Missouri City’s 2025 Drought Contingency Plan: What Residents Need to Know

Missouri City has updated its Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) for 2025 to protect public health, keep essential services running, and make sure our community has reliable water when it’s needed most. This post breaks down the purpose of the plan, how the four drought stages work, the main restrictions you might see, how enforcement operates, and why public involvement matters. By the end, you’ll know what to expect in each stage and how you can help conserve water without sacrificing everyday needs.

Key takeaways:

• The plan sets clear triggers and actions for four drought stages: Stage 1 (Mild) through Stage 4 (Emergency).
• Restrictions focus first on non-essential uses—like landscape irrigation and vehicle washing—so critical uses are protected.
• Enforcement uses warnings and fines that increase by stage and repeated violations.
• Public updates come quickly—often within 24 hours—and the city coordinates with the Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA) when surface water supplies are tight.
• Every resident can help by following day-and-time watering schedules and adopting simple water-saving habits.

Why the plan exists and how it protects you

The 2025 Drought Contingency Plan helps Missouri City:

• Conserve limited supplies during droughts or system issues.
• Keep drinking water safe and available for domestic use, sanitation, and firefighting.
• Provide a clear, predictable playbook for both surface water and groundwater systems.

The plan applies to all customers who use city-supplied water, including residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and wholesale customers that buy water from the city. It also aligns with regional water planning in Region H and the GCWA’s own drought plan, which directly affects how much surface water is available to Missouri City.

Communication is central. When a drought stage is activated or lifted, the city will notify the public within 24 hours via the city website, local media, social media, public events, and press releases. For Stage 2 or higher, updates may occur daily.

How the four drought stages work

Missouri City tracks both surface water and groundwater conditions. Triggers include demand thresholds (for example, when water demand reaches a high percentage of system capacity for several days), system performance (such as tank levels not recovering overnight), and GCWA’s stage declarations for surface water. The Public Works Director (or designee) can initiate or end stages based on these triggers and surrounding conditions.

Here’s what each stage aims to achieve and what it generally requires.

Stage 1: Mild (Watch level)

• Target reduction: 5% below the city’s baseline historical monthly average use.
• Nature of measures: Voluntary.
• Typical actions:

• • Public notices requesting conservation.
  • Voluntary limits on landscape irrigation by address:

• • • Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesdays and Saturdays, before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.
    • Even-numbered addresses: Wednesdays and Sundays, before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.
    • All other customers: Mondays and Thursdays, before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.

• City may delay non-essential maintenance like hydrant flushing and increase use of reclaimed water for landscapes where feasible.

What it means for you: You’re asked to cut back, especially on outdoor water use, to ease pressure on the system. It’s an early warning: small actions now help prevent stricter rules later.

Stage 2: Moderate (Concern level)

• Target reduction: 10% below baseline; 10% below GCWA historical monthly surface water average as a secondary target.
• Nature of measures: Mandatory.
• Typical restrictions:

• • Landscape irrigation follows the odd/even/all-other schedule above. Hand-held hoses, buckets (5 gallons or less), and drip systems are allowed anytime on your designated days.
  • Private vehicle washing limited to designated days and times; must use a bucket or a hose with a shutoff nozzle. Commercial car washes may operate anytime.
  • Pool filling or refilling allowed only on designated days and times.
  • Ornamental fountains/ponds must be off unless needed to support aquatic life or they recirculate water.
  • Fire hydrant use limited to firefighting and city-authorized activities.
  • Golf courses using potable water must follow designated watering days/times; reclaimed sources are exempt.
  • Restaurants serve water only upon request.
  • Non-essential uses prohibited: washing hard surfaces, washing buildings (unless for fire protection), dust control without approval, flushing gutters, and failing to repair leaks promptly.

What it means for you: Outdoor watering and washing are now on a schedule. If it isn’t essential for health and safety, expect limits. This stage is about quick, measurable savings.

Stage 3: Severe (Priority level)

• Target reduction: 15% below baseline; 15% below GCWA historical surface water average as a secondary target.
• Nature of measures: Mandatory and stricter.
• Typical restrictions:

• • Landscape irrigation still follows the address-based schedule, but methods are narrowed to hand-held hoses, hand-held buckets, drip systems, or permanently installed automatic sprinkler systems. Hose-end sprinklers are prohibited.
  • Vehicle washing restricted to designated days/times with bucket or shutoff nozzle; commercial car washes may operate anytime.
  • Pool filling/refilling only on designated days/times.
  • Ornamental fountains limited as in Stage 2.
  • Fire hydrant water limited to firefighting and essential public health activities; construction water from hydrants via special permit is prohibited.
  • Restaurants continue “water upon request.”
  • The same non-essential uses are prohibited—and enforcement tightens.

What it means for you: Expect tighter controls and fewer watering options. The goal is to hold system demand below critical thresholds to avoid emergency conditions.

Stage 4: Emergency (Emergency level)

• Target reduction: Minimum of 20% below baseline, with potential for higher cuts depending on the emergency.
• Nature of measures: Mandatory and most restrictive.
• Typical restrictions:

• • All landscape irrigation is prohibited.
  • Pool filling/refilling is prohibited.
  • Ornamental fountains/ponds off unless needed to support aquatic life or recirculating per allowance.
  • Fire hydrant use limited strictly to firefighting and essential public safety needs; no construction water.
  • Vehicle washing is effectively halted outside of critical health and safety needs or commercial facilities as directed.
  • Non-essential uses remain prohibited.
  • The city may issue boil water notices, provide frequent situation updates (as often as every four hours), and temporarily stop certain operations to protect potability and system integrity.

What it means for you: Expect maximum restrictions and rapid updates. The focus is protecting health, sanitation, and firefighting capacity.

Triggers and flexibility between stages

The city can move up or down stages as needed and can skip stages if conditions change quickly. Surface water stages often mirror GCWA’s drought stages because GCWA’s allocations directly affect city supplies. Groundwater stages use similar demand thresholds based on deliverable capacity. In all cases, a return to lower stages typically requires conditions to improve for 10 consecutive days.

Key restrictions at a glance

Across stages, the plan concentrates on non-essential outdoor uses first:

• Landscape irrigation: Controlled by address-based schedules and method limits that tighten as stages escalate.
• Vehicle washing: Restricted to designated days/times with water-efficient methods; commercial car washes typically remain available.
• Pools: Filling or refilling is restricted in Stage 2 and Stage 3; prohibited in Stage 4.
• Fountains and ponds: Off unless supporting aquatic life or recirculating, with stricter limits at higher stages.
• Fire hydrants: Reserved for firefighting and essential city operations; construction use is limited or prohibited as stages rise.
• Non-essential uses: Washing hard surfaces, building washdowns not related to fire protection, dust control without approval, flushing gutters, and unrepaired leaks are prohibited once mandatory stages begin.

Enforcement and penalties

The goal is compliance, not penalties. But when mandatory stages apply, the city enforces restrictions to protect the system:

• Stage 1: No fines—voluntary compliance is encouraged.
• Stage 2: Escalating fees after an initial warning (for example, $150 for a second violation, $300 for a third, $450 for subsequent violations). Unpaid fees can lead to late penalties and service termination.
• Stage 3: Higher fees (for example, $400 for the first violation, rising to $1,000 for repeated offenses).
• Stage 4: The highest fees (for example, $1,000 for the first violation and up to $2,000 for repeated offenses).

Larger commercial/industrial meters face higher fines via multipliers. Multiple violations can result in service shutoff after due notice. The plan allows the city to seek court injunctions for serious or ongoing violations.

Variances and special cases

If you believe a particular drought restriction creates a true hardship or emergency—for example, due to medical needs, essential business operations, or technical limitations—you can apply for a variance. The Public Works Director (or their designee) will review requests on a case-by-case basis and may temporarily relax requirements if doing so is in the best interest of health, sanitation, or fire protection. Each variance is time-limited, subject to conditions, and must be reapplied for if drought stages persist. Remember, variances are only granted when strict compliance isn’t feasible or would cause greater harm, and never justify violations before approval.

By understanding and participating in the Drought Contingency Plan, Missouri City residents play a direct role in protecting the community’s vital water resources—during droughts or any emergency. Following these guidelines ensures everyone continues to have access to safe, reliable water, both now and for years to come.