region’s susceptibility to drought, according to the City.
Usually, citizens who violate the ordinance receive a warning for their first offense and a fine of between $250 and $2,000 for each subsequent violation.
Some North Lake Highlands residents said they had nearly $400 citations taped to their doors over the weekend without warning or time to correct the issue.
According to Advocate Magazine, a resident of the Whispering Hills neighborhood wrote on Nextdoor.com that her sprinkler system had been programmed to operate between 6 and 7 a.m. for at least the past six weeks, but she had recently received a random fine for prohibited Friday watering.
Advocate reported that the woman, who claimed to be unaware of the City’s water regulations, was fined $386 for watering on the restricted day. She labeled the penalty “absurd.”
A man, identified by Advocate only as David, said he and other residents had received similar citations for mistakenly running their sprinklers on Wednesdays and Fridays.
“I called the Northeast Code Office on Goforth, and the lady apologized and said she didn’t know what happened,” David said, according to Advocate. “We called for an explanation from the officer, and she claimed she mailed us a warning. None of us received it. We all think it’s a little shady.”
The identity of the officer with whom he spoke is unknown, but the man accused her of being rude to him during the call. He added that he and the other neighbors would have been happy to amend their watering schedule had they received notification of a violation.
All he and the other residents wanted, David told Advocate, was an opportunity to rectify their mistakes before the City levied a punishment.
“I’ve been told there’s information about the rule in the water bill which arrives in the mail, but we’re paperless,” he said, according to Advocate. “My water payment is auto-drafted, and I don’t get a bill by mail. One of the neighbors who got caught in this sting is an elderly person on a fixed income, and they have no recourse.”
A tweet from SaveDallas Water on Tuesday offered citizens free weekly watering advice and an opportunity to sign up for weekly updates. Click here for more details.
