Water is a finite resource, so Pflugerville city leaders are working to protect it one rebate, one resident and one garden at a time. From smart technology to native landscaping, the city is showing how conservation can be simple, rewarding and essential for the future.

Why is conservation necessary if Pflugerville has a lake?

It’s a common misconception that Pflugerville’s lake means water is always plentiful. In reality, the lake is filled by water pumped in from the Lower Colorado River, which is managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority.

“Although we may see rain, and we may see a lake that is somewhat full, we’re still managing our water use based on the LCRA and what their flow is,” environmental and conservation manager Elisabeth English said. “We have firm capacity, but at the same time, we're all in drought.”

Because of this, Pflugerville enforces year-round watering restrictions, even outside of declared drought conditions.

What is Pflugerville doing to help residents conserve?

Pflugerville’s conservation program centers around two strategies: providing financial incentives, and equipping residents with smart tools and education. The goal is to make saving water more accessible, affordable and automatic.

Rebates available to residents:What is Pflourishing Flora and how does it help?

Pflourishing Flora helps residents replace turf grass with native, drought-tolerant plants. Those who complete the project themselves can earn back 80%-90% of their investment.

The Pflugerville Library recently participated in this rebate program as a way to educate the public about the beauty of native landscaping.

“I brought together our ‘not very green-thumbed’ maintenance crew, and we did [the landscaping] ourselves,” English said. “We put in a native planting demonstration garden so that customers can go there and [see how the plants] will grow over the years.”

That garden now serves as a real-life example of what residents can achieve.

“When we’re showing customers how colorful a native plant bed can be even in the heat of the summer, it really turns their opinions around,” English said. “As we get more people excited to buy into it, our city will become more colorful.”

On average, Pflourishing Flora participants have seen their water use drop by 15%-30% annually.

The program is available year-round, and once approved, participants have 12 months to complete their project.



What if my homeowners association won’t allow native landscaping?

Concerns about HOA restrictions are common, but the city is ready to help.

“If residents are having issues [with their HOA], I can be their liaison,” English said. “I have no problem speaking with HOAs or even coming to HOA meetings just to talk about the process. That's a step in community engagement that I would really like to take.”

How can I take control of my water use?

In 2024, Pflugerville rolled out its customer portal, WaterSmart, which allows residents to view water usage data in near real time, set alerts and apply for rebates. As of June, 19% of water customers had enrolled in the WaterSmart portal.

“Now residents can look at [their water usage] too,” English said. “That's where I get the most positive feedback. They can take that step to look at where they could use less water. Once they [use WaterSmart], they love it, and it's really helpful for them.”

WaterSmart also allows residents to request free, in-person irrigation assessments from city staff.

“If residents want someone on-site, maybe they used too much water last month, and they can't figure out why, I'll come look at their irrigation system, and I'll give recommendations,” English said. “Customers that participate in that have reduced their water usage because they just didn't know [what the problem was].”



What’s the impact so far?

The city’s investment in leak detection and digital tracking is already saving significant water. In just one year, Pflugerville sent nearly 8,000 leak alerts to residents. Those alerts are estimated to have saved about 3.4 million gallons of water.

What’s next for conservation in Pflugerville?

WaterSmart will receive a major upgrade later this year to improve usability and allow for more personalized alerts and hourly tracking.

“It will be easier for our customers to dive deeper into their hourly, daily usage and set alerts that are more customized. It will have a lot more user-friendly capabilities,” English said.

The city is also continuing its outreach through events such as Deutschen Pfest, where residents can meet staff, learn about conservation tools and share feedback.

“[We] always try to have a strong presence at Deutschen Pfest,” English said. “It’s great to touch base with customers without them having to call us. I get to figure out if our programs are working, or if customers have questions. That's where I get to think about the next year of our water conservation program.”

For more information about programs, rebates and conservation tools, residents can visit www.pflugervilletx.gov/conservation.

The above story was produced by Multi-Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.