NTMWD Issues Call to Action For Reduced Outdoor Water Use as a Wylie Water Treatment Plant Undergoes Unscheduled Maintenance

July 16, 2022 – 9:15 p.m.

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) is requesting that those receiving water purified by NTMWD reduce their water use immediately, especially outdoor water use. The NTMWD Wylie Water Treatment Plant Complex had to cease producing water at one of its four water treatment plants unexpectedly on Saturday, July 16 to perform critical maintenance required to return the plant back to full water purification capacity. All customers in the region are strongly encouraged to conserve water and reduce outdoor watering until further notice is issued by NTMWD. This call to action is due to water production quantity, and not water quality – the water is safe to drink and use.

NTMWD supplies significant volumes of wholesale water to communities across most of Collin County, Rockwall County, north Dallas County and Kaufman County. Portions of some adjacent counties are served by NTMWD as well.

This is a precautionary call to action, as NTMWD’s water purification capacity remains adequate for basic services including household use and for public safety. The ongoing regional drought coupled with increasing discretionary outdoor water use and irrigation has stressed the water purification and distribution systems. NTMWD must perform critical maintenance at its Wylie Water Treatment Plant Complex to restore that capacity.

The critical maintenance involves six sedimentation basins at the plant which take particles out of the water during the treatment process. These six basins help in the production of 210 million gallons of water per day. Due to peak water demands by customers, the accumulation of sediment has accelerated and impacted the ability for the plant to efficiently process water through the treatment process. Crews will be working around the clock to restore treatment capacity through these basins.

The week-long outlook by the National Weather Service Fort Worth/Dallas includes high temperatures with hot conditions and continuation of the current drought – which emphasizes the importance of this regional call to action to conserve water and reduce outdoor watering.