Government
BY HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
Central Texas watering restrictions ramp up The Lower Colorado River Authority, or LCRA, enacted Stage 2 outdoor water restrictions March 3 in response to continuing drought conditions. The details All LCRA customers including several Central Texas municipalities like Austin will be limited to outdoor watering once a week. The LCRA aims to cut water demand by 20%. The maximum once-per-week watering restric- tion affects cities, businesses, industries and lakeside property owners that draw water directly from the Highland Lakes. “These actions are needed to help preserve and extend our water supplies in the face of a drought that shows little signs of easing over spring and summer,” John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, said in a statement. Declines in water levels of Lakes Buchanan and
Chipmaker NXP ends $290M deal in Austin Semiconductor company NXP backed out of an economic development agreement with Austin over a year after City Council agreed to a plan increasing investment in the chipmaker’s Austin campuses. The modernization and expansion was expected to add to the company’s hundreds of millions of dollars of estimated annual economic impact. What happened Last fall, NXP terminated the economic deal with Austin that would’ve seen more than $290 million in upgrades and dozens of jobs added. NXP backed out due to compli- cations with its application for federal CHIPS and Science Act funding, but has sought funding instead from the Texas Semicon- ductor Innovation Fund, per city records.
Drought stages*
D2 = Severe Drought, 17.89% D3 = Extreme Drought, 70.19% D4 = Exceptional Drought, 11.92%
Travis County
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SOURCE: DROUGHT.GOV/COMMUNITY IMPACT
*AS OF MARCH 18
Travis, the primary reservoirs in the Highland Lakes system, prompted the LCRA decision. What you need to know Agency authorities encourage people to utilize low-water landscaping that can thrive on no more than once-a-week watering, and to: • Use water-efficient landscaping and drought-tol- erant plants • Cover swimming pools not being used to limit evaporation • Add mulch to landscapes and compost to turf to help prevent water loss
SPRING INTO SAVINGS
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