Austin Water preparing for possible drought conditions

Austin Water says customers need to be mindful of water use this summer.

“This is the time of year when water usage goes up mainly because of outdoor irrigation,” said Daryl Slusher, assistant director at Austin Water.

Officials say right now, a drought is very likely. So conservation is a priority.

“We've been noticing water use is starting to climb higher than it has the last few years, we just ask people to keep that in mind,” said Slusher.

Austin Water restrictions scale from conservation stage, up to stage four. In conservation stage, residents have assigned dates and times they are allowed to water any plants or grass.  There are also rules for washing cars, and fountain use. 

“We know you want to keep your grass, and plants alive, but just moderate that and keep in mind we are in a dry area,” said Slusher.

However, just south of Austin in Buda, they’ve gotten more strict, and already enacted Stage One restrictions. In Austin, Slusher says it will take a little more for them to put us into stage one.

“You can have a combination of lower inflows coming into the lake and people using more water,” said Slusher.

Austin's water sources, Lakes Buchannan and Travis are 88 and 75 percent full.
However, dry summers can change that, quickly. So officials are hoping residents can continue to cooperate and conserve the water that the city does have.

For details on water conservation and restrictions, visit: http://www.austintexas.gov.