At an Aug. 18 meeting, Hutto City Council received a presentation and held a public hearing on proposed updates to the plan.
Engineering firm Freese and Nichols Inc. assisted the city in drafting an updated plan.
The proposed updates include lowered requirements for Hutto to enter drought restrictions. Currently, the city can enter Stage 1 restrictions when daily water demand equals or exceeds 85% of the city's operating capacity for three consecutive days. It can enter Stage 2 at 90% and Stage 3 at 95%.
The proposed plan reduces the requirements for each stage by 10%—to 75% for Stage 1, 80% for Stage 2 and 85% for Stage 3.
"What we're trying to do is give y'all the ability to enter stages when you think is actually more appropriate," Freese and Nichols representative Adam Conner said.
The updated plan also includes extended watering hours during Stage 2 and 3 restrictions—before 10 a.m. rather than the current before 6 a.m.—which Conner said would help to spread out water use.
Other proposed changes include reorganizing of the allowable days for watering and clarifications as to what kinds of watering are permitted during drought restrictions.
Council will hold another public hearing at its Sept. 15 meeting before voting to adopt the updated plan.
