By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

Rollingwood has officially entered stage-two drought conditions, triggering various water-use restrictions for residents and businesses. 

Residents may use automated outdoor sprinkler systems from midnight to 10 a.m. only on certain days depending on the resident’s address. 

Residents with addresses ending in one or two may water on Monday, three or four on Tuesday, five or six on Wednesday, seven or eight on Thursday and nine or zero on Friday. 

Commercial addresses ending in even numbers may water on Saturday, and business addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Sunday. 

Outdoor watering is permitted at any time using a hand-held hose or faucet-filled watering bucket that is less than five gallons.

Residents may only wash vehicles on their designated watering days between 7 p.m. and midnight, or from midnight to 10 a.m. 

Using water to fill swimming pools is prohibited, except for public pools. 

Residents are not permitted to use water for ornamental fountains, unless those fountains support aquatic life. 

These restrictions are the result of a wholesale water supply contract with Austin, according to City Administrator Vicky Rudy. 

The contract states that Rollingwood residents and businesses must restrict water use in accordance with the city’s Emergency Water Use and Drought Contingency Plan when the city uses 800,000 gallons for three consecutive days. 

The city has consumed more than this for four consecutive days, according to Rudy. 

Mayor Dale Dingley said the restrictions will stay in effect until the city uses less than 800,000 gallons for three consecutive days. 

This reduced usage must be sustainable, however, so the city will not automatically retract the stage-two restrictions once water usage decreases unless the reduction is stable, he said. 

“We don’t want to be on stage two any longer than we have to,” he said. 

Violation of these restrictions is a class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500.