Cedar Park enacts stricter water conservation measures with Stage 3

Cedar Park enacts Stage 3 restrictions

The City of Cedar Park has enacted Stage 3 water restrictions. Outdoor watering is restricted to one day a week for residents.

CEDAR PARK, Texas - The City of Cedar Park has enacted stricter water conservation measures.

Under Stage 3, starting on Aug. 14, Cedar Park water customers may only water outside one designated day per week. There will also be a temporary water conservation rate adjustment.

The City says it will allow time for residents to adjust their automatic irrigation systems and reduce usage before they will begin enforcement of Stage 3 on Monday, Sept. 4.

When can I water my lawn and outdoor plants?

Residents will now be allowed to water outdoors on the following schedule:

Wednesdays: Addresses ending in 1 and 3
Thursdays: Addresses ending in 4, 6, and 8
Saturdays: Addresses ending in 5, 7, and 9
Sundays: Addresses ending in 0 and 2

All commercial addresses, including apartment complexes and HOA-owned property addresses will water in Tuesdays.

Customers may water before 10 a.m. and/or after 7 p.m. on their designated day. All customers with automatic irrigation systems should program their system according to the above schedule and times.

For more information, click here.

What is the temporary water conservation rate adjustment?

As part of Stage 3, the city is implementing a temporary water conservation rate adjustment.

The adjustment will be implemented in September and reflected in residents' utility bills starting in October.

The rate is meant to further encourage residents to reduce water usage as requested, and those who do should not see an overall increase in their monthly utility bill.

Customers can monitor their water use through the City’s Digital Metering Portal. The City of Cedar Park is encouraging residents to click here and sign up to see their usage in near-real-time, set thresholds and set alerts.

The temporary water conservation rate adjustment also helps maintain adequate funding for the water utility to ensure that the City is able to maintain operations and continue to deliver safe and high quality drinking water.

Why is Cedar Park in Stage 3?

The City of Cedar Park says Stage 3 was triggered by the low combined lake levels in Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. Lake Travis, which is managed by the LCRA, is the city's sole water supply.

Per the city's drought contingency plan, the LCRA calls for the city to reduce its overall consumption by 10 to 20 percent once the combined storage levels of Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan reach 900,000-acre-feet.

Those levels have fallen below that threshold, says the city.