Mesquite 2025 Water Restrictions

Water is a shared resource in Mesquite, and 2025 brings a renewed push to use it wisely. The city’s updated outdoor watering rules are designed to protect supplies during the hottest months, support our landscapes responsibly, and keep essential green spaces safe and usable. This guide explains what’s changed, when you can water, what’s off-limits, and how to make every gallon count—without sacrificing the health of your yard.

What you’ll learn:

• The current watering schedule and prohibited hours
• What types of watering are allowed (and which aren’t)
• Simple, proven ways to cut outdoor water use 20–40%
• How Mesquite is caring for parks, medians, and sports fields
• A practical, step-by-step plan to get your home compliant and efficient

The Rules at a Glance

• Allowed watering days: One designated day per week for spray irrigation (sprinklers or in-ground systems).
• Prohibited hours: No outdoor watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Hand-watering and soaker hoses: Permitted for shrubs, plants, trees, and foundations. Hand-watering lawns may be restricted—check your system’s settings to avoid violations.
• Smart practice: Turn off your irrigation controller’s “Auto” setting and switch to manual or a compliant program to prevent accidental run times outside your allowed window.

Note: Rules can vary with drought stages and seasonal changes. Always verify your assigned watering day and any updates on the city’s utilities page or through official city communications.

Why These Limits Matter

Outdoor irrigation can account for 30–50% of summer household water use. Watering during peak sun and heat (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) leads to high evaporation, which means you pay for water your plants don’t get. By concentrating watering into the cooler morning or evening hours, you:

• Reduce evaporation loss by up to 30%
• Improve soil absorption and root uptake
• Lower runoff and overspray waste
• Keep pressure steady across the city’s system

Together, these habits extend supplies during summer, protect our reservoirs, and stabilize system reliability during peak demand.

How to Water Smarter on a One-Day Schedule

You can maintain healthy landscapes on a one-day-per-week schedule by using cycle-and-soak and focusing water where it matters most—the root zone.

Use Cycle-and-Soak

Instead of running each sprinkler zone for a long time, break it into shorter cycles with breaks in between. This prevents runoff and lets water soak into clay-heavy North Texas soils.

• Pop-up spray zones: 2–3 cycles of 8–10 minutes each
• Rotor zones: 2 cycles of 15–20 minutes each
• Drip/soaker zones: 30–60 minutes total, depending on emitters and soil

Example schedule on your watering day:

• 5:30 a.m.: Run all zones (Cycle 1)
• 6:30 a.m.: Run all zones (Cycle 2)
• 7:30 a.m.: Run drip/soaker zones if needed

Adjust based on shade, slope, and plant needs.

Prioritize Plants by Water Needs

• High priority: Trees (especially young or newly planted), foundation beds, and high-value shrubs
• Medium priority: Established lawn areas with high use or high visibility
• Low priority: Decorative or low-use turf areas—consider reducing water or replacing with drought-tolerant plants over time

Deep, Infrequent Watering

A single, well-planned watering that reaches 6–8 inches deep encourages deeper roots and improves drought resilience. You’ll see better results than with frequent shallow watering.

What’s Allowed: Tools That Stretch Every Gallon

• Soaker hoses: Great for foundations, trees, and shrub beds. They deliver water directly to the soil with minimal evaporation.
• Drip irrigation: Highly efficient. Emits water at the base of plants, cutting losses from wind and overspray.
• Hand-watering: Best for shrubs, beds, and trees. Use a shut-off nozzle to prevent waste. Hand-watering lawns may be restricted—focus hand-watering on beds and trees unless city guidance says otherwise.

Tip: If you use a soaker hose around a tree, coil it out to the drip line (the outer edge of the canopy) and run it long enough to moisten soil 6–8 inches deep. For larger trees, water in two or three sections.

Make Your System Efficient (and Compliant) in One Weekend

Follow this quick tune-up plan to cut waste and keep your watering day legal.

1. Reprogram your controller
   • Set it to run only on your assigned day.
   • Schedule all watering to finish before 10 a.m. or start after 6 p.m.
   • Use short, multiple cycles for each zone (cycle-and-soak).
2. Fix obvious leaks and misdirected heads
   • Check for geysers, broken risers, or heads watering pavement.
   • Adjust heads so they spray only plants—not sidewalks or driveways.
3. Add a smart rain/freeze sensor
   • Inexpensive and prevents watering when nature already did the work.
4. Audit run times with the “tuna can test”
   • Place 3–5 flat cans around a zone. Run it for 10 minutes and measure depth.
   • Aim for roughly 0.25–0.5 inches per cycle. Adjust until consistent.
5. Convert high-waste zones to drip
   • Beds near hardscape are ideal candidates.
   • Drip can reduce water use by 30–60% in those areas.
6. Mulch to reduce evaporation
   • Add 2–3 inches of natural mulch in beds, around trees, and over drip lines.
   • Keep mulch a few inches away from trunks to prevent rot.
7. Protect your foundation
   • Soaker hoses 12–18 inches from the slab, run deeply 1–2 times per week as needed to maintain consistent soil moisture. Short, deep cycles help prevent cracking.

Lawn Care That Uses Less Water

Healthy turf is about more than irrigation. These practices help your lawn stay green longer with less water.

• Mow high
  • Bermuda: 2–2.5 inches
  • St. Augustine: 3–4 inches
      Taller blades shade soil, reduce evaporation, and discourage weeds.
• Feed smart
  • Use slow-release, nitrogen-balanced fertilizers and apply on schedule. Healthy turf uses water more efficiently.
• Aerate compacted areas
  • Core aeration once a year improves infiltration and reduces runoff—especially useful on sloped or high-traffic sections.
• Spot-treat instead of blanket watering
  • Dry patch? Hand-water the spot in the evening rather than running a full zone.
• Water in the early morning
  • Before sunrise is best. Evening is acceptable, but morning reduces disease risk and wind drift.

Tree and Shrub Survival Plan

Trees anchor our neighborhoods and shade our homes—saving energy and boosting property value. They also need much less water than a broad sprinkler cycle if you target the root zone.

• Deep soak monthly for established trees; weekly for young trees during extreme heat
• Use a slow trickle or tree bag to deliver 10–15 gallons per inch of trunk diameter over the root zone
• Mulch the full drip line if possible; replenish annually

Shrubs and perennials respond well to:

• Drip lines at 1 gallon per hour per plant, run long enough to moisten 6 inches deep
• Soaker hoses laid 12 inches from plant bases
• Mulch and windbreaks where exposure is high

Avoid the Most Common Violations

• Watering during 10 a.m.–6 p.m.: Program your controller to finish by 9:30 a.m. as a safeguard.
• Watering on the wrong day: Label the controller with your assigned day and set a calendar reminder in summer.
• Overspray onto pavement: Adjust heads and consider pressure-regulated heads to cut misting.
• Leaks and broken heads: Walk your system at least once a month during the season.

Quick compliance tip: Turn off “Auto” and use a dedicated “Restrictions” program with the correct day and cycle-and-soak settings. Then lock the controller or use a PIN if your model allows.

What the City Is Doing

Mesquite is pairing enforcement with support:

• Public education: Workshops, guides, and city updates help residents set up compliant, efficient systems.
• Essential green spaces: The city uses limited, strategic irrigation for ball fields to maintain safe play surfaces and waters medians and public landscapes on efficient schedules.
• Seasonal adjustments: As conditions change, the city updates guidance so residents and businesses can adapt quickly.

You can help by sharing city resources with neighbors and homeowners associations and by reporting major leaks or broken irrigation at public properties through city channels.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I hand-water on days other than my assigned sprinkler day? 

  You can hand-water shrubs, trees, and beds as needed—just avoid doing so between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. For lawns, be sure to follow city guidance and when in doubt, stick to your assigned watering day. Prioritize drip or soaker hoses for maximum efficiency and compliance.

• Are soaker hoses allowed any day? 

  Yes, soaker hoses can be used for foundations and landscape beds on any day, provided you avoid the restricted hours (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Use only as much water as necessary to moisten the soil 6–8 inches deep.

• How do I know if I’m watering enough? 

  Test your soil moisture by probing the ground after watering—a screwdriver or soil probe should easily penetrate at least 6 inches. If the soil is dry or difficult to penetrate, you may need a longer watering cycle. The goal is deep, infrequent soakings rather than frequent, shallow watering.

• What happens if I accidentally water at the wrong time or on the wrong day? 

  The city may issue warnings or fines for violations. Set reminders or use your controller’s programming features to stay on schedule and avoid accidental run times.

• My lawn has dry spots—how should I handle them? 

  Rather than running the whole irrigation system, spot-water these areas with a hose or watering can outside of restricted hours. Consider adjusting your sprinkler heads or checking for leaks.

• Does rain exempt me from the watering schedule? 

  If it rains enough to saturate the soil, skip your next scheduled watering. Install a rain or soil moisture sensor on your irrigation system to automatically stop watering when it’s not needed.

By being mindful of Mesquite’s 2025 water restrictions, you’re not only following the law—you’re also helping preserve a vital community resource for everyone. These guidelines are meant to balance keeping our landscapes healthy while ensuring there’s enough water for essential needs now and into the future. Small changes, like adjusting watering times and maintaining your system, make a big impact when we all work together. Let’s do our part to keep Mesquite green and thriving—one drop at a time.