Council approves first reading to add fourth drought stage, limits drip irrigation and allows recirculating fountains at Stage 2

Fair Oaks Ranch City Council voted on Jan. 16 to approve the first reading of an ordinance that amends the city’s drought contingency plan to expand the plan from three stages to four and to tighten restrictions on landscape irrigation and other nonessential uses under higher-stage conditions.

Project manager Kelsey Delgado told council the draft ordinance implements revisions discussed at a December workshop to better align the city’s triggers with its water providers. Delgado said the new stage—inserted between the existing moderate and severe levels—limits landscape watering via irrigation systems to once every other week for the revised Stage 3, bans power washing of impervious surfaces at that stage, and restricts drip irrigation to specified days. The former Stage 3 becomes Stage 4 and remains the city’s critical stage, where "all nonessential water usage is banned," Delgado said, and surcharge thresholds for drought charges (10,000 gallons for residential accounts; 30,000 gallons for commercial accounts) remain unchanged.

During council discussion, one member proposed an amendment to exempt ornamental fountains that use recirculating technology from the Stage 2 ban on ornamental fountains. The maker noted such fountains primarily lose water to evaporation and that fountains left turned off were becoming difficult to maintain. Attorney Glenn Rose confirmed the change was intended to better align with the city’s triggering entities, including GBRA. Councilmember Gary Grete moved the ordinance on first reading as amended to add the recirculating-fountain exception; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

What the ordinance does: the amendment inserts a new Stage 3 between the previous Stages 2 and 3, preserves existing surcharge thresholds and tier rates, limits irrigation frequency at the higher stages, and adds a narrowly defined exception allowing ornamental fountains that use recirculating systems to operate during Stage 2 (but not at Stage 4, where nonessential uses remain banned). Kelsey Delgado said, "If approved, this amending drought contingency plan shall go into effect April 1," to allow notice to utility customers and a communications campaign.

Why it matters: the added stage and tightened measures give the city more intermediate response options before declaring a critical curtailment, aim to align city rules with water-provider triggers, and clarify limited allowances for low-usage recirculating fountains at an earlier restriction stage. Council preserved existing surcharge thresholds and timed the effective date to permit customer notification.