BY ELLE BENT & KATY MCAFEE
Drought restrictions*
Zooming in
Outdoor watering is limited to once a week. Watering is allowed once a week, and nonessential uses of water, such as car washes, are prohibited. The goal is to reduce water usage by 30%. Outdoor watering is restricted to one day a week, and all nonessential uses are prohibited.
Austin Water Stage 2
Pool Road—received boil-water notices July 20 that lasted the day when water tanks hit critical levels. West Travis County PUA customers have been in Stage 3 watering restric- tions since July 20. High usage of water, especially for irrigation, drains water storage facilities faster than it can be pushed out through the system, and potable water for household needs is more of a priority, WTCPUA Communications Consultant Jenny Hoff said. Residents should continue to observe water restrictions until temperatures decrease and beneficial rainfall returns to the region, Hoff said.
As water tanks remain low, Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp. customers have remained in Stage 4 watering restrictions since July 21. For one day, Dripping Springs residents were banned from all nonessential uses of water as the utility entered Stage 5 restrictions. The restrictions returned to Stage 4 the next day, allowing residents to water lawns with a handheld hose once a week. Some residents who get water from the West Travis County Public Utility Agency—including those in High Pointe, Ledgestone, Sunset Canyon, Rim Rock, Parten Ranch, Burba Ranch, Sawyer Ranch and some customers on Hamilton
West Travis County PUA
Dripping Springs residents off Hwy. 290
Stage 3
Dripping Springs residents Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp.
Residential watering is allowed only with a handheld hose once a week between 7 a.m.-10 a.m. or 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Operating water features and washing a motor vehicle are prohibited.
Stage 4
*AS OF SEPT. 18
SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, DRIPPING SPRINGS WATER SUPPLY CORP., WEST TRAVIS COUNTY PUA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Individual solutions Lawn care services company Emerald Lawns Marketing Director Kristen Parkhurst offered several tips on how residents can preserve their lawns and conserve water.
Regional water solutions When the city is out of drought conditions or experiences flooding, Austin is considering pumping excess treated water into an underground aquifer to store for later use. The project would help prevent water loss from evaporation and provide the city an additional reservoir. “One thing that Water Forward has taught us is that there’s no one simple easy solution to meet the complexity of our future,” Critendon said.
What’s next?
Central Texas will need to see weeks of heavy rainfall, specifically near Fredericksburg to refill water basins, to end drought conditions, said Aaron Abel, water services manager for the Brazos River Authority. “We’ve got to do what we can to extend the last of the water supply in these reservoirs, and that’s by enacting our drought contingency plans and trying to reduce water use,” Abel said.
Plant native grasses, such as Bermuda and Zoysia.
Utilize top dressing, which adds nutrients back into soil after it's been depleted by the sun.
Aerate soil to loosen compact soil, which restricts root growth.
Consider xeriscaping, a landscaping process that requires little irrigation by utilizing succulents, mulch and other drought- tolerant plants.
SOURCES: CITY OF ROUND ROCK, EMERALD LAWNS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN - DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
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