What residents, officials are saying about Burnet County being in a drought

BURNET COUNTY, Texas - Two weeks ago, the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District said Burnet County moved into the severe drought stage. 

As wet weather moved through Central Texas Thursday, some residents say it didn't help enough.

"Wish it would've hit us a little harder," Ben Watson, who lives near Lake Buchanan, said.

According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, right now, Lake Buchanan is at 1,014 feet above average sea level. 1,018 feet would be the normal level for the summer. 

In this chart, you can see what the lake levels are projected to be if there are wet conditions, median conditions, dry, or extremely dry conditions. 

"I've heard stories of people having to buy water already, and it's still spring, so it's going to get bad if we don't get wet," Watson said.

While Watson says this is nothing like the drought in 2011, where nearly 90 percent of the state was in the severe drought category, he does worry about it.

"Always. Living on the lake," he said.

One company, which harvests rainwater for drinking water, says they use projections of rainfall to figure out how much to harvest. For them, it's more so about supply.

"The drought for us is not so much about demand, it's about the reality of how important water is and what happens when it doesn't fall from the sky the way we are all expecting," Taylor O'Neil, CEO of Richards Rainwater, said.

The Conservation District recommends using 20 percent less water during severe drought.