Recent rains have helped, but North Texas is still in a drought and Arlington residents remain under water restrictions.

With no end in sight to the drought, those restrictions could stiffen later this year, according to the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD).

Water Utilities Director Julie Hunt provided a report Tuesday to City Council.

"It is important for everybody to conserve water as a matter of practice," Hunt said. "In a drought, we need to reduce water usage and conserve, so we can extend our existing water supply."

TRWD implemented Stage 1 restrictions Aug. 29 last year after lake levels fell below 75 percent capacity. That means residents and businesses in Arlington and area cities, including Fort Worth and Mansfield, are allowed to water outdoors only twice a week on designated days with sprinklers and irrigation systems.

The goal was to reduce water usage by 5 percent, which Arlington achieved, said Hunt.

Predictive models by TRWD show the possibility of lake levels falling below 60 percent capacity in September of this year, which would trigger Stage 2 drought restrictions. Stage 2 would seek to reduce water usage by 10 percent. There are a number of additional restrictions in Stage 2 including allowing outdoor watering only once a week with sprinklers and irrigation systems.

"We want to inform our customers of the potential of Stage 2 and what restrictions are included so that they can make any necessary preparations," Hunt said.

Under Stage 1, residential customers whose addresses end in even numbers can water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Addresses ending in odd numbers are permitted to water outdoors on Thursdays and Sundays. Nonresidential customers, including businesses and apartments, can water on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Hunt said Arlington has not yet determined the one day a week watering schedule but is currently examining other cities' one day a week schedules in an effort to create a uniform, regional message for communicating to customers.

Need to report a violation? Citizens are encouraged to submit the information through the city's online Action Center or by calling 817-459-6777. Violators will receive a warning for the first violation and possible citations for subsequent violations.