The watering of lawns by residents and businesses has been limited to once every two weeks if a watering system is used. If a handheld hose is used, a lawn can be watered daily. ACU has received citations in the past for this offense and has only recently submit a watering plan to the Water Utilities board so it can water at certain times and on certain days. This is not the only university to submitting a watering plan. All universities in Abilene have been allowed to submit a plan so that they will no longer be fined for using too much water.
Students living off campus are also no longer able to water their lawns as often.
Jocelyn Hill, junior missions major from Abilene, said her lawn has suffered. It's only now getting green because of the recent rain. She also said she has become more aware of other water usage inside her home like a running toilet, which she had fixed. Students living on campus aren't as concerned about the city ordinance for outside watering. Catherine Biles, sophomore exercise science major from Bryan, said that she has always been taught to conserve water, but she doesn't think about the water shortage daily.