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For Immediate Release: June 1, 2006
Contact:
Denise Hickey
North Texas Municipal Water District
972-442-5405
www.wateriq.org


1.5 Million North Texans Face Tougher Water Restrictions Starting Today

North Texas Municipal Water District challenges residents to raise their “Water IQ”; Reduce consumption by 5 percent

(WYLIE, Texas) – 1.5 million North Texans served by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) today are now required to observe mandatory outdoor water restrictions. The restrictions affect everything from watering landscapes and filling swimming pools to washing vehicles and hosing driveways and sidewalks.

NTMWD raised the drought response to Stage 3, due to increased demand for water, a lack of significant rainfall and the region’s worst drought in 50 years. Despite the worsening drought, water consumption has increased 29 percent this year compared with the same period last year. Stage 3 drought requires stricter water-use measures for 60 cities and communities in six North Texas counties NTMWD serves.

“We’re asking North Texans to respond with bags of mulch, drought-tolerant plants and soaker hoses,” said Jim Parks, executive director for the North Texas Municipal Water District. “Starting today, we’re asking everyone to reduce water consumption by 5 percent so we can make Lake Lavon — our primary water source — last during the drought.”

The drought is the primary reason NTMWD launched a new public education campaign June 1 called “Water IQ: Know your water,” which arms people with tips to easily save water. Reducing water use by 5 percent is the cornerstone of the campaign.

“We expect the number of people living in the North Texas Municipal Water District’s service area to double over the next 50 years to more than 3.5 million people,” said Parks. “Unless everyone starts saving water today, we’ll have to build an expensive reservoir the size of Lake Lavon every 10 years to keep up with demand.”

According to research by the Texas Water Development Board, four out of five Texans don’t know the natural source of their water. But when they raise their water awareness and learn where their water comes from, they’re more likely to save it. NTMWD is first in the state to implement the Water IQ awareness campaign.

Stage 3 Drought: Mandatory Water Restrictions
Cities purchasing water from NTMWD, a wholesale water provider, are required to implement stricter water-use measures under Stage 3 drought. The restrictions affect more than 1.5 million people in six North Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall.

“Member cities may implement their own mandatory water restrictions so it’s important for consumers to make sure they understand their local requirements,” said Lorrie Reeves, water education coordinator, City of Plano.

“Water IQ: Know Your Water” Public Education Campaign
The Water IQ campaign kicked off with a press conference on Thursday, June 1, on the front lawn of a Plano home, where the homeowners – who have lush gardens and a pool – have pledged to reduce water consumption by 5 percent. To demonstrate how, Mike and Candace Fountoulakis invited the media see firsthand some of the high-tech and low-tech solutions they’ve employed.

“Reducing water consumption by such a small percentage is really doable,” said Candace Fountoulakis, North Texas homeowner. “Little things add up — making sure faucets aren’t leaking, installing drought-tolerant plants and manually operating our sprinkler system so it’s not overwatering. You don’t have to sacrifice beauty to save water — my garden is still colorful and attracts butterflies.”

During the news conference, NTMWD also premiered its new TV public service campaign, which begin airing June 1. The humorous 15-second spots feature characters almost everyone can relate to. In one spot, a balding, middle-aged man is standing before his bathroom mirror and tries to perfect his well-rehearsed comb-over as the announcer says, “Let’s not kid ourselves, his hairline isn’t the only thing receding in North Texas — our natural water supply’s way down. Use just 5 percent less water, and we can make it last.”

The Water IQ public education campaign also utilizes radio, outdoor, print and gas pump advertising and an experiential marketing outreach tour. Throughout the summer, the Water IQ tour will visit home-improvement stores and community events, teaching people how they can save water around their home and business.

“I’m proud of North Texas for being first out of the gate with this new water awareness campaign,” said Kathleen White, chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “I believe water will be the most critical issue facing Texas for the next 50 years. Before the state undertakes extraordinarily expensive, high-impact environmental projects like building new reservoirs, we need to determine how much water we can save by efficiently using what we have.” Water IQ will be implemented in other regions around the state this summer.

Water-Saving Tips
Landscape

Sprinkler Systems

Swimming Pools

About the North Texas Municipal Water District
NTMWD directly serves the following cities and/or water supply agencies: Allen, Farmersville, Forney, Frisco, Garland, Mesquite, McKinney, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Royse City, Rockwall, Wylie, Caddo Basin S.U.D., Cash S.U.D., College Mound W.S.C., Copeville W.S.C., Crandall, East Fork S.U.D., Fairview, Fate, Forney Lake W.S.C., Gastonia-Scurry W.S.C., Josephine, Kaufman, Kaufman Four-One, Lavon W.S.C., Little Elm, Lucas, Melissa, Milligan W.S.C., Mt. Zion W.S.C., Murphy, Nevada W.S.C., North Collin W.S.C., Parker, Prosper, Rose Hill W.S.C., Rowlett, Sachse, Seis Lagos M.U.D., Sunnyvale and Wylie Northeast W.S.C.