Drought and water restrictions

01 — HOW DROUGHT STAGES WORK

Stages are tied to measurable water-supply indicators

Most water utilities use a tiered drought response plan with three to five stages. Each stage activates at a specific threshold, typically a reservoir storage level, a streamflow rate, or a U.S. Drought Monitor classification. Ready.gov advises households to always observe state and local restrictions and to contact their water provider for current guidelines.

Early stages typically bring voluntary conservation requests and restrictions on visible waste, such as letting water run onto pavement. Later stages add mandatory outdoor watering schedules, restrictions on car washing, and limits on commercial irrigation. The highest stages can involve mandatory reductions in overall household use.

Violations of mandatory restrictions are enforceable. Many utilities issue warnings for first violations and fines for repeat offenses. Some can reduce service pressure or even temporarily reduce service to heavy users.

02 — WHY OUTDOOR WATERING IS RESTRICTED FIRST

It is where the volume is

Outdoor irrigation accounts for 50 to 60 percent of residential water use in warmer months, according to the EPA's WaterSense program. A household that eliminates outdoor watering can cut its total water consumption nearly in half while changing nothing about indoor habits.

Indoor use, by contrast, divides across many activities, none of which dominates. Toilets, showers, laundry, and dishwashing each account for roughly 15 to 20 percent of indoor use. Cutting each by 10 to 20 percent produces meaningful but smaller gains.

This is why restriction stages target outdoor use first. The policy captures the largest available reduction with the fewest changes to daily household function.

03 — HIGH-IMPACT INDOOR ACTIONS

Where indoor savings actually come from

EPA WaterSense estimates that a leaking toilet wastes 200 gallons per day and a dripping faucet at one drop per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons per year. Fixing household leaks is a one-time action with permanent savings, which is why Ready.gov lists it as a primary household conservation measure even under normal conditions.

After leaks, the highest-volume indoor habits are: running a full load in the dishwasher rather than half-loads, washing clothes only when the machine is full, taking shorter showers, and not running the tap while brushing teeth or shaving. Ready.gov lists all of these as standard drought response actions.

Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators are EPA WaterSense certified products that reduce flow rates without reducing water pressure. They are a hardware solution rather than a behavior change, which makes the savings durable.

04 — PRIVATE WELLS AND EXTENDED DROUGHT

Municipal customers and well users face different risks

Households on municipal water receive processed water from a managed reservoir or aquifer. Drought stages are how that utility protects its stored supply. The household experiences it as restrictions and, in severe cases, reduced pressure.

Households on private wells draw directly from the water table. Extended drought lowers the water table, and wells can run dry or produce reduced flow before any municipal restriction is triggered. Ready.gov advises well owners to check pump function periodically and to watch for symptoms of low yield: sputtering faucets, cloudy or sandy water, or the pump cycling rapidly.

If a private well fails during drought, the household's options are trucked water, a deeper well, or temporary connection to municipal service. Knowing this in advance, and having stored water on hand, is the preparation that matters.