As higher temperatures approach and water usage is likely to increase, Round Rock plans to continue its year-round voluntary water conservation effort.

The voluntary ask is part of an effort to fend off droughts, such as one that occurred in 2011 when Texas had its driest year on record, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS defines a drought as a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period, normally a season or more. In 2011, Texas had an average of 14.8 inches of rain for the year. In contrast, 2015 was Texas’ wettest year with 41.39 inches of rainfall.

The majority of Round Rock’s conservation effort focuses on educating city water users on best practices. Jessica Woods, the city’s water conservation specialist, takes on the majority of this role, consulting with citizens on how to use water in the most efficient way.

Woods says the city incentivizes good habits by offering a rebate program for efficient home appliances, improvements to irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting.

“I’m a licensed irrigator, so I do irrigation evaluations and that basically means going out to somebody’s house and teaching them how to use an irrigation system, running through the system, explaining any problems, talking to them about solutions and about the rebates,” Woods said. “We have a lot of new residents moving here from out of state, and they aren’t familiar with how we bill for water.”

Woods said this is a free service for Round Rock residents.

Currently, Round Rock uses a tiered water rate system, which is implemented May 1 of each year. From May 1-Oct. 1, the city uses a four-tiered system that has increased costs depending on use. For the rest of the year, the water rate is flat.

The city is evaluating this system through a water rate study that is set to end in June and may move to a tiered system throughout the entire year for residential use, while issuing a flat system for commercial use.

Until then, Round Rock continues to rely on tools that will make citizens more aware of their usage habits.

Director of Utilities Michael Thane said the city is working on a metering program that would let users know how much water they have consumed in nearly real time.

“As a customer, you would be able to log in and see your usage in almost real time,” Thane said. “Right now, they get a bill once a month, but with this they can be more aware of it.”

Thane said that since the drought in 2011, people have been more conscious about monitoring their water consumption. Although the conservation effort is implemented on a voluntary basis, the city does have measures in place in case there is reckless use.

“Even though there are no restrictions, if water is running down the street from your house or you are watering with a broken sprinkler system, you could get fined for the water waste component,” Thane said. “Overall, it is really about paying more attention to nature and getting our customers to realize that we don’t need to use as much water.”