From the cover
Historic heat highlights need for water solutions
Diving in deeper
Two-minute impact
use nonpotable water for irriga- tion, cooling and cleaning. Austin Water is also giving all its customers new digital water meters by 2025. The meters show customers their water usage in real time and notify them of any leaks. “Water Forward is really preparing us for what we expect to be a bit of an uncertain future,” Critendon said. Per-person water usage has decreased since 2011. Austin remains in Stage 2 restriction, however, as lake levels remain low.
After the region’s last major drought in 2011, Austin Water lead- ers put together a task force—now called Water Forward—to prepare for future growth and unpredict- able weather conditions in Austin for the next 100 years. The plan includes about 20 strategies that focus on how Austin can conserve and reuse water and avoid any unnecessary water loss in the roughly 4,000 linear miles of pipeline. At the heart of the plan is getting more big customers, such as golf courses and industrial buildings, to
and Stillhouse Hollow Lake, are similarly low. “Given how long our [rainfall] deficits go back and how significant they are, we’ll continue to see drought impacts through the end of this year, almost guaranteed,” National Weather Service meteorologist Keith White said. “The good news about the El Niño, though, is that it will tilt our odds toward wetter conditions by the time we get into the winter time. So we can hopefully start to make up some of those deficits in December, January and February of next winter.”
Central Texas was hit with a double threat this summer: record-breaking high heat and little rainfall. The region has seen temperatures over 100 degrees nearly every day since July 8, causing increased evaporation of local water reservoirs, dried-out soil and increased wildfire risk. Lakes Travis and Buchanan collectively dipped to 44% capacity in August, the lowest they’ve been since 2013, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority. Other regional water sources, including the Edwards Aquifer, Lake Georgetown
Austin water usage Amid dry summer conditions, average daily water usage goes up due to outdoor irrigation and other discretionary uses of water, causing water restrictions. 2011 2022
Exceptional drought —or Level D4 drought—is the most intense drought category on the U.S. drought monitor
195
and occurs when the region experiences 98% dryness.
183
Williamson County
35
Exceptional drought (D4)
250
205.7
Travis County
100% of Hays, Travis and Williamson counties are in exceptional drought 1.6M Travis and Hays County residents are in drought areas 3rd driest July on record in 129 years in Travis County
200
130 TOLL
71
194.6
150
290
Hays County
100
35
50
N
SOURCE: U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR/COMMUNITY IMPACT *AS OF SEPT. 19
0
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
Jun.
Jul.
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
28
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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