North Texas Municipal Water District partners with Forney to offer free residential sprinkler evaluations

City staff told the council on April 8 that the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), working with M & M Irrigation & Illumination, will offer residential irrigation-system evaluations at no charge to qualifying Forney water-utility account holders as part of a conservation pilot.

Staff described eligibility: residential in-ground systems with a single controller and no more than 12 zones qualify; commercial sites are not eligible. Evaluations may be requested once every 12 months. An inspector will evaluate controller settings, recommend repairs and estimate weekly water savings if recommendations are implemented; inspectors will not perform repairs and residents are responsible for hiring a licensed irrigator to implement recommended changes.

Staff said the pilot will start when at least 25 residents request evaluations in a given month; 25 is the minimum selection number for the first months and could grow if funding allows. Staff showed a draft website intake form that residents will use to request evaluations.

City staff clarified a phrasing point raised during the presentation: the service is “no charge” to the city/its office, meaning the pilot does not cost the city’s utility office; residents will not be billed by the program for the evaluation itself, but repairs remain the resident’s responsibility.

Why this matters: The pilot is intended to conserve water by improving irrigation efficiency, provide homeowners with a no-cost assessment and identify common system issues that, if corrected, could reduce household outdoor water use. The program targets residential systems and is not a repair service.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the website and intake process, begin accepting requests once the pilot is formalized and select at least 25 residents per month for initial evaluations.