Norman residents don't face new watering limits yet, but the drought squeezing the Oklahoma City metro is getting harder to ignore.

Edmond escalated to Stage 2 water restrictions Aug. 19, cutting lawn watering to two days per week after the city reported consuming more than 22 million gallons of water daily, KGOU reported. Deer Creek went further, banning all irrigation systems since Aug. 5 and allowing only hand watering.

Norman has not followed suit.

Norman, Oklahoma City and Edmond all enforce year-round even-odd watering schedules, meaning homes with even-numbered addresses water on even calendar days and odd addresses on odd days. But the City of Norman reminded residents Aug. 20 to follow the odd/even schedule and use water wisely.

The city's Water Conservation Plan includes additional drought contingency stages that can be activated if conditions worsen, though the city has not announced trigger thresholds or a timeline for escalation.

Oklahoma City Utilities Director Chris Browning told KGOU the metro's supply remains stable for now. "We have a reliable water supply and a resilient system, but we can't take it for granted," Browning said.

The broader picture is stark. Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, which supply Oklahoma City's system, sat four to six feet below normal levels in mid-August, State Climatologist Gary McManus told KGOU. Almost all of Oklahoma was in drought as of Aug. 18, with triple-digit temperature days already well above average for the summer.

Norman draws roughly half its raw water from Lake Thunderbird. Current lake level data was not available from city sources.

Norman Utilities Director Chris Mattingly has not issued a public statement on the current drought. "It gives our customers more insight, transparency, and control over their water usage," Mattingly said in May when the city launched its MyUtility Customer Portal on June 24, giving residents 24/7 access to water usage data, leak alerts and the ability to set consumption thresholds. Residents looking to track their household use during the drought can access the portal through the city's website.

Norman's odd/even watering schedule remains in effect. Residents can review the full Water Conservation Plan at normanok.gov/water-conservation.