BE ADVISED WCCMUD'S CURRENT DROUGHT LEVEL IS: STAGE 4 - SEVERE WATER SHORTAGE CONDITIONS
That banner is still at the top of the West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District homepage this week. It went up after the district's August 11 customer notice, and it was still there after the October 3 storm. KLTV reported that the National Weather Service estimated 8 to 10 inches of rain in some areas of Henderson County that day and issued a flash flood warning, with flooding already underway.
If you watched water cover the roads near Tool or Gun Barrel City and figured the sprinkler schedule was finished, the district's own plan explains why it isn't. WCCMUD sets its drought stages by the elevation of Cedar Creek Reservoir. How much rain fell in your yard doesn't decide anything. And the elevation that ends Stage 4 is still a long way above where the lake sits today.
Stage 4 is tied to a gauge on the lake
The district adopted its 2026 Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan on August 24, 2026. The plan bases each stage on two things: how much water the treatment plant is pumping and how far the lake sits below full. Full conservation pool on Cedar Creek is 322 feet. Each stage begins at a set distance below that line:
- Stage 2 begins when the lake is 1 foot low or daily usage tops 4.22 million gallons.
- Stage 3 begins at 2 feet low.
- Stage 4 begins at 4 feet low.
- Stage 5 begins at 6 feet low.
Each stage also has an exit rule, and that's the part that explains the banner. Under the plan, Stage 4 may be rescinded in either of two ways:
- The conditions that triggered it, including the lake sitting 4 feet low, have been gone for 7 consecutive days.
- The lake climbs back to 2 feet low, which is 320 feet.
The plan also leaves the call to a person. The Board President or a designee monitors conditions daily and decides when a stage begins or ends, and any change is announced in a newspaper of general circulation.
What the gauge did between July and this week
Here is the lake's daily average elevation from Water Data for Texas. The site labels these readings provisional and subject to revision.
| Date | Elevation | Below 322-ft full pool | Percent full |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2025 | 319.90 ft | 2.10 ft | 89.7% |
| July 7, 2026 | 318.63 ft | 3.37 ft | 83.8% |
| September 7, 2026 | 316.75 ft | 5.25 ft | 75.4% |
| September 30, 2026 | 315.85 ft | 6.15 ft | 71.6% |
| October 7, 2026 | 316.59 ft | 5.41 ft | 74.7% |
The lake rose 0.74 feet between September 30 and October 7, and the October 3 storm falls inside that window. It's a real gain. It also leaves the lake 1.41 feet short of 318 feet, which is the 4-foot-low line that triggers Stage 4. To reach 320 feet, the lake needs another 3.41 feet. It also sits 3.31 feet lower than it did on the same date in 2025.
TRWD's October lake level update explains why a big storm moved the gauge less than you might expect. When rain falls after a long dry stretch, a lot of it soaks into the dry ground before it ever runs off into the reservoirs. Before the storm, the Cedar Creek watershed got only 1.5 inches of rain for all of September. That month was also the hottest September on record at DFW Airport, averaging 87.9°F, 9.4 degrees above normal.
The week the lake passed the Stage 5 line
The table above shows the lake at 315.85 feet on September 30. That's 6.15 feet below full, past the 6-foot mark the plan lists for Stage 5. WCCMUD didn't move to Stage 5. The homepage still lists Stage 4 as the current level and links only to the August 11 notice.
That fits how the plan is written. The thresholds tell the Board President when conditions warrant a change, and the decision itself is still a judgment call. The same discretion runs in both directions. A lake that briefly crossed 6 feet low didn't automatically bring Stage 5, and a lake that recovers part of the way doesn't automatically end Stage 4. Expect the banner on wccmud.com and the district's newspaper notice to change before your lawn rules do.
Stage 5 would be a much bigger change than Stage 4 was, so it helps to know where it starts.
What Stage 4 asks of your yard, your boat and your pool
Moving from Stage 3 to Stage 4 changed less than the word "severe" suggests. Stage 4 keeps every Stage 3 rule and adds a short list of exceptions. Stage 5 is where household routines really change.
| Activity | Stage 3 | Stage 4, in effect now | Stage 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawn and landscape watering | Even/odd address days, 12 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight; hand hose, 5-gallon bucket or drip allowed any time | Even/odd address days, 12 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight | Hand hose, bucket or drip only, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight; all sprinklers prohibited |
| Washing a car, boat or trailer at home | Watering days and hours only, with a bucket or a shutoff-nozzle hose | Same as Stage 3 | Prohibited |
| Filling or topping off a pool or spa | Watering days and hours only | Same as Stage 3 | Prohibited |
| Golf tees on district water | Watering days and hours only | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Water at restaurants | No rule | Served only on request | Served only on request |
| New water service connections | No rule | No rule | None approved |
The lawn row deserves a close read. Stage 3 lets you water by hand hose, bucket or drip system at any hour. Stage 4 replaces that rule with the plain odd/even schedule, and its text doesn't repeat the any-time allowance. The August 11 customer notice reads the same way. If you've been watering potted plants or beds by hand outside your scheduled days, call the district office at (903) 432-3704 and ask how it reads that change.
Some Stage 3 bans carry straight through Stage 4. You can't wash down driveways, sidewalks or buildings, use water for dust control, or let water run into the street. Ornamental fountains and ponds can run only if they recirculate or keep aquatic life alive. Commercial car washes can operate at any hour under Stage 4.
Under the plan, a violation can bring a $200 penalty, each continuing day counts as a separate violation, and the district may disconnect service.
The last row of the table matters for anyone planning to build. Under Stage 5, the district would approve no new or larger water service connections, meters, service lines or main extensions. Stage 4 has already ended the special permits that let contractors pull construction water from designated fire hydrants.
Your stage depends on which utility serves your home
Everyone around the lake looks at the same water level, but not everyone answers to WCCMUD. The district describes itself as roughly 20 square miles in Henderson County, plus a related service area in Kaufman County, and it sells treated water wholesale to the City of Kemp. The plan doesn't list service by street. Your water bill is the quickest way to tell which rules apply to you.
Here's what other providers around the lake have posted:
- City of Mabank started Stage 1 on August 7, according to The Monitor's August 13 report. That stage bans outdoor sprinkler use between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and requires leaks and broken irrigation parts to be repaired. We couldn't find a newer status from the city.
- East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District has Stage 1 guidance on its website: no hose-end or system watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., an address-based schedule for homes and a Tuesday/Friday schedule for businesses. The page doesn't say when that stage was declared.
- Seven Points reposted WCCMUD's August 11 Stage 4 notice on its economic development site.
- Gun Barrel City has posted no current drought stage that we could verify. If the city bills your water, call City Hall to confirm.
If WCCMUD serves you, the homepage also lists office closures this month. The office is closed Monday, October 12, for Columbus Day and Monday, October 26, for training. On both days, callers can leave a message to reach the on-call crew. The same page posted on October 7 that the boil water notice for West Wood Beach and Old Indian Trail has been rescinded.
What it would take to reach 320 feet
TRWD's October 6 outlook gives the most hopeful forecast available. The district says cooler weather should cut evaporation and water demand this month. It expects lake levels to track its "Normal Rainfall" projections, with the potential to trend toward "Above Normal" if wetter conditions develop. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gives better than a 90% chance of a very strong El Niño this fall and winter, and the October through December outlook favors above-normal rain across a broad part of Texas. TRWD adds that El Niño "does not guarantee above-normal rainfall at any particular location." It also expects more of each storm to reach the lakes as the ground gets wetter.
The October 3 storm hit dry ground, and the gauge rose 0.74 feet. Under WCCMUD's plan, the first way out of Stage 4 needs the lake above 318 feet for seven straight days, which is another 1.41 feet. The second needs it at 320 feet. The Water Data for Texas page for Cedar Creek Reservoir updates every day, and that figure will tell you more than the forecast about when your sprinkler schedule could change.
Questions about water service tend to come up at the lake well before closing day: which utility serves a property, what a drought stage means for a pool or new construction, and how a lower lake changes the view from the dock. If you'd like to talk through any of that for a home you own or one you're considering, Debbie French Real Estate Group knows the lake in dry years as well as wet ones. Start Living the Lake Lifestyle and request your free home valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
