Patricia Stark spends her summer days around lots of water. And the more of it she sees, the hotter she gets.

Ms. Stark is one of 140 Dallas code-enforcement inspectors, all of whom can enforce the city's water regulations. But she is one of only two inspectors whose primary job thoughout the year is that of water detective.

Turn on those sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the summer months and chance Ms. Stark's wrath. Let those same sprinklers run onto "impervious areas" -- driveways or streets -- and she might slap you with a $200 ticket. And woe unto the lawn-proud homeowner whose sprinkler runoff settles in front of his house.

"It may only be a little bit of water, but just multiply that by all the homes in Dallas and that's a whole lot of water," said Ms. Stark, a member of the two-member water-conservation team for two years and a code-enforcement officer for five. "Standby water is an indication that they watered an impervious area or that they had a lot of runoff."

Both are violations of the city's ordinance, as is using sprinklers while it's raining. That wastefulness really steams Ms. Stark.

This is the second year of a seasonal ban prohibiting the use of sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from June 1 through Sept. 30. Last year, code officers issued 187 notices of water violation -- basically a warning -- but only one citation. Expect those numbers to increase this year, officials said, as they tighten enforcement.

"Last year was the first year of this ordinance, and we did everything we could to educate the public," said Ron Robinson, district manager for the code-enforcement division and Ms. Stark's boss. "But this year, we won't be giving friendly reminders. If people don't comply, they'll get a notice. If we come back and they still haven't complied, they'll get a citation."

Last week, Ms. Stark spent half a day concentrating specifically on water-ordinance violations along Westgrove Drive near Bent Tree Country Club in North Dallas. She had inspected the area earlier in the month and issued several notices of violation, which give each offender 10 days to rectify the situation.

This day, she was following up and looking for new problems. She stopped at the first house on Westgrove about 9:30 a.m., pointing to a small amount of water in the street at the curb. Three weeks earlier, she had issued a notice to the homeowner because sprinklers had left water in the road. Because the homeowner had tried to correct the situation immediately, Ms. Stark didn't issue a citation on the second visit. But the code officer warned the homeowner that more work needed to be done.

"We've tried to comply," said the polite homeowner, who identified herself only as B. Williams. "We didn't know about the problem at first, but we're trying to comply with what we've been asked to do."

Next door, a much larger amount of water was standing in the street. This time, Ms. Stark was going to have to issue a citation. The homeowner, who wasn't at home, lucked out -- for now. A citation must be given to the homeowner directly or sent by mail. Ms. Stark said she would make another attempt to deliver the summons later. As she walked away, she looked disdainfully at the large puddle.

"This looks like it's been here so long that it might have mosquito larvae in it," she said. "That's another problem with standing water -- mosquitoes."

And so it went, ever so slowly along the street filled with well-manicured -- and well-sprinkled -- lawns. At one Westgrove residence, Ms. Stark issued a citation for standing water, but the homeowner said he was unclear why.

"I hate seeing water wasted, but I don't know what my problem is," Vernon Newhouse said. "I know one thing, though: It's going to be very expensive to fix whatever it is. But I'll pay it." Mr. Newhouse had another water problem, but this one was not of his doing. Behind his home, there was "a ton" of standing water, apparently runoff from the Bent Tree golf course.

[COMMENT: A "well-manicured" golf course requires a million gallons of water a day, according to reports from Florida several years ago when water-rationing had to be imposed and forest fires were raging out of control. The Florida government imposed all sorts of restrictions on homeowners, but it let the golf courses continue to squander water. It's all that tourist money, you know? I'm sure the situation is not any better in Dallas. Mr. Newhouse should contact the Bent Tree Country Club. And lest we forget, there was that profligate man in East Dallas last year who was using 60,000 gallons of water a day to keep his 10-acre estate as lush as a tropical rainforest. He was probably the one who got fined last year. R.]

Like many other courses in the city, Bent Tree has a waiver that allows it to water its greens during the restricted hours. But the waiver doesn't apply to non-course areas, and the club must comply with ordinances governing standing water and runoff. Ms. Stark, not one to shy away from confrontation, headed straight to the Bent Tree offices. As she drove there, she noticed water sprinklers operating at the entrance. It was 11 a.m.

"They can't do that," she said, noting that the area is not a part of the golf course. "That's a violation."

Inside, she waited several minutes before finally meeting with general manager Charlie Duty and course supervisor Keith Ihms. Both were cordial and acknowledged that they had made a mistake. "We don't have our sprinklers around the clubhouse on automatic timers, and they guy who was supposed to turn them off just left them on too long," Mr. duty said. "We know the ordinance. That was just a mistake."

Mr. Ihms said that Bent Tree is redesigning the golf course and that the standing-water problem is temporary. When the work is completed, the course will have additional drains. Even though the country club received a notice of violation, Mr. Ihms applauded the ordinance. "I think it's excellent," he said. "I've been frustrated myself with people. But this course is a member of the Audubon Society. We support conservation."

Toxic chemicals. Contaminated runoff. Dirty lakes. Diseased rivers.

Those are a few of Texas' water pollution problems. And they deserve legislative attention.

Yes, lawmakers head today into a special session on redistricting and later into one on school finance. But they have plenty of other work to do before the 2005 Legislature as well. Addressing Texas' water quality should be on the list of issues that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick assign for members to study over the next 18 months. This particularly applies to members of the Senate and House natural resources committees.

The Dallas Morning News' Jim Morris reported recently on how triclorethylene, or TCE, has entered the water supply of El Campo, a farming community near Houston. Doctors are paying close attention o cancer, birth defects and other physical abnormalities there to see whether they are linked.

And that's not the only place in Texas to worry about chemicals and other toxins in the water. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality alerted 11 West Texas counties last year about perchlorate in their water supplies. When ingested, the rocket-related chemical can harm residents. Some link it to thyroid problems and slow childhood development.

Suburbia also presents a new water worry. Runoff from parking lots, lawn mowers, even golf courses, can dump gunk into streams rivers and aquifers. One of the biggest recent water disputes took place in suburban San Antonio over whether to locate a PGA course over the Edwards Aquifer. Chemical runoff into the water was one of the issues.

Dairy farms present their own peculiar worries. The 2001 Legislature correctly addressed the downstream problems of dairy manure being dumped into Central Texas water supplies. But the state has other dairy farm concentrations. Are they acting properly? The state has an interest in their doing so. The same can be said for pig farms. The Panhandle has been attracting hog operations, which help local economies. But the state also should ensure those farms do not pollute groundwater.

Texas' water strategy rightly focuses on supplies for the next half-century, when Texas' population will double. But water pollution deserves a greater priority. Putting it on the list of interim charges for the Legislature's top environmental committees would send an important signal. Texans need plenty of water. They also need good water. That should be the next aim.