Mandatory restrictions enacted in response to ongoing drought

September and October brought with them the first sustained rainfall Austin-area cities had received in several months. For customers who rely on Lake Georgetown as their primary source of water, however, the temporary respite from the dry weather was too little and too late to offset the drought conditions that engulfed Central Texas during the summer.

Specifically, the cities of Round Rock and Georgetown, as well as the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District and Chisholm Trail Special Utility District, acted in conjunction Oct. 14 to enact mandatory twice-per-week watering restrictions as a result of the dwindling lake levels. The water mandates were a response to letters sent out Oct. 2 from the Brazos River Authority directing Lake Georgetown water users to reduce consumption by 10 percent compared with 2012.

"We have gotten these intermittent rainfall events. ... But we aren't really gaining elevation in the lake," said John Hofmann, BRA Central/Lower Basin manager. "We have made it through the hottest part of the summer, and things are not noticeably improving. Hopefully we will ... gain some [lake] elevation, and we will reassess."

The mandatory Stage 1 restrictions were approved by Round Rock City Council at its Oct. 10 meeting. For customers residing within Round Rock as well as the MUDs surrounding the city, the restrictions mean lawn watering, car washing and filling swimming pools are restricted to assigned days. Exceptions, however, are made for car wash and plant nursery businesses.

Although parts of Round Rock, Pflugerville and Austin received significant amounts of rainfall in October, the storm systems dropped less than 3 inches of water into Lake Georgetown. In fact, despite several days of rain between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, the lake's level rose by less than 1 foot during that time. According to data recorded by the U.S. Geological Service, on Oct. 15 the lake's level sat at 773 feet above mean sea level—or approximately 50 percent of its capacity.

The lake's water level has been in a consistent decline since early March, when its water elevation sat at 779 feet above mean sea level.

"Our concern is that we are not going to get the rain we need to have the lake at the level we want it next spring," Round Rock Utilities Director Michael Thane said. "That is why we are enacting these restrictions to have people tighten up."

Compounding the lack of rainfall has been the failure of two of the four pumps that feed Lake Georgetown with water from the much larger Lake Stillhouse Hollow near Belton. When all of the pumps are online, the BRA can feed up to 42 million gallons per day of additional water into Lake Georgetown. With half of the pumps currently disabled, however, the lake is unable to maintain a constant level.

"Our pipeline is moving about 25 million gallons per day [into Lake Georgetown]," Hoffman said. "Our customers out of Lake Georgetown are pulling anywhere from 36 [million] to 46 million gallons a day out of the lake—so we just can't keep up."

The last time Round Rock enacted mandatory watering restrictions was in August 2011. In October of that year, the city was forced to set emergency restrictions prohibiting outdoor watering of any kind following the failure of all the pumps at Lake Stillhouse Hollow.

Thane said there is no set timeline for when the current mandatory watering schedules would end. He estimated Lake Georgetown would need to reach 778 feet above mean sea level before the BRA would feel comfortable lifting the restrictions.

Going forward, there have been discussions among Round Rock council members on whether the city should institute mandatory watering restrictions every year, regardless of the lake levels. Councilman Craig Morgan said he is a proponent of going to a mandatory twice-per-week watering schedule during the hottest summer months.

"This weather pattern we have been in the past few years doesn't seem like it is getting better," Morgan said. "I just don't think cities and counties can wait and hope it gets better."

Morgan, however, acknowledges there are problems with enacting permanent restrictions if the other municipalities using Lake Georgetown water do not follow suit to conserve. Thane also said the city could risk losing revenue if the lake were ever filled to capacity and customers were barred from using more water.

"There will be times when all of these lakes are going to be overflowing come May of whatever year," Thane said. "If we have people who want to water more when our lakes are full, we generate more money which helps us not have to issue debt when we do a capital project."