Water, water everywhere, but in Farmer's
Branch, a limited amount to sprinkle, drink, or
swim in.
At City Hall, the fountains are turned off and
voluntary rationing has started.
With all the rain this spring, we didn't think
that we'd need any water rationing.
Two weeks ago, Tiffany Thornton, like most of
her Farmer's Branch neighbors,
found a flyer on her door, a request from the
city to cut water use 1st by 50, now 25 percent,
especially yard watering. But Tiffany, a pool
owner, doesn't take it too seriously.
Unfortunately, I guess we just didn't really
believe it, you know, because we didn't understand
it. It is a complicated mess, and apparently
others who water yards and everything else during
the day, the least effective time, also don't
understand. The reason for the voluntary water
cuts goes back 17 years. That's how long
Farmer's Branch has fought the amount of money that
Dallas wants to charge for the water. But now,
without an agreement, Dallas says it's
going to play hardball, that it will give
Farmer's Branch an allotted amount of water,
but no more. And in a new court action, Dallas
is asking permission to completely stop supplying
water to the Farmer's Branch pump stations.
There realistically is not another source
of water. Farmer's Branch City Manager Richard
Escalante doesn't believe Dallas can simply
turn off the tap, but says it can refuse to
give farmers branch surplus water sometimes
needed on
these hot Texas days. While Escalante knows not
all citizens and businesses are helping conserve,
many have. He doubts then that mandatory
rationing will take place. Shelley Koffler,
Texas News 5.