Following a deluge of rain that hit Dallas on August 21-22, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a State of Disaster in Dallas County and is requesting state and federal assistance.

Dallas suffered extreme flooding following thunderstorms that dropped up to 15 inches of rain in some parts of the area in a span of 24 hours. The extreme rainfall made national news, and there are videos of shocking footage showing a flooded I-30, 635, and an overflowing Trinity River.

The east side of Dallas received the most rainfall, from 13 to 15 inches; the overall Dallas-Fort Worth area received 6 to 10 inches. CNN called it "a summer's worth of rain in a day."

The area was experiencing tropical moisture with multiple rounds of heavy rain, and with a summer-long drought, the ground was dry and did not absorb the water as readily.

Jenkins also said that Dallas County suffered a fatality: A 60-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle was swept away by flood waters.

The storm also caused Dallas' sewer system to overflow. According to a release from the Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) Department, heavy rainfall caused sewer overflows at several locations throughout the city, with overflows in four major drainage basins.

DWU assistant director Zachary Peoples said that none of the overflows affected the water supply. DWU crews are performing cleanup at each overflow location.

Although there is no danger to the water supply, DWU reminds the public to avoid contact with waste material, soil, or water in any of the affected areas.

Residents with private wells are advised to distill or boil water for personal uses such as drinking, cooking, bathing, and tooth brushing.

First electricity, now water: The Dallas Water Utilities department is asking residents and businesses to conserve water, to reduce pressure on the system before it turns problematic.

According to a release, the consumption of water in the city has almost doubled, and this is leading to leaks, water main breaks, and other plumbing crises.

Between the heat wave and lack of rain, Dallas' water demand has increased dramatically: While the average consumption is 380 million gallons a day, it has spiked to more than 600 million gallons a day during the last week.

The increased water usage puts additional pressure on water pipelines and can lead to more water main breaks and leaks.

This past weekend, DWU repaired 17 main breaks, compared to the normal of 0 to 6 for this time of year.

 DWU currently has 18 crews responding 24-hours a day to water main breaks and leaks. When a repair is underway, there may be intermittent service interruptions that will impact customers.

Customers are notified of service interruptions through individual notices left on the doors of residential and business customers (notices are not delivered after dark or before 8 a.m.).  

Dallas Water Utilities is asking residents and businesses to conserve water and help reduce water demands by doing the following:

• Adhere to the Twice Weekly Watering Schedule, detailed here.
• Don't water your yard between 10 am and 6 pm from April 1 to October 31.
• Sign up for free watering advice at waterisawesome.com/weekly-watering-advice/
• Sign up for a free irrigation audit at savedallaswater.comfree-irrigation-audits/
• Be sure your automatic sprinkler system does not water sidewalks, driveways, or the street.
• Be sure that all the sprinkler heads are in good working order and that your system has no leaks.
• Any water that is flowing from private or public property that is not normally viewed, should be reported to the City utilizing 311.
• Report emergency water main leaks by calling 311.

Crews will be dispatched for initial assessment, and repairs if needed will be prioritized and scheduled as soon as practicable

DWU invests $150-$170 million annually to replace and rehabilitate water and wastewater mains.  These efforts have resulted in lower main breaks per 100 miles from approximately 40 in 2007 to 20 in 2021.

Their request to conserve on water follows two requests by ERCOT this week to conserve electricity, in order to avoid blackouts. We're melting.