San Marcos City Council voted April 7 to adopt a drought ordinance that eases some restrictions compared with the previous ordinance and also creates a fifth stage of drought restrictions. The city's previous ordinance had only four stages.
In Stage 5, at-home car washing and use of sprinkler systems are prohibited.
"[The severity of drought restrictions] depends on what happens between now and August and September," said Tom Taggart, city of San Marcos executive director of public services. "If the rains we've recently had are the only ones we get, we may get down to those [Stage 5] levels."
Last year the water level in the Edwards Aquifer's J-17 wells, which the city uses as the trigger for its drought restrictions, was at 639.09 feet on April 10. This year the well was at 643.52 feet at noon on April 10. That additional four feet, along with conservation programs that were triggered throughout much of the Edwards Aquifer Authority's area during last year's dry summer, could help maintain aquifer levels throughout the summer above what the city has seen in recent years, Taggart said. But again, that will depend on how much rain the city receives this summer, he said.
El Nino
On March 5, National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration climate scientists officially announced the arrival of an El Nino weather cycle that has a 50-60 percent chance of lasting throughout the summer. El Ninos are meteorological occurrences that typically bring wet summers to parts of the United States.
Taggart said the city is not banking on a wet summer, however.
"[Climatologists] are thinking it's going to be a very weak [El Nino]," he said. "They're not entirely sure what's going to go on.
Dianne Wassenich, director of the San Marcos River Foundation, said a weak El Nino and the ongoing drought in California point to a shift in weather patterns that could have long-term implications.
"This summer we are not out of the woods," Wassenich said. "This drought appears to be a multiyear drought. We need to find new ways to conserve."
Conservation
The city has implemented an aggressive system of rebates for rainwater collection systems that San Marcos Conservation Director Jan Klein said is unmatched by other similarly sized Central Texas cities.
The city refunds 50 cents per gallon of storage for unpressurized systems and $1 per gallon for pressurized systems. For commercial systems, rebates up to $20,000 can be paid out by the city. For residential systems the rebates can reach $5,000.
Monte Sheffield, owner of Palmer's Restaurant in San Marcos, installed three collection tanks on his business's property in November. He said recent rains filled his tanks and will allow him to water the plants in the restaurant's large courtyard and patio without tapping into the city's system or running up his monthly utility bill.
Sheffield said the city refunded him about half of the $8,200 he paid for the system.
"We use a lot of water," Sheffield said. "[The rebates are] a great thing for the local area to have. We think it's a great deal, and we applaud the city for bringing it on."
In March, Hays County Commissioners voiced support for legislation filed by Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, that would exempt rainwater collection systems from property tax valuations, potentially saving homeowners money on their annual tax bill. Isaac said the systems can cost up to $20,000.
"We're not just talking about barrels, like someone puts out a barrel to collect water and water plants," he said. "We're talking about whole-home rainwater collection systems."
