“The drought that we had from 2011- 14 started to look quite a bit like the drought of record [in 1956] in terms of intensity,” Ruiz said. “Some might say that it was even more intense than the 1950s; it just wasn’t as long. In the 1950s, that drought was—depending on who you ask—was either a seven- or 10-year drought.” The sources of water for each city in Hays County have also diversi ed over the years. In 1995, 100% of the water supply for San Marcos was from the Edwards Aquifer. In 2022, 25.6% of San Marcos’ water supply is from the Edwards Aquifer with the Canyon Reservoir and Trinity Aquifer among other sources being utilized. Buda and Kyle reduced their consumption of the aquifer to 42% and 33%, respectively. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Author- ity runs a line from the Lake Dunlap dam pump station on the Guadalupe River—below Canyon Reservoir—to pump water to each locality. “[Some local] major users are not solely or wholly dependent on the Edwards [Aquifer]. They’ve expanded their water holdings, and it gives them greater latitude during times of drought like this to have more tools available to manage their various As of Aug. 23, ows at Comal Springs were at about 117 cubic feet per sec- ond when the long-term average ow is about 290 cfs, or about one-third of the average, according to Chad Norris, deputy executive manager of envi- ronmental science for the GBRA. Cfs is used to measure the pressure and motion of water. The EAA declared Stage 4 of its Critical Period Management Plan to enforce permit reductions to the San Antonio region Aug. 13. The plan is put in place to help sustain aquifer and spring ow levels during times of drought by temporarily reducing the authorized withdrawal amounts of Edwards Aquifer permit holders, which includes utility companies. water resources,” Ruiz said. Water conservation plans RESTRICTIONS WATER Local utility companies are enforcing water restrictions to address the ongoing drought. The Edwards Aquifer Authority regulates the amount of water that can be withdrawn from the aquifer. The Guadalupe Blanco River Authority manages use of Canyon Reservoir water. SOURCES: EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY, SAN MARCOS UTILITIES, CITY OF KYLE, CITY OF BUDA COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
STAGE 1
STAGE 2
STAGE 3
STAGE 4
Watering with a sprinkler or irrigation system is limited to one day per week.
Same as Stage 1 but with time- of-day restrictions on watering with a handheld hose.
Watering with a sprinkler or irrigation system is limited to one day every other week.
Each utility will determine all watering activity guidelines.
BUDA On Aug. 1, the city of Buda entered Stage 1 watering restrictions with the goal of reducing water use by 10%. Irrigation with hoses and sprinklers is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Watering with a sprinkler or irrigation system is allowed one day per week biweekly based on the last digit of one’s address. It must occur between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.
SAN MARCOS AND KYLE
0 or 1 MON.
2 or 3 TUE.
4 or 5 WED.
6 or 7 THU.
8 or 9 FRI.
RECENT RAINFALL With the exception of February and August, the San Marcos area has seen below-average precipitation every month so far in 2022. The lowest rainfall occurred in July, when the area received less than an inch of rainfall over 31 days. 5
In Stage 4 of the plan, permit holders in Comal, Hays and Guadalupe coun- ties must reduce their annual autho- rized pumping by 40%. Norris, who is also a member of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan Science Committee, said when drought conditions are persistent or spring ows reach a lower output, cer- tain measures of the conservation plan are implemented. “Some of those measures involve using alternative water sources, reduc- ing reliance on the [Edwards Aquifer] itself,” Norris said. “And those are all designed to maintain spring ows and make sure that they don’t get below a threshold that we have identi ed as needed to reduce the impacts to [aquatic] species.” The Comal and San Marcos springs help maintain base ows and are the two major springs that use the Edwards Aquifer and are tributaries to the Gua- dalupe River system. Norris said he expects some of the bigger impacts of the drought to be in the smaller tributaries in Texas that do not have springs to provide base ows. ”I feel like in general, we are prepared and not unaccustomed to droughts like we’re experiencing now,” Norris said. “But with every drought, you’re always just waiting for the next rainfall.” Looking to the future In August, San Marcos City Council began a discussion of developing an aquifer storage and recovery project WATER SUPPLY DIVERSIFICATION Over the years each municipality began diversifying where they receive their water supply. This allows for additional sources of water and provides more options for the utility company during times of drought.
Hays County 2022 rainfall Average rainfall
4
3
2
1
0
JAN.
FEB.
MAR.
APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG.
SOURCES: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
inside the Edwards Aquifer, which was passed through the Texas Leg- islature in May 2019 and that other localities are pursuing e orts on. The e orts could also include various forms of open-space protections in the recharge zone—porous land that most directly sends precipitation back into the aquifer. “It would be great to pursue our partnerships with the county to look at the value of conservation ease- ments and seeing people that own these large swaths of land, can we make it more valuable for them to hold on to that land and to implement conservation strategies?” Council Member Max eld Baker said. Mayor Jane Hughson said she will suggest annexing any land the city
owns within the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction that it already owns to make sure such areas will fall under the city’s land development code. “I’m going to suggest that one of the things we do is that all the land that we own if it’s contiguous to the city, and we haven’t annexed it—then we annex it,” Hughson said. De La Cruz said one of the biggest issues with maintaining water use reduction goals is constant communi- cation on water use restrictions. “One of those things that we always need to do better is just getting the word out and educating folks,” she said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
CURRENT WATER SUPPLY
Edwards Aquifer
Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Canyon Reservoir
25.6%
74.4%
42%
58%
33%
67%
SAN MARCOS
BUDA
KYLE
SOURCES: CITY OF BUDA, CITY OF KYLE, CITY OF SAN MARCOS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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