With more unrelenting heat and little rain in the forecast, the City of Pearland this week entered Stage 1 drought restrictions, requesting that residents limit outdoor watering.
“We want people doing their watering between 7 p.m. at night and 9 a.m. in the morning, and also limit that to two times per week on the same days they have trash service,” City Manager Trent Epperson said.
Pearland’s water system is operating as usual and there are no current water pressure issues, he said, “but we are seeing water use continue to rise. That coupled with seeing main breaks increase and really no break in the weather, we made the decision last Thursday to move to Stage 1.”
Stage 1 is voluntary. “We hope to see usage moderate a little bit, and then we don’t have to move into a stage where it is no longer voluntary,” Epperson said. “If we don’t see things moderate in the next week or so, we may consider going to Stage 2.”
Citing drought conditions, Brazoria County commissioners on Aug. 10 moved ahead with a countywide burn ban.
“Given the escalating risk of wildfires due to the prevailing weather conditions, we must take action to help prevent potential wildfire disasters,” County Judge Matt Sebesta said in a statement.
Outdoor burning is never allowed within Pearland city limits.
