By Eleni Himaras, Staff Writer

On Aug. 24, the city of Austin will implement Stage 2 watering restrictions, limiting residential outdoor irrigation to once a week. The regulations also apply to any municipality buying water wholesale from the Austin Water Utility, including Lost Creek Municipal Utility District, West Lake Hills, Travis County MUD No. 10 and Rollingwood.

The restrictions come in the wake of an announcement by the LCRA that the combined water storage levels of Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan have dipped below 900,000 acre-feet. 

“The state-approved Water Management Plan directs LCRA to request its wholesale water customers to issue mandatory restrictions on water use when the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis drops to 900,000 acre-feet.  LCRA’s goal is that these restrictions will result in a reduction in water consumption of up to 25 percent,” said LCRA executive manager of Water Services Suzanne Zarling in a press release. 

This is the first time since 1999 that the authority has hit this trigger point. If the water supply remains at or below 1.1 million acre-feet on Jan. 1, the LCRA will begin reducing environmental releases for instream flows and begin a gradual curtailment of its interruptible water supply for commercial irrigation. 

“We’ve reached a critical point in LCRA’s water management, and we are counting on the customers who buy water from us to require their users to conserve and to use less water until such time that the lakes have been adequately replenished,” Zarling said. “We’re not at a crisis point yet. The Water Management Plan is there to help us prevent a crisis. For the plan to work everyone has to use less water.”

The Austin restrictions will allow outdoor watering for commercial, multifamily properties with odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday; commercial, multifamily properties with even-numbered addresses on Friday; residential, odd-numbered addresses on Saturday; and residential, even-numbered addresses on Sunday.

Automatic systems may be used on the specified days before 10 a.m. and hose-end sprinklers or soaker hoses may be used before 10 a.m. and/or after 7 p.m. on specified days. Residents may hand water their lawns any time on any day. 

Other restrictions under the plan include:

• Golf fairway irrigation is limited to assigned days before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m.

• Golf tee and green irrigation is limited to every other day.

• Vehicle washing is limited to designated days and times, with a hand-held bucket or a positive shut-off nozzle on a hose.

• A person may not conduct or participate in a charity car wash.

• The use of outdoor ornamental fountains is prohibited except to provide aeration for aquatic life.

• A person may not fill, refill, or add water to an indoor fountain.

• No automatic fill valves are allowed for pools or ponds.

• Washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, patios or other paved surfaces is prohibited.

• A restaurant may not serve water to a customer unless requested by the customer.

Ignoring these water restrictions in Austin is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. While the city of Austin does not have jurisdiction to impose these consequences on residents living in areas that simply buy water from Austin, each municipality has a contract with the city saying that its restrictions and ensuing penalties will be akin to those of Austin. 

Water Control and Improvement District #18, which provides water to some homes on the Westbank, is also a customer of the LCRA but does not buy water from the City of Austin and is therefore not subject to the above restrictions. The district is asking its customers to voluntarily curtail their water use and said if it implements mandatory restriction in the future, they will likely follow  Austin’s plan.