Pflugerville water crisis: Restrictions continue for residents; city gives update

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Water restrictions continue for residents using the City of Pflugerville's water supply. 

What we know:

At a city council meeting, they said the city is coordinating with contractors and consultants to schedule another shutdown starting the last week of May. That shutdown could last two weeks. 

The city said it's necessary to complete repairs to the existing raw waterline and construction of the secondary waterline. 

City council also said they had issued 24 citations to City of Pflugerville water customers who were observed not following current water restrictions.

By the numbers:

The chart below shows City of Pflugerville water customer use in million gallons per day (MGD). 

The blue line shows the city's goal of 4 MGD. Continued conservation is essential to reach this goal and move out of Stage 3 emergency restrictions.

The lake's elevation is currently at 627.99 feet. The city needs to maintain 633 feet to move into Stage 1, which provides the most benefits for residential water customers.

Pflugerville water crisis

The backstory:

The break in the original raw waterline happened during construction of the 42-inch secondary raw waterline, which, once complete, will help provide additional water flow to the lake, the city said.

Water should begin flowing from the secondary raw waterline by the end of June 2026. 

Dig deeper:

The City of Pflugerville installed a 24-inch temporary bypass waterline on Tuesday, March 10 and began pumping water from the Colorado River to Lake Pflugerville on Wednesday, March 11. This restored raw water flow to the lake. 

The city said the temporary bypass waterline was installed after a break in the original 30-inch raw waterline, which stopped water flow to the lake. The lake is the city's primary water source, so this break caused the lake to drop significantly. 

Pflugerville water customers still remain under Stage 3 emergency water restrictions. This will remain in place until the lake level reaches a depth of 19 feet, which could take two months. As of March 11, the current lake depth is 16.52 feet.

Pflugerville Stage 3 water restrictions

What you can do:

Stage 3 emergency water restrictions for all city customers began on March 4 at 5 p.m.

This means water use is limited to indoor use only, except for watering foundations, as needed.

City of Pflugerville water customers are not allowed to: 

• Irrigate lawns, including automatic or manual sprinkler systems or hand watering with a hose and bucket
• Fill previously empty swimming pools
• Wash cars at residences
• Water home or business building foundations
• Run ornamental fountains unless they contain fish or recirculate water
• Install landscaping or grass that requires irrigation during installation
• Wash sidewalks or driveways

Residential customers can use patio misters, but commercial customers cannot. 

Members are also asked not to wash cars during Stage 3 restrictions. However, if you wish, you may use commercial car washes. 

Lake Pflugerville and its fishing piers are closed to recreational usage, which includes boating, swimming, and fishing. 

The trail and playground remain open. 

PflugervilleEnvironment