Amid worsening drought, Austin Water floats updates on conservation and drought contingency plan

As Austinites prepare for another round of scorching temperatures, stewards of their dwindling water supply are strategizing, with updates to the city’s Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan expected to hit City Council’s desk next week.

The new plan, which outlines targets for per capita water usage and drought-triggered restriction measures, is part of a standard five-year update procedure that will replace similar policies amended in 2019. But as the city approaches nearly two years of consecutive drought, the stakes are higher for what some view as an underwhelming approach.

Austin entered the first stage of drought back in June 2022, when reservoir levels in the Highland Lakes fell to 70 percent of their roughly 2 million acre-feet capacity. Last August, the city progressed to Stage 2, where it currently remains – hovering around 42 percent storage capacity.

Despite the triggering of additional restrictions for commercial and residential irrigation systems, data thus far has shown no measurable impact on Austin’s water usage.

Under the proposed update, Austinites could see stricter measures coming a little sooner, with the creation of a new Stage 3 between the existing second and third phases triggered once reservoirs reach 750,000 acre-feet (currently, levels sit at around 850,000). Taking cues from the Lower Colorado River Authority’s own Drought Contingency update released last month, the new phase would administer immediate penalties to first-time watering code violators, who currently receive warnings. The new restrictions also would target athletic fields currently exempt from irrigation restrictions, requiring an administrative variance permit issued by the city to continue watering.

As part of its updated water conservation targets, Austin Water says it is aiming to reduce residential, commercial, and industrial consumption from the current average of 127 gallons per capita daily to 123 gallons per day by 2029. The plan also calls for a continued expansion of the city’s wastewater recycling systems, along with infrastructural improvements to tackle leaks, which currently account for losses totaling nearly 21 gallons per person per day.

Still, as the LCRA has begun discussing mandatory usage curtailments and Stage 4 drought as increasingly solid possibilities, the utility acknowledges it is flirting with a potentially unprecedented crisis.

“We’ll see what comes out of this spring. The El Nino has not been very fruitful for us here within Central Texas, especially in the areas that are flowing into the Highland Lakes. So there is still the chance that we’ll get rain, but that’s not something that we’re banking on at this point,” water resources team supervisor Marisa Flores Gonzalez said. “Over the long term, if we track projections for more extreme dry conditions, we could hit Stage 3 or Stage 4, potentially sometime between September or October of 2024.”

City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on the proposed updates at its May 2 meeting. In the meantime, those interested in a more detailed overview can review a number of discussions available on ATXN or check out the draft plan.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.