HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County officials are considering lifting the countywide burn ban as soon as next week thanks to this week’s rain and cooler temperatures on the way.
The burn ban has been in effect since Aug. 8.
“I’ve actually been in communication with Commissioners Court staff members and been discussing with them the evaluation of possibly asking for it to be lifted next week at Commissioners Court,” Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said Tuesday.
Any repeal will be up to Harris County Commissioners. They’ll post their agenda for the Oct. 10 meeting on Friday.
“We’re very excited because we are seeing the drought conditions come down,” Christensen said. “We’ve been talking to the National Weather Service, Texas Forest Service, and we’re feeling very confident that as this rain continues, and we expect to see more this week, that we’ll be able to hopefully recommend to commissioners court that that would be something they could do.”
Matthew Ford with Texas A&M Forest Service is urging people to continue being mindful of burn bans, which are still in effect in most Texas counties.
“Especially with that cold front coming in, that northern wind used to be not just cooler but also is drier, so it dries out our vegetation a little bit more than what we do from the southern winds,” Ford said.
The drought has also caused soil to dry and shift, contributing to a sharp increase in water pipe breaks in Houston.
In response to an interview request with Houston Public Works about the impact of today’s rain, public information officer Erin Jones emailed this statement on Tuesday:
"Today’s rain is a welcome relief to the Houston Public Works crews and contractors working to repair water leaks across Houston. While the rain is helpful, it is not enough to lift the drought watering restrictions. Even with the rain, we are still in an extreme drought. https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/Harris
"Houston Water crews and contractors have repaired more than 4,000 leaks since June 1st. We continue to utilize 10 contractors to repair water leaks in a timely manner. Houston Public Works prioritizes repairs based on size and proximity to threaten the loss of water service to emergency facilities, schools and large areas.
"We ask the public to call 311 to report water leaks so we can track and make repairs as quickly as possible and contact 311 again if any person notices that the condition of a reported leak has become worse. Please visit HoustonPublicWorks.org, to learn more about the watering restrictions."