LCRA likely to move to Stage 2 of drought response in early March

AUSTIN, Texas - The Lower Colorado River Authority says it will likely move to Stage 2 of its drought response in early March.

This move would require all LCRA firm water customers to increase water-saving measures and limit outdoor watering to no more than once a week.

LCRA was last in Stage 2 from August 2023 through June 2024.

What they're saying:

"It looks like we’ll be headed into Stage 2 in early March, and we wanted to give people a heads up that outdoor watering may soon be limited to once a week," said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of Water. "We know people are getting ready for spring, and we can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to use drought-tolerant plants that can survive and thrive on watering no more than once a week."

How is Stage 2 triggered?

By the numbers:

Combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis, the two water storage reservoirs in the Highland Lakes, stood at 1.016 million acre-feet, or about 51% of capacity this Thursday, says LCRA.

Under LCRA's plan, Stage 2 would be triggered if:

• On March 1, the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis is below 1.1 million acre-feet; and
• The prior three months of inflows are less than the 25th percentile of historic inflows for that three-month period.

LCRA says that inflow totals for December and January were below that percentile and that it is likely that December to February inflows will also be below that percentile.

In Stage 2, LCRA firm water customers, like cities and industries, will have to implement additional water-saving measures with the goal of reducing usage by 20%.

Stage 2 would remain in effect until the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis increases to at least 1.1 million acre-feet, or about 55% of capacity.

Who would be impacted?

What we know:

The maximum once-a-week watering restriction would impact cities, businesses, industries and lakeside property owners that draw water directly from the Highland Lakes.

LCRA firm water customers include Austin, Burnet, Cedar Park, Cottonwood Shores, Dripping Springs, Granite Shoals, Horseshoe Bay, Lago Vista, Leander, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, and multiple municipal utility districts, water control and improvement districts, and water supply corporations. 

LCRA says that several customers, including the City of Austin, already have maximum once-a-week watering restrictions in place.

Big picture view:

Because of the ongoing drought, there will likely be no water from the Highland Lakes available this year for interruptible agricultural customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch operations in the lower basin, says LCRA. 

Stored water from the lakes has not been available to those customers since the first agricultural season in 2022. 

LCRA says it will determine whether water will be available for the first growing season in 2025 based on March 1 combined storage in lakes Buchanan and Travis.