Water Restrictions
EFFECTIVE JULY 30, 2025 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
The Town of Pantego is under ⚠️water restrictions⚠️. Although we encourage conservation in all ways, the primary focus at this stage is to regulate outdoor watering. Each service address will be allowed to irrigate up to twice weekly.
[ STAGE 1 ] WATER WATCH
▪️ Residential addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) may water on Tuesdays and Saturdays
▪️ Residential addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) may water on Thursdays and Sundays
▪️ All non-residential locations or buildings without a specific address number (apartment complexes, businesses, industries, parks, medians, etc.) may water on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Exceptions:
☑ Foundations may be watered for up to two hours on any day using a handheld hose, soaker hose, or drip irrigation system placed within 24 inches of the foundation that does not produce a spray of water above the ground.
☑ Newly installed shrubs (first year) and trees (two years) may be watered up to two hours on any day by handheld hose, drip irrigation, a soaker hose or tree bubbler. Tree watering is limited to an area not to exceed the drip line of a tree.
Irrigation Regulations
Regulations within the Town of Pantego's Water Management Plan (adopted via Ordinance 2011-625) apply to all locations — regardless of zoning — and are enforced by a system of warnings and fines for unaddressed or otherwise repeated violations.
Watering during the heat of the day can result in more than half of the water being lost to evaporation. Watering during the early morning is optimal as it minimizes evaporation and is less likely than late-night watering to allow for fungal growth.
Did you know? Our highest water use each summer is usually around 4:00 a.m. Thank you for doing your part to efficiently use our most valuable natural resource by watering during the early morning. Want to do more? Keep scrolling to learn about rainwater harvesting, cycle and soak irrigation, and Texas SmartScape™ practices. Or, download our Gardener's Guide (PDF).
Optimize Your Irrigation System
The average American family uses 320 gallons of water a day — about 30% of which is devoted to outdoor uses. Nationwide, this adds up to nearly 9 billion gallons per day. It is estimated that as much as 50% of water used for irrigation is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or runoff. Simple changes can save water and money:
Are you following all of the regulations in the Town of Pantego's Water Management Plan? If not, you could be fined.
Clay-based soils, often found in our region, have a much slower absorption rate. Water applied past the first six minutes of a cycle usually becomes runoff. The cycle and soak method recommends running sprinkler zones for about five minutes each and then allowing about thirty minutes for the water to absorb into the ground before cycling again. Not only can this method help you to get the most value from the water used on your lawn, but it also encourages plants to grow deeper roots, increasing hardiness.
Not sure how many cycles to run? About an hour after watering, push a long screwdriver into the soil. An area has been adequately watered if the probe easily slides to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Scroll down to view plants that do well in Pantego or download our Gardener's Guide (PDF).
Rainwater Harvesting
North American tap water has, on average, 18 to 41 mg of salts per liter. Because salinity levels are higher in this portion of the state and because the region has quite a lot of clay soils, which hold salt better, gardeners should aim to use rainwater whenever possible and choose those plants that are more resistant to salt. Rainwater harvesting and the use of more salt-tolerant plants are two methods for becoming a successful gardener in Pantego. Scroll down to view plants that do well in Pantego or download our Gardener's Guide (PDF).
Rainwater harvesting is an innovative approach to capturing free water that is free of salts and other minerals that can harm root growth. As rainwater percolates into the soil, it forces salts down and away from root zones, allowing roots to grow better and making plants more drought-tolerant. A house with a 1,000-square-foot roof could "harvest" 600 gallons of rainwater from a one-inch rainfall.
By capturing, diverting, and storing rainwater for later use in the home landscape saves you money by reducing your water bills, reduces demand on the municipal water supply, makes efficient use of a valuable resource, and reduces flooding, erosion, and contamination of surface water with sediments, fertilizers and pesticides in rainfall run-off.
Helpful Links
Recommended Plantings for Pantego
Trees
Vines and Ground Cover
Annuals
Shrubs
Perennials
Herbs
Salt-Intolerant (Not Recommended) Plants