Pflugerville remains in a Stage 3 emergency water restriction due to a series of breaks in its water pipeline, but efforts are well underway to repair the line and elevate Lake Pflugerville levels.
City officials provided an update to Pflugerville City Council during an April 14 council meeting.
How we got here
Multiple breaks along Pflugerville's 30-inch raw water pipeline, which delivers water from the Colorado River to Lake Pflugerville, have disrupted the city’s raw water supply, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Per city officials, the first pipeline break occurred in September with further breaks in November, January and March. Mayor Doug Weiss signed a disaster declaration on March 4, and the city entered into a stage 3 emergency water restriction. The line later experienced a fifth break on March 17 which was repaired by March 18.
The update
Assistant City Manager Flozelle Roberts said a 42-inch secondary raw water line is being constructed, along with a 24-inch temporary bypass water line.
As repairs continue, Public Utility and Engineering Director Matt Rector said Lake Pflugerville's elevation was 631.18 feet as of April 12. The targeted elevation is 633 feet, which based on current conservation efforts could be reached by around May 7 and would ease the Stage 3 restrictions.
Materials needed to repair the 30-inch permanent water pipe have been signed off by project engineers, ordered and are awaiting the manufacturer's delivery window, Rector said.
What residents should know
Under Stage 3, water use is limited to indoor use only with the exception of watering foundations to prevent cracking. Restrictions indicate:
- Residents cannot use sprinklers or hoses to lawn, garden or pot plants; fill empty swimming pools; wash cars at home; utilize decorative fountains unless they contain fish or recirculate water; install new landscaping that requires watering; or wash sidewalks and driveways
- No city street sweeping or vehicle washing, and all city facility irrigations are turned off
- Parks and recreation pools remain in maintenance cycles
- Construction projects must source water outside of Pflugerville's water service area
Pflugerville Police Chief Willie Richards said the city has already issued 82 citations as of April 14 for not following Stage 3 restrictions, of which 19 were businesses and the others were residential.
City officials continue to provide residents with ongoing activity alerts via its website and social media handles, or when residents text PfAlerts to 38276.
Roberts also said the city is also planning a two-week water shutdown starting on May 27, which should not impact residents but means water will not be flowing into the lake.
What they're saying
Roberts said the city did not move into Stage 2 when conditions allowed as this would ultimately not benefit residential customers. Instead, focus is being placed on conserving water until the targeted lake elevation is met and the city can safely move into Stage 1.
Restrictions also did not begin sooner as the first three line breaks occurred during periods of low demand and resulted in minimal impact on the lake level, she said.
