WACO, Texas — “ALL CAR WASHING IS PROHIBITED.”
That’s the warning issued by the city of Killeen.
“We are in Stage 5 water conservation due to an extremely limited water supply,” city officials posted on their Facebook page Friday. “Water usage is restricted to essential purposes only. Many Killeen residents are still without water service.”
Killeen says the temporary ban on car washes includes washing your own vehicle at home.
“Violators will be cited and fined," Killeen city officials warn.
The city of Waco, meanwhile, issued a similar ban with a focus on car wash businesses.
“All cleaning and laundry plants, commercial laundry (self-serve commercial) and car washes in the city are required to cease all operations and activities until noon on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021,” according to the city’s Facebook page.
It comes amid the city’s water conservation plan “to ensure protection of our water system as we recover from the winter storm of the past week.”
Authorities in Waco say these steps are necessary because water supply remains critically low.
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“While rising temperatures are welcomed for residents and businesses, rising temperatures will thaw water pipes and reveal new leaks, which must be valved off and repaired. From a water system standpoint, these new leaks will drain the water system further.”
Waco officials said a community-wide boil alert is imminent if demand doesn’t change.
“This demand is being caused by leaks around the city and high usage. The City of Waco is pumping twice our normal daily usage and the system’s storage is sitting at a critically low capacity.”
Waco is also asking residential customers to reduce all water consumption and not to hoard.
“Each person is urged to keep water use to not more than one gallon per person per day, and not more than one gallon per day for cooking for the household.”