The city of Pflugerville officially returned to standard Stage 1 water conservation measures following improvements at the surface water treatment plant, according to a July 25 news release.
The background
On March 4, city officials declared a local disaster and set restrictions across the city. City officials said multiple breaks in the 30-inch raw water pipeline that carries water from the Colorado River to Lake Pflugerville limited the city’s ability to replenish its primary drinking water source.
On May 1, the city moved into modified Stage 1 emergency water restrictions after staff announced that the lake level remained just above 633 feet.
The update
City water customers may now use automatic irrigation once per week on their designated watering day before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., wash outdoor surfaces once per week on their designated watering day at any time, and fill swimming pools.
The eased restrictions are possible because of the installation of advanced water filtration membranes at the Surface Water Treatment Plant, according to the release. The new membranes increase the plant’s treatment capacity, enabling the city to safely produce and deliver more drinking water, and support the transition from modified Stage 1 to standard Stage 1 water conservation measures.
“This milestone is possible because our community stepped up to conserve water while we worked through critical improvements at our water treatment plant,” Pflugerville Mayor Doug Weiss said in the release. “Thank you to everyone who did their part. While we’re able to ease restrictions, we remain focused on long-term reliability as we continue waterline repairs and complete the improvements needed to ensure Pflugerville has a resilient water system for years to come.”
With the new membranes installed, the SWTP’s daily maximum treatment capacity increased 50%, from 8 million gallons per day to 12 mgd. Water use has remained steady at 4 to 6 mgd since the city entered Stage 3 emergency restrictions March 4 and moved to modified Stage 1 on May 1.
One more thing
Pflugerville's watering schedule is as follows:
- Residential:
- Addresses ending in 0 or 1: Monday
- Addresses ending in 2 or 3: Tuesday
- Addresses ending in 4 or 5: Wednesday
- Addresses ending in 6 or 7: Thursday
- Addresses ending in 8 or 9: Friday
- Commercial and multifamily facilities: Saturday
- Public and private schools: Sunday
