Dimmitt council lowers drought‑plan triggers, citing updated consumption figures

The Dimmitt City Council voted May 18 to amend the city's Drought Contingency Plan, adopting lower numeric triggers staff said reflect current water‑use conditions.

City Manager Daniel Jackson told the council the drought plan's triggers—last amended in 2011—were no longer sustainable at previous thresholds. Jackson said the city engineer (Parkhill) and Public Works Director Tony Rios recommended reducing the Stage 1 30‑day trigger from 1.5 million gallons to 750,000 gallons and lowering the single‑day Stage 1 trigger from 2.5 million to 1.75 million; values for stages 2–4 would be adjusted to reflect the same scale. Jackson described the response process: officials would first issue a public notice requesting voluntary reductions in water use; if reductions fail to hold for 10 days, staff could elevate action to higher stages.

Council member Steve Buckley moved to approve the amendment; Council member Gloria Hernandez seconded the motion and the council voted unanimously to adopt the updated triggers and corresponding changes to the plan.

The amendment is intended to align the plan with current consumption patterns and give staff a clearer, lower threshold to prompt voluntary conservation and subsequent escalation if needed. Staff said the change is procedural and will be implemented through the city's adopted drought plan and related public notifications.