Beginning April 1, the city of Fair Oaks Ranch Drought Contingency Plan will be updated to include four stages of drought rather than three. This change will better align the city with surrounding entities.

What it means

The current plan includes three stages of water restriction, and the change will create a new stage between moderate and critical drought conditions.

According to the approved resolution, the new stage 3 will result in the following restrictions:

• In addition to stage 1 and 2 water restrictions, landscape watering through an irrigation system is limited to once every other week
• Power washing sidewalks, driveways, pavement, the outside of buildings or other impervious surfaces is prohibited
• Watering with drip irrigation is allowed every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Surcharges will go into effect for consumption over 10,000 gallons per residential account and 30,000 gallons per commercial account per billing period

The stage 4 restrictions will be similar to restrictions in stage 3 under the former plan, with the following additions:

• In addition to stage 1, 2 and 3 water restrictions, all nonessential water usage is strictly prohibited. This includes all landscape watering through irrigation and sprinklers.
• Watering with drip irrigation is allowed once a week as determined by the year-round watering day schedule

A breakdown of each drought stage can be found on the city website.

How we got here

The current plan was approved in 2023, and in December, city council held a workshop to discuss plan revisions to bring it in line with plans from Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District.

The first reading of the resolution was approved by city council in January, and the second reading approved on Feb. 6. To ensure utility customers had enough time to be aware of the plan changes, the effective start date of the changes is April 1.

As of March 4, the city is in a stage 2 drought, according to the city's website.