AUSTIN, Texas — The perpetual extreme heat and dry conditions have many cities and counties issuing water restrictions.
Below is a breakdown of all the water restrictions across Central Texas.
Travis County
Austin
Austin will be under Stage 2 water restrictions starting on Aug. 15.
Under the restrictions:
- Automatic irrigation and hose-end watering will be restricted to one day per week
- Automatic irrigation runtime is reduced by three hours with cutoff at 5 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.
- Water waste is prohibited
- Restaurants may only serve water if requested
- Charity car washes are prohibited and home car washing must use an auto-shut-off valve or a bucket
- Patio misters at commercial properties, including restaurants and bars, may operate only between 4 p.m. and midnight
- Large ornamental fountains can no longer be operated
- New landscape-establishment irrigation is no longer exempt from the watering schedule
More about Stage 2 restrictions can be found on the City of Austin website.
Lakeway
Starting Aug. 12, the City of Lakeway is on Stage 3 water restrictions, which includes one-day-a-week irrigation rules with limited hours, limits on pool-filling and car washes and other restrictions.
Lago Vista
Lago Vista is asking residents to conserve water. In a message on Aug. 6, the City said, "The city is going to continue to ask its residents to discontinue outdoor watering and pool filling until further notice. City personnel are working diligently to resolve the issue and restore normal operations. At this time, it is unknown when that will occur, but rest assured we will notify you once we know."
The water supply is facing challenges due to low lake levels, zebra mussels and mechanical issues at water plant 1, the city said. Contractors are scheduled to arrive at the water plant on Monday morning, Aug. 14.
Manville Water Supply Corporation
As of July 14, Manville Water Supply Corporation is under Stage 3 water restrictions. This decision is due to the extremely hot temperatures and high demand. This water restriction also Travis, Williamson, Lee and Bastrop counties.
To learn more about the Stage 3 water restrictions, check out the Manville Water Supply Corporation's website.
Manor
As of July 21, the City of Manor is under a Stage 3 water restriction.
Under the restrictions, automatic watering sprinklers are prohibited, hand watering is permitted at residences from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., and then again from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. on designated days, with odd-numbered addresses being allowed to water on Wednesdays and Saturdays and even number addresses allowed to water on Thursdays and Sundays. Commercial and multi-family residencies are allowed to water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To learn more about the restrictions, click here.
Pflugerville
Pflugerville Water customers are under Stage 1 water restrictions. Meanwhile, customers under Manville Water are under Stage 3 water restrictions.
According to the City of Pflugerville's website, customers are allowed to use outdoor irrigation one day per week. Restaurants can only serve water if a customer asks for it.
To learn more about Stage 1 water restrictions, visit Pflugerville's website.
Williamson County
Leander
The City of Leander returns to Phase 2 water conservation on July 20, after residents were temporarily placed under Phase 3 due to malfunctioning pumps on the facility's floating barge.
Phase 2 restrictions limit automated irrigation systems to once a week before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
To learn more about Phase 2 water conservation, check out the City of Leander's website.
Georgetown
The City of Georgetown has some residents under a Stage 3 water restriction until further notice, while others have returned to Stage 2.
Water customers that live in the following areas will remain under Stage 3: southwest of Williams Drive, west of D.B. Wood Road, west of SW Bypass, Parkside, Santa Rita, Liberty Hill ETJ, Parmer Ranch and Water Oak.
To learn more about Stage 3 water restrictions, keep up to date on the City of Georgetown's website.
Round Rock
In Round Rock, water customers returned to normal water usage on July 18. The City had issued a stop on all outdoor watering due to a water main break that happened on July 14.
However, customers remain under Stage 1 restrictions even after July 18. This means that residents have two days of outdoor watering per week, which is allowed between midnight to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight only.
Round Rock has a details on the drought restrictions for residents on its website.
Hutto
On Aug. 21, Hutto issued Stage 3 water restrictions for all water customers. This move is to help mitigate what the City is calling a "severe drought."
Under Stage 3, restaurants will not be allowed to serve water unless a customer requests it. Fountains and aesthetic pond-water features also can't be used.
For more information regarding Stage 3 water restrictions, visit the City of Hutto's website.
Pflugerville
Pflugerville Water customers are under Stage 1 water restrictions. Meanwhile, customers under Manville Water are under Stage 3 water restrictions.
According to the City of Pflugerville's website, customers are allowed to use outdoor irrigation one day per week. Restaurants can only serve water if a customer asks for it.
To learn more about Stage 1 water restrictions, visit Pflugerville's website.
Cedar Park
Cedar Park is under Stage 3 water restrictions, which means residents will have on designated day per week for lawn irrigation.
Residents with addresses ending in 1 and 3 can water on Wednesdays; addresses ending in 4, 6 and 8 on Thursdays; addresses ending in 5, 7 and 9 on Saturdays; and addresses ending in 0 and 2 on Sundays. Commercial addresses can water on Tuesdays. No watering is allowed on Fridays and Mondays.
Liberty Hill
Liberty Hill water customers are under Phase 2, which restricts outdoor watering to between 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. Residents also have designated days they are allowed to water.
Wetzler Park Splash Pad will not be impacted by this water restriction. The splash pad uses a recyclable water feature.
To learn more about Phase 2 and the impacts it has on water consumption, head to Liberty Hill's website.
Taylor
Stage 2 water restrictions are in effect for the East Williamson County Regional Water System (EWCRWS) at Lake Granger. This includes Taylor, Jonah Water SUD, and Lone Star Regional Water Authority.
During Stage 2 in accordance with the City of Taylor’s Drought Contingency Plan, outdoor water use will be restricted except for the following time periods:
1. Between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m., and between 8 p.m. and midnight on the following designated watering days:
a. Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0,2,4,6, or 8)
b. Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7, or 9)
2. Irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted at any time if it is by a hand-held hose, a faucet-filled bucket or watering can of five gallons or less, or a drip irrigation system.
Washing vehicles is prohibited except on designated watering days above. Washing shall be done with a hand-held bucket or hand-held hose equipped with a shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. All restaurants are also prohibited from serving water to patrons except upon request of the patron.
The following uses are considered non-essential and are prohibited:
a. Wash down of any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas.
b. Use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection.
c. Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street.
d. Failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
Hays County
Dripping Springs
On July 14, the Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation issued Stage 5 water restrictions that went into effect on July 20.
The decision to move to Stage 5 is due to neighboring utilities experiencing high consumption use and leaving critical storage tanks low. Residents are asked to reduce their water consumption and only use water for essential needs.
To learn more about the Stage 5 water restrictions, click here.
San Marcos
On Sunday, Aug. 27 at noon, San Marcos will enter Stage 4 drought restrictions because the 10-day average Edwards Aquifer index well level fell below 630 feet above the mean sea level.
Under Stage 4, residents have limits on the use of soaker hoses and drip irrigation. Outdoor watering is limited to one day every other week on a designated day.
The conditions from the heat and drought have led to large cracks forming in the park grounds, according to a post from the San Marcos Parks and Recreation Facebook page. While crews work to fix these issues officials are asking those who are visiting the parks to bring reusable bottled water for themselves and their pets. Officials also ask anyone who sees a leak in one of the parks to report it to the parks and recreation department.
To learn more about Stage 4 water restrictions and the impacts they have on residents, visit the City of San Marcos website.
Bastrop County
Aqua Water Supply Corporation
On Aug. 22, Aqua Water Supply Corporation moved to Stage 3 - Severe Rationing Conditions in accordance with its Drought Contingency Plan due to Stage 2 triggering conditions for those in Bastrop County and surrounding areas for more than 10 consecutive days.
This move comes after officials said elevated tank levels continue to drop due to system demand at critical sites. The water company also stated on its website, "by adhering to these restrictions, you are doing your part to help avoid outages and any subsequent boil water protocols."
To learn more about Stage 3 rationing conditions and Stage 2 water restrictions, visit the Aqua Water Supply Corporation's website.
Burnet County
Burnet
The City of Burnet will have new water limitations for its residents starting on Aug. 3. Officials will implement Stage 3 restrictions which will mean all residential and commercial watering will be once a week based on the last digit of your street address.
Outdoor watering will take place during the night and morning between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Monday: Address ending with 1 or 2
- Tuesday: Address ending with 3 or 4
- Wednesday: Address ending with 5 or 6
- Thursday: Address ending with 7 or 8
- Friday: Address ending with 9 or 0
For more information about Stage 3 water restrictions visit the City of Burnet website.
Blanco County
Blanco
As of July 20, the City of Blanco lowered its water restrictions to Stage 3.
This comes after the City issued a Stage 5 on July 17 due to the issues with its water supply system from Canyon Lake. The mayor stated in an update on the City website that the decision behind the "recent water emergency was not caused by a lack of water supply or equipment issues, but by their [Texas Water Company] decision to divert more water to other communities instead of to Blanco."
To learn more about Stage 3 water restrictions, click here.
Caldwell County
Lockhart
The City of Lockhart said on Aug. 15 that it was approaching Stage 2 water restrictions, urging water customers to continue voluntarily conserving.
Llano County
Llano
As of July 15, residents in Llano are under Stage 3 water restrictions. This means residents can water only once per week on their designated day between 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Residents are also only allowed to refill, fill or add to outdoor or indoor swimming pools, wading pools or jacuzzi-type pools on their designated watering days.
Llano will discontinue the sale of bulk water and the rental of fire hydrant meters.
To learn more about Stage 3 water restrictions in Llano, click here.