Stage 3 is prompted when the 10-day average depth of the Edwards Aquifer drops below 640 feet, according to a press release.
Stage 3 restricts landscape watering of lawns with a sprinkler system to one day per week, every other week. The day of the week a resident is permitted to water is based on their address number. Sprinklers and irrigation systems are not allowed to be used on a weekend.
Watering with a handheld hose, soaker hose, drip irrigation or bucket is permitted on any day prior to 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m., according to the release.
The lower Edwards Aquifer level also means the Comal Springs—which feed the Comal River—could slow or stop. At the rate of decline in the springs without any rain, portions of the Comal Springs could stop flowing in the coming weeks, according to the release.
According to the United States Geological Survey—the government body that monitors spring flows in the area—the Comal Springs ran at 136 cubic square feet on June 20. That is down from June 20, 2021, where the USGS recorded 287 cubic square feet at the Comal Springs. The J17 well for the Edwards Aquifer is at a 636.3-foot 10-day average, according to officials with the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
“New Braunfels has been faced with severe drought situations over the years. Our community has always taken the appropriate conservation steps to prevent the Comal Springs from going dry,” New Braunfels Mayor Rusty Brockman said in the release. “It takes all of us to make a difference. Your cooperation in conserving to protect our Comal Springs is appreciated during these hot and dry days.”
