During a long, dry East Texas summer, cities sometimes ask residents to cut back on outdoor watering. The City of Huntsville sets out how that works in its Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, which defines stages of response and the irrigation limits that come with each stage. Knowing the stages ahead of time makes it much easier to adjust your sprinkler controller quickly when the city announces a change.
This guide summarizes the irrigation rules in the city’s published 2019 plan and explains how to program around them. Stages are declared by the city, and plans can be updated, so always check the current notices from the City of Huntsville before relying on any schedule. If you live outside city limits in Walker County, your water provider may have its own plan.
Where the Rules Come From
The City of Huntsville’s 2019 Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan describes the city’s water supply, which includes surface water from the Trinity River Authority and groundwater from city wells, and lays out drought stages and the measures for each. The city’s Water page is the place to look for current information and announcements.
The Stages in Brief
The summary below reflects the irrigation measures in the 2019 plan. The plan contains more detail and other measures beyond landscape irrigation.
Stage 1
- Hours: No landscape irrigation with sprinklers or automatic systems between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Exceptions: Handheld hoses and drip irrigation are allowed at any time.
- Days: Even-numbered addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Odd-numbered addresses water on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Multifamily and commercial properties water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Stage 2
- Hours: The 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. restriction continues.
- Days: Even addresses water on Tuesday and Saturday; odd addresses on Wednesday and Sunday; commercial and multifamily properties on Monday and Friday.
- Other limits include prohibitions on unattended hose watering, filling pools, and certain non-essential uses.
Stage 3
- Outdoor water use is prohibited except where needed for public health and safety.
Programming Your Controller for Stage 1
- Find your address type. Even or odd house number, or multifamily/commercial.
- Set watering days. Most controllers let you choose specific days of the week. Select only your allowed days.
- Set start times outside the restricted hours. Early morning, before 7 a.m., is usually the best choice because evaporation and wind are low.
- Check total run time. All zones must finish before 7 a.m. If you have many zones or long rotor run times, start earlier or use multiple start times.
- Leave drip zones alone. Under Stage 1, drip is allowed at any time, so drip beds can run on their own program.
- Use cycle-and-soak. Splitting run times reduces runoff on clay soils, which helps the water you apply count.
Our existing post on how to set a sprinkler controller explains programs, start times, and run times in more detail.
An Example Stage 1 Setup
Here is how a typical even-numbered home with five zones might be set up. Plug in your own measured run times; the structure is what matters.
| Program | Zones | Days | Start time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Lawn spray and rotor zones | Tue, Thu, Sat | Early morning, finishing before 7 a.m. | Two short cycles per zone for cycle-and-soak |
| B | Drip beds | Any day needed | Any time | Drip is exempt from the hour limit in Stage 1 |
To figure out the start time, add up the run time of every lawn zone, including both cycles and any soak gaps, and count backward from 7 a.m. Leave a little margin. If the total is too long to fit, use two start times in Program A, shorten run times on zones that are overwatering, or move bed areas from spray to drip so they no longer count against the window.
Programming for Stage 2
Stage 2 reduces watering to two days a week for residential addresses. To keep the lawn alive:
- Water deeply on allowed days rather than spreading short cycles.
- Prioritize trees and shrubs, which are harder to replace than turf.
- Raise mowing height so grass shades its own roots.
- Accept some dormancy. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda can go dormant and recover.
Stage 3 Planning
When outdoor use is prohibited, the focus shifts to protecting plants without irrigation. Mulch beds well, avoid fertilizing, keep traffic off stressed turf, and resume watering gradually when allowed.
Tools That Make Compliance Easier
- Multiple programs let you keep drip on its own schedule.
- Smart controllers can restrict watering to chosen days and windows.
- Soil moisture sensors prevent watering when the soil is still wet. See soil moisture sensors for sprinklers.
- Drip in beds is more efficient and, under Stage 1 of the 2019 plan, unrestricted by hours. Our guide to drip irrigation for flower beds explains the setup.
Watering Well With Fewer Days
Restrictions work best when the system is efficient. Fix broken heads and leaks, aim heads away from pavement, and make sure zones apply water evenly. The year-round maintenance calendar includes summer tasks that keep a system ready for dry periods, and our existing post on watering your Huntsville lawn covers scheduling in humid weather.
When to Call a Pro
If your controller cannot be programmed to meet your watering days, if zones take too long to finish before 7 a.m., or if leaks and broken heads are wasting your limited watering time, a technician can help. Options include adding start times, adjusting run times, upgrading the controller, or converting beds to drip. We serve homeowners throughout Huntsville and Walker County. See our services page and sprinkler repair page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which drought stage Huntsville is in?
Check announcements from the City of Huntsville, including its website. The city declares stages based on conditions described in its plan.
Can I water my flower beds during restricted hours?
Under Stage 1 of the 2019 plan, handheld hoses and drip irrigation are allowed at any time. Check the current plan and notices for later stages.
Do these rules apply outside city limits?
The city’s plan applies to its customers. Properties served by other water providers or private wells should check with their provider or local authority.
Get Your Controller Ready
If you want your system programmed to follow the watering stages, call 346-586-6060 or request a visit.