The city increased its water warning to Stage 3 following a July 6 brush fire that burned 325 acres in the area of Gatlin Creek Road.
The city had been operating under a temporary Stage 4 watering restriction before the fire, which grew to 325 acres before it was contained, according to officials.
Under Stage 3 restrictions, irrigation systems may only be used once a week for six hours on a certain day depending on the address number. For residents with automatic irrigation systems, watering may only take place on Wednesday for odd numbered addresses and Thursday for even numbered addresses. For hose-end irrigation systems, residents with odd numbered addresses may only water on Saturday, and those with even numbered addresses may only water on Sunday.
With a hot, dry summer hammering Central Texas, almost 70% of Hays County is experiencing extreme drought this July, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
“We want to provide water to our membership during these bad droughts so that everyone has the ability or access to water," said Rick Broun, Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp. administrative general manager.
