North Texans asked to conserve water and power during excessive heat wave

NTMWD asks residents to conserve water

One of the largest water providers in North Texas is asking its customers to conserve water for the next few days as it works to make critical repairs.

DALLAS - All North Texans are dealing with dangerous heat, and many are being asked to conserve water this week.

The North Texas Municipal Water District has four water treatment plans. One of them located in Wylie had to be shut down to undergo what’s being called critical maintenance.

And as a result, all those who receive water from the district are being asked to immediately cut back on their usage, especially outdoor watering.

"Every drop counts. Whatever anyone can do to conserve water. It's always to have good conservation habits year round. Anything anyone can do to lessen their use of water within the home especially their outdoor water use – landscapes, irrigation – will help us all rally for this regional issue," said Wayne Larson, the spokesman for NTMWD.

July 18 morning forecast

FOX 4 Weather meteorologist Evan Andrews talks about temperatures that will reach as high as 108 and 109. But on Thursday, there's a chance for some storms.

NTMWD serves about 2 million people in 10 North Texas counties including Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Kaufman counties.

The district said its water is safe to drink during this time.

Its maintenance crews have been working around the clock to get the work done, but there is no timeline on when things will be back to normal.

There are also concerns about the state’s power supply this week.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas predicts the demand for power Monday will be higher than what the grid can generate around 4 p.m.

So far, ERCOT is not asking for conservation measures, but that could change later in the day. Fortunately, wind generated power should be in pretty good supply this week.

On Sunday, FOX 4 spoke to one woman who’d recently moved to North Texas from Colorado.

Solar and wind power could save Texas power grid

Renewable energy got a bad rap in last year's winter storm after being criticized by Gov. Greg Abbott and others. But it may be saving us this summer as energy demand exceeds the supply. Good Day talked to Texas Monthly senior editor Dan Solomon about by solar and wind power have not yet reached their full potential in Texas.

"I’ve never been through something like this. My lawn is scorched. It’s pathetic. It’s so sad," Hannah Mcelhinney said.

"I mean, I’m scared of August. When August gets here what are we going to be facing? 110? It’s too hot for July," added Dedric Armstrong.

Armstrong spent part of Sunday at a cookout with his family at White Rock Lake. They had a nice time even if things were very toasty, to put it politely.