To: Aaron Rector, City Manager
From: Alonzo Liñán, Director of Public Works
Subject:
Title
PUBLIC HEARING: Consider an ordinance amending the City of Keller Code of Ordinances, Chapter 19, Water and Sewers, Article XIV, Water Conservation and Drought Contingency, Sections 19-1602, 19-1604, and 19-1620, providing for enforcement procedures, progressive administrative fees and penalties, and provisions for non-emergency irrigation system lock out and water service termination.
Action Requested:
Approve an ordinance amending Chapter 19, Article XIV, Water Conservation and Drought Contingency, Sections 19-1602, 19-1604, and 19-1620 of the City of Keller Code of Ordinances.
Background:
The City of Keller contracts with the City of Fort Worth (CFW) to provide water to Keller as a wholesale customer. As a wholesale customer of CFW, the City of Keller is required to formally adopt water conservation regulations that meet or exceed the regulations set forth by CFW.
This ordinance amendment amends the Water Conservation & Drought Contingency code to include a progressive enforcement procedure that includes non-compliance administrative fees, non-emergency water turn off for violators (lock or turn off irrigation systems or meters), service turn on procedure, and penalties for violation. Currently, the city can only assess court citations for violators following a traditional process of abatement.
Chapter 19, Article XIV, Sections 19-1602,19-1604,19-1620 in the Keller Code of Ordinances falls within the larger framework of the Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency & Emergency Water Management Plan that was updated in May 2024. The proposed amendments reflect the enforcement procedure that the CFW has adopted into their code as of November 11, 2025 and fulfills Keller’s contractual obligation to reflect CFW’s conservation measures.
Section 19-1602 currently describes the assessment of administrative fees for irrigation violators. The proposed change would rename the title of 19-1602 from “Administrative Fees” to “Enforcement” to better reflect the revised enforcement process, and includes the ability to have an immediate lock out of an irrigation system on a first violation if it is necessary to prevent “(1) Excessive or continuous water loss creating flooding or infrastructure damage; (2) Unsafe or unsanitary conditions; or (3) Any other condition determined by the director or the director’s designee that poses a significant risk to public health, public safety, or the City’s water supply.”
Section 19-1604 currently describes the process for unlocking a backflow device once a system has been locked. The proposed change would rename the title of 19-604 from “Reestablishment of service to double check valves that have been locked off” to “Reestablishment of Service to Locked or Shut Off Irrigation Systems or Meters” to better reflect the inclusion of both backflow devices and irrigation meters themselves that would fall under the jurisdiction for lock out or shut off, and the process for the reestablishment of service.
Section 19-1620 currently reflects the penalty for violations to be a citation not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500) for each day of violation. The proposed change is a progressive enforcement process that generally applies increasing monthly administrative fees applied in aggregate on a customer’s monthly billing cycle.
What remains unchanged is the irrigation watering restrictions, including the assigned times and days for properties and that, except in extreme drought or emergency conditions, hand watering, drip irrigation and the use of soaker hoses are exempt from these restrictions.
Council Action:
Staff recommends approval of the proposed ordinance update as presented.