WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The City of Wichita Falls began enforcing water violation fines in mid-July, and as of Wednesday, August 9, 2023, a total of 59 citations have been issued through the municipal court system.

According to the city’s public information officer Chris Horgen, water enforcement staff is out monitoring and following up on reports.

“Those tickets are meant for people who are just blatantly violating the ordinance and stage one drought watch restrictions,” Horgen said.

Citations that have been issued so far have been the first offense: a $25 fee plus court costs, which comes out to about $101, Horgen said at a media lunch.

However, second and third offenses dig deeper into your pockets. A second violation will be $500 plus court costs, and the third will be $2,000 plus court costs.

According to Horgen, yards only need about an inch or a little over an inch of water per week.

Despite efforts, however, he doesn’t knock the good job the community has done so far in conserving. Horgen said in stage one restrictions, the goal is to reduce usage by five percent, a mark the community has consistently met.

“You know, there are only certain things we can control,” he said. “We can control conservation, we can conserve as a city, but we can’t control the weather.” 

For more information on how drought restrictions can affect you, visit the City of Wichita Falls website or Facebook page.