How do you build a 100-acre park when you only get about a fifth of the water you asked for to keep it green?
Neighbors on once-a-week watering have faced a smaller version of that problem in their own yards since July. Celina breaks out parks, lawns and supply as separate news items. They all trace back to one limit, though, and following it explains why Wilson Creek Park won't open this year and why Ousley Park's splash pad is still a maybe.
The Permit That Changed Wilson Creek Park
Crews broke ground on Wilson Creek Park in September 2025. The roughly 100-acre park sits at the corner of future Sunset Boulevard and Roseland Parkway. The original master plan called for two multi-use athletic fields in natural grass and four diamond game fields in synthetic turf. The two grass fields are part of Phase 1, which started construction in 2025. The diamond fields come in a later phase.
To water that grass, city staff asked the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District for a permit to use 48 million gallons of well water a year. The district approved 9.1 million. Parks Director Steve Walsh told council that's enough to water a single natural grass field for 35 weeks a year. He added that even one field would be hard to keep up in a dry year like 2026.
So the plan stopped adding up. Two grass fields had a permit sized for less than one. Council voted to make both multi-use fields synthetic turf, which means every planned sports field at Wilson Creek will be turf. Walsh said turf also simplifies maintenance and lets players get back on the field sooner after rain. Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Grumbles told Community Impact, "It's Texas. I really feel like all fields should be turf fields just because of the drought aspect."
What the Turf Costs, in Dollars and in Months
Avoiding a water bill comes with its own costs. Here's how they line up, according to Walsh's presentation as reported by Community Impact:
- About $8 million to install turf on both multi-use fields
- Five to six months to install it
- Replacement every 10 to 12 years, at roughly $4 million to $5 million each time
The months matter most to anyone who has been waiting for this park. The city's Wilson Creek Park project page had targeted fall 2026 to finish Phase 1. Because of the extra time turf installation needs, that work will now likely finish in 2027. Earlier coverage in 2024 had forecast an August 2026 opening. That date has passed and the schedule has moved.
Ousley Park's Splash Pad Has Now Been Cut Twice
Wilson Creek shows the water limit changing what gets built. Ousley Park shows it questioning whether an amenity gets built at all.
Ousley Park is a 9-acre park that follows Doe Branch Creek near downtown Celina, and it's in the conceptual design phase. In March 2026, the city set aside $11.9 million for Doe Branch stream reconstruction and $2.9 million for Ousley Park design services. The design contract covers trails, a playground, courts, a dog park, fitness stations, a stage, turf, lighting and parking. The creek work adds retaining walls, a pedestrian bridge and a 12-foot concrete trail.
The splash pad has had a harder time. Here's how it has gone so far, based on Community Impact's reporting:
- During master planning in 2023, the design team dropped the splash pad to lower costs.
- A community survey brought it back. 32% of respondents asked for a splash pad, nearly ten times the response rate for any other amenity.
- The updated master plan passed in early 2024 with the splash pad included.
- This year, the design team left it out of conceptual designs because of the city's push to conserve water.
- At a Sept. 8 meeting, council asked for it to be considered again.
The first time, the splash pad was cut over money. The second time it was cut over water, and that problem is harder to fix with a budget amendment. City Manager Robert Ranc said future designs will include options with a splash pad, so council can weigh the amenity's value against how much water it uses. Mayor Ryan Tubbs put the condition plainly in Community Impact's coverage: "I know we have a lot of young families that would use it once we're not under the water constraints that we are today."
The next phase of Ousley design starts in November, and council expects to review the developed plans in early 2027.
The Same Limit Over Your Yard
The mayor's "water constraints that we are today" are the ones on your watering schedule. Celina's drinking water is treated surface water bought from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District. The city buys a set daily amount, called a subscription. As of Sept. 8, Celina had used more than its subscription on 20 days in 2026. It raised the subscription from 10.5 to 11 million gallons per day in August, and some days still went over, Community Impact reported. On top of that, DFW Airport went 62 days without measurable rain as of Sept. 15.
That's why the city's Stage 2 water conservation measures took effect July 2. In September, Assistant City Manager Kimberly Brawner said officials hoped to lift Stage 2 in late September or early October, once plants go dormant and demand falls. After that, rules would drop back to voluntary Stage 1, which asks residents to water no more than twice a week. Council had "Discussion on 2026 Water Conservation" on its Oct. 13 agenda. As of mid-October, the city's news feed had not posted a notice ending Stage 2, so the city's water conservation page is the place to check this week's rules.
While Stage 2 is in effect, automatic sprinklers and hose-end sprinklers run one assigned day a week, never between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Handheld hoses, drip lines and soaker hoses are allowed for up to two hours a day. Your assigned day depends on the last digit of your address, under the city's drought ordinance:
| Address ends in | Stage 2 watering day |
|---|---|
| 1 or 3 | Monday |
| 0 or 2 | Tuesday |
| 5 or 7 | Wednesday |
| 4 or 6 | Thursday |
| 9 | Friday |
| 8 | Saturday |
| Commercial, institutional, industrial | Sunday |
Stage 2 also bans water-wasting activities such as running lawn fountains. It restricts new sod on existing residential lawns, which matters to anyone planning fall landscaping. The city is enforcing it. As of Sept. 8, staff had issued more than 5,000 warnings. As of Sept. 15, 31 citations had gone out to people who hadn't complied after three warnings. Citations can bring an irrigation meter shutoff and a fine of $500 to $2,000. Brawner described the goal at the Sept. 8 meeting, according to Community Impact: "Our goal with conservation is to conserve, not restrict."
This is a summary of city rules for general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own schedule and any exceptions with Celina Public Works.
Why Lake Ralph Hall Won't Bring the Splash Pad Back Overnight
The supply fix residents hear about most is Lake Ralph Hall, a UTRWD reservoir in Fannin County. Major construction wrapped up this summer and the lake has started to fill. Community Impact reported that filling will take three to five years, depending on rainfall. At full capacity, the lake will deliver 54 million gallons a day, shared among 29 North Texas communities. A UTRWD release dated Oct. 5, reprinted by North Texas e-News, said limited deliveries are expected to begin by late 2026.
The key word is "limited." The lake needs years to fill, and whatever Celina receives in the meantime has to cover new households, existing lawns and park amenities alike. Mayor Tubbs wrote in a social media post, as Community Impact reported, that "finding additional water sources outside of Lake Ralph Hall is City Council's #1 priority objective in our strategic plan." Ousley's splash pad goes back before council in early 2027, which is about when those first deliveries should be showing up. Council will have actual numbers when it weighs the gallons.
Where Celina Gathers in the Meantime
Wilson Creek's fields are a 2027 project and Ousley is still on paper, so this season's public gatherings happen on the Downtown Square. The Friday Night Market runs Nov. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. The Celina Turkey Trot starts on the Square Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26, from 7:45 to 10 a.m. Christmas on the Square is Dec. 2 from 5 to 9 p.m., and the tree lighting is scheduled for 8 p.m. Ousley Park's future trail along Doe Branch is planned near the same downtown.
Water affects more than your lawn. Irrigation limits, sod restrictions and supply timelines change what a yard costs to keep up and what a home buyer or seller should ask about. If you'd like to talk through how Celina's water situation applies to a property you own or are considering, The Bracchi Group is glad to help. Contact Us.
