Memo: Austin Water anticipates drought water restrictions soon

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a memo to Austin council members, Austin Water’s interim director mentioned employees anticipates drought response stage one rules will probably be triggered “within the close to future.”

This may be the primary water restriction stage since November 2018 when Austin entered its base water conservation stage.

The mixed storage of Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis will quickly fall under 1.4 million acre-feet, which is able to set off the rules, interim director Robert Goode wrote within the Could 20 memo. Lake Travis is at its lowest degree since 2015 at about 16 ft under common.

The primary change beneath state one restrictions is the discount of computerized irrigation hours, the memo mentioned. Hours will probably be restricted to between 7 p.m. to eight a.m.

Austin Water mentioned it could inform Austin residents of “the upcoming declaration” by way of press releases, social media, radio and tv bulletins and web site updates.

What occurs in stage one rules?

In response to the memo, right here’s what stage one restrictions embrace:

• Prospects proceed the once-per-week watering schedule for computerized irrigation.
• Prospects proceed the twice-per-week watering schedule for hose watering.
• The variety of out there watering hours reduces from 15 hours to 13 hours. This contains hours from midnight to eight a.m. and seven p.m. to midnight.
• These watering varieties haven’t any restrictions: athletic area watering; drip irrigation; hand-held watering with hose; watering bushes with computerized bubblers; computerized drip irrigation or with a soaker hose beneath the tree cover and in vegetable gardens.
• Business clients proceed limiting the usage of patio misters between 4 p.m. and midnight.
• Business automobile washes can function usually.
• Residential automobile washes and out of doors floor washing are allowed with a constructive shut-off valve or a bucket.