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[Water] You know that 1950s drought of record everyone is always talking about? Turns out, we've surpassed it. During a meeting on Wednesday, LCRA announced that preliminary data from 2014 shows that the current drought gripping the Highland Lakes (aka Austin's water supply) is now the most severe drought the region has experienced since the lakes were built in the 1930s,surpassing the 1947-57 drought that until now was the worst on record.

The good news is, despite the record drought, the lakes are actually still above their all time lows, largely due to water conservation efforts by LCRA customers, like the City of Austin.

Learn more about LCRA's newly released 2014 data here>>
 

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[Water] Water experts gathered in Austin last week for the 5th Annual Central Texas Water Conservation Symposium, where they talked about successful water conservation programs from throughout the country. In a story for KXAN, reporter Rosie Newberry noted that the experts talked a lot about using new home construction to increase water conservation efforts in Austin. They said that construction crews can mulch extra lumber to fertilize grass and that new homeowners can use the natural shaping of their own yards to properly place and grow rain gardens. 

But, the article also noted that developers will not incorporate these water conservation measures into their designs unless consumers ask for them, once again making the case for increased public education efforts. In other words, if Austinites do not know how dire the drought is, or what they can do to help, no changes will be made. You can read the entire KXAN article here>>
 

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[Water] To help reduce your own personal water use, Austin 

Water has created five new informational videos to teach you how to make your outdoor irrigation system as efficient as possible. Watch them all to learn how to adjust your water pressure, change sprinkler nozzles, and redirect sprinkler heads, all of which can save you water and money. Watch the videos here>>

 

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[Water] The City of Austin is currently revising its stormwater drainage charge, in order to make it more "reasonable and equitable," according to a press release from the City. The drainage charge is assessed on utility bills and pays for solutions to flooding, erosion and water pollution. Currently the residential charge is a flat rate, and the commercial charge is based on the amount of impervious area on the property. 

Impervious areas include parking lots, roofs, and driveways that do not absorb water during rainfall. This contributes to stormwater runoff, erosion, flooding, and water pollution. To learn more about the problems associated with impervious cover,check out this great video from Austin Water >>

The stormwater revision process hopes to more accurately charge residents based on the amount of impervious cover on their properties, since that is what contributes to stormwater runoff. Under the new system, there will no longer be a distinction between commercial and residential properties.Everyone will be charged based on the amount of impervious cover on their land. 

The city is hosting a series of public meetingsabout these changes. There are two next week:

• Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 6:30pm at the Northwest Recreation Center
• Wednesday, Feb. 25th at 6:30pm at the Carver Library

 

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[Water] Just outside of Austin, fights over the 

region's groundwater supplies are heating up. Hundreds of people packed into a town hall meeting in Hays County last week to discuss a large commercial groundwater pumping project that has been proposed. Houston-based Electro Purification (EP) is planning to pump more than 5 million gallons of water a day from the Trinity Aquifer and sell it to the fast-growing city of Buda. That is more water than has ever been pumped in the region, and hydrologists, along with local residents, are worried that it could have devastating effects on the wells that many in Hays County rely on. 

Despite that, the project is perfectly legal and sheds a light on the complicated nature of Texas' water laws. To learn more about the Hays County project,be sure to read this article from the Texas Tribune>>
 

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[Water] Speaking of the Trinity Aquifer, the man who wants to build PGA-level golf courses at Walter E. Long/Decker Lake is now considering tapping into this groundwater resource for his proposed project.In an article in the Austin American-Statesman, developer Warren Hayes said that after city council rejected his water conservation measures for the golf course last year, he settled on tapping into the Trinity Aquifer as another good option, since it has no impact on Austin's water supply. 

Of course, the Trinity Aquifer does supply water to Hays County, but Warren plans to tap into a portion of the aquifer that allegedly would not impact their water supplies. Rick Broun, general manager of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, told the Statesman that Warren wants to tap into thebottom salty layer of the aquifer, which is not suitable for drinking. However, that bottom layer is 3,000 feet below ground and reaching it would require an expensive drilling operation, according to the Statesman article.