HOUSTON, Texas — The City of Houston is entering into Stage Two of its Drought Contingency Plan on Sunday and that means changes to when you can water your yard.
Some Houstonians have been sending questions directly to our VERIFY team about Houston's new water restrictions, and it's clear there's some confusion about what the city's asking you to do.
Max sent us this question:
"The wording of the water restrictions for the city of Houston is not clear. The allowed watering of lawns for an Odd-numbered address is Saturday and Wednesday. Does that mean Saturday/Sunday from 7 p.m. - 5 a.m. and Wednesday/Thursday from 7 p.m. - 5 a.m.? Or, would that be on Saturday,12:01 a.m. - 5 a.m. then 7 p.m. - 12:00 p.m. and at the same time of day on Wednesday? Please verify."
Our source on this is Erin Jones, Public Information Officer for Houston Public Works.
Jones says first, a resident needs to find out what day they water.
Let's say your day is Saturday - she says that means you can water starting from 12 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m., or you can water Saturday evening from 7 p.m. until midnight.
Jones says you only need five minutes or less to water your lawn. You should not be watering the entire time given.
Cynthia sent us this question:
"What does mandatory watering of plants mean as of 8/27/2023. I don't water my yard. The grass is dead. I do have potted plants. Can I water them daily? If I don't, they will die."
Our source on this is Erin Jones, Public Information Officer for Houston Public Works.
She says right now, the city is more focused on making sure there's enough water for everyone than on lawns going brown or plants dying. She says no matter what, outdoor watering should not be more than twice a week.
So we can verify, according to the city, you should not water outdoors daily even if you're afraid your plants might die. And if you do water daily, you could face fines.