By McKinney (TX) Mayor Bill Whitfield
December 17, 2007

Like most North Texas cities in 2006, McKinney imposed irrigation restrictions on water use to help stave off the draining effects of a stubborn seven-year drought. Watering was limited to specific days and hours. Property owners in some cities were fined for failing to comply with restrictions and others paid premiums in their bills when their water use exceeded a specified amount. The McKinney city council soon realized that much more had to be done, and that scientifically-proven solutions were needed so residential and commercial property owners could conserve water as the city continued to grow.

McKinney has no choice other than institutionalizing water conservation practices. It is the second fastest growing city in the country (among cities of 100,000 or more). Its population reached 100,000 in 2005 and is projected to reach 350,000 in the next 20-25 years.

The city buys its water from the North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to twelve other municipalities that are also members of the District and to 49 cities that have water supply contracts with the District. The frightening fact is that the North Texas Municipal Water District will be hard pressed to keep pace with the rapid growth of Collin County, the eighth fastest growing county in the United States.

The city got a severe scare in July 2005, when the District’s main line was ruptured in Wylie, a neighboring city. Water immediately stopped flowing to McKinney and water stored in the elevated tanks and the ground storage reservoirs was the only water available. The city imposed an immediate ban on all non-essential water use, including lawn irrigations, construction-related water use, half-day closures to restaurants within the city, and residents being asked to limit water use within their homes. When the waterflow from the District was restored, the city’s supply of water was nearly depleted.

Within days of the pipe’s repair, the city council stepped up plans to build reserve tanks to protect the city from drought and disrupted water supplies in the future. Circumstances also forced city Officials to come up with concrete plans to conserve water. Officials wanted to know how the city could build out to 350,000 and reduce its water use to only 140-160 gallons per capita per day when the average water use in the Dallas Metroplex is approximately 240 gallons per capita per day.

City officials had no idea how to dramatically reduce per capita water consumption, so we turned to the Urban Solutions Center (Center) in Dallas (one of 13 centers in Texas that house people and programs of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Texas Cooperative Extension, state agencies, and part of the Texas A&M University System) for help. They have the research capability and expertise to help McKinney through the crisis. The city and the Center established a partnership to solve the problem in the Fall of 2006. The city council voted to spend $100,000 per year on the project.

The Center has many experts to call upon. Urban Solutions Center Project Manager Clint Wolfe stated that, “The Center can deliver complete solutions using the experience of other cities in Texas that have had success with solutions. We will verify and then bring these solutions, and new technologies and other information together for use by the citizens of McKinney.” Wolfe also stated that, “San Antonio in the last 20 years has gone a long way in reducing their per capita consumption, and this is what McKinney plans to do, and McKinney is the first city in the Metroplex to spend significant money to make this water-use reduction happen.”

Under the agreement, the Urban Solutions Center will use city funds to prepare proposals to solicit grant and contract funding from federal and state agencies for financing scientists as they perform research and develop programs to help the city meet its water conservation goals.

A critical component of the Center’s work will be to introduce McKinney water users to demonstrated drought-resistant plants and grasses to conserve water used in outdoor irrigation- one of the largest water consumption sectors. The city council may eventually pass ordinances that require developers to use these water-conserving plants.

The Center’s Resident Director Dr. Frank Gilstrap stated that, “McKinney and Center officials have outlined a six-year plan that includes science-based options for conserving local water, educational programs to help citizens save water, and watershed-level approaches for sustaining water quantity and quality.” Gilstrap intends to assure that the Center recommend only proven, research-based practices and research-based products and information to help residents and businesses make the best use of their potable water supply.

The Center’s leadership worked closely with the city to create a comprehensive plan that outlines goals of the partnership program. The Center will use the first 12-18 months to customize and transfer educational programs about water conservation and landscape management, targeting adults and homeowners through television and radio spots, web sites, and CDs. The programs will provide “how-to” information regarding home and individual conservation. The Center is also developing educational programs for builders, developers, and landscapers, and will convene these groups for short courses to help provide needed understanding on water issues.

Center programs will include an active transfer of educational curricula to teach primary grade school teachers and youngsters how to conserve and manage water. These programs will also teach McKinney city personnel and county officials about water quality and quantity concerns, non-point sources and point sources, and water contamination and mechanisms that degrade water. All of these programs and activities will be supported in part with grants and proposals developed by the Program Coordinator and city personnel.

The partnership is anticipated to be a “Best Practice” that could be used by other cities experiencing drought conditions, or just wanting to make better use of their water resources. Recently appointed Director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Dr. Mark Hussey plans to eventually establish similar partnerships with other cities. Hussey remarked that, “Our scientist and specialists in Dallas working with scientists and specialists at other locations across Texas are uniquely positioned to help municipalities find science-based solutions to problems in urban natural resources and water.”