With the completion of two water infrastructure projects, Buda officials announced Tuesday that Stage 1 restrictions have been called off, allowing residents to water their lawn any day of the week they’d prefer. In late 2015, Buda City Council passed a city ordinance enacting Stage 1 restrictions, intended to last through 2016 as the interim water improvements project and the construction of a fifth well at the Garlic Creek pump station were underway. Now that those projects are finished, the city lifted the restrictions. “Until those projects were complete, there was some concern that the system wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand, especially in the hot, dry times,” Buda Water Specialist Brian Lillibridge said. Under Stage 1 restrictions, Buda residents could only water their lawns two days a week, the specific days depending on the numbers in their street address, he said. “We trust our citizens and customers to be good stewards and practice water conservation year-round,” Lillibridge said. “But with Stage 1 lifted, they do have the option to water their lawn any day of the week, as long it’s between the designated watering hours.” According to the city’s water conservation ordinance that is in place year-round, watering with hose-end sprinklers and automatic sprinkler systems is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Irrigation of golf courses, athletic fields and commercial nurseries with sprinklers must also fall during those hours, but using hand-held buckets, hose, soaker hose and drip irrigation systems are permitted at any time. In an effort to maintain responsible water usage, Lillibridge recommended that residents keep up with their water system maintenance and have a licensed irrigator check their system on a regular basis to make sure it’s working properly. An issue as small as a misaligned sprinkler head can cause a leak, he said. “It’s important to make our city water supply stretch as far as possible,” Lillibridge said. “[Residents] can still maintain a healthy lawn and nice landscape and also practice water conservation.”