“Since June, every day we would be without water at some point,” said Hartlee Field resident Todd Madison. “I wasn’t really wanting to gun them on all that stuff but it’s important.”

Hartlee Field Road is just north of the Denton city limits, near the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex and the Water Works Park.

Area residents say it’s ironic that they drive by Water Works Park every day, where water flows freely, to get to their homes, where spigots run dry.

Aqua Texas, a subsidiary of the nation’s largest publicly traded water company, Aqua America Inc., serves nearly 155,000 residents across the state. In Denton County, the company runs a water well that serves 37 houses on and around Hartlee Field Road.

Terry Maenza, a spokesman for Aqua America, said the company depends on the residents in the affected district to conserve water during the summer.

“We had issued a letter on August 4 stating we were moving to Stage 2, which is voluntary restrictions,” he said. “The restrictions we had were not being complied with so we may have to go to Stage 3, which is mandatory restrictions.”

At Stage 2 of Aqua America’s Drought Management and Conservation Plan, which has been approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, residents are allowed to water their lawns every five days with limited hours of usage. The schedule allows watering between 8 and 10 a.m., and also from 10 to 11:59 p.m. on weekdays only.

The next step, Stage 3 of the water restrictions, states that all outdoor use of water, irrigation or landscaping, as well as use of water to wash any vehicle, is “absolutely prohibited.”

If these problems persist and water is still being wasted, Maenza said, the company could cut off the water meter of the violator.

However, some in the community say the water restrictions alone are not enough to solve the ongoing problem. Longtime resident Gary Enkowitz said the community feels like it is between a rock and a hard place.

The company says the residents are using too much water, but in reality, there is just not enough to support the community, he said.

“Water is a very precious commodity, but when you flick that little lever on your toilet and nothing happens, it gets your attention,” Enkowitz said.

Andrea Morrow, spokeswoman for the state commission, said her agency has received complaints about Aqua Texas concerning water outages and water pressure problems, but no conclusions have been made.

“It is under investigation,” she said. “It’s not public record until the investigation is complete and the responsible party has been notified.”

The investigation will consist of officials running meter tests and other water system tests in the area. Morrow said she is not sure when the investigation will be complete.