In This Edition- Current Blanco County Drought Condition
- Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District Drought Stage
- Blanco County Burn Ban Status
- Area Groundwater District Drought Actions
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Drought Statement
- Texas Water Development Board Drought Information
- How is Your Well Doing?
Current Blanco County Drought Condition
Northern Blanco County drought condition as of June 26 - D2 Severe
Southern Blanco County drought condition as of June 26 - D3 Extreme
(The US Drought Monitor ranges from D0 - Abnormally Dry to D4 - Exceptional)
www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_state.htm?TX,S
Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District Drought Stage
At its June 5th meeting, acting on the advice of General Manager Ronald Fieseler, the B-PGCD Directors approved a Stage One (mild) drought designation.
The voluntary measures called for under this designation seek a 5%-10% reduction in water use by those relying on wells for their water supply. The designation also affects the city of Johnson City that relies on water from the Ellenberger aquifer for its water.
Johnson City has implement Stage 1 drought measures that call for voluntary reductions and curtailment of daytime outdoor watering.
The city of Blanco has not declared a drought condition but has restricted bulk water sales for all but residential use.
For the details of the B-PGCD Stage One designation call the District at 830-868-9196 or contact Preserve Our Water at pow [at] hughes.net .
Blanco County Burn Ban Status
The Blanco County burn ban continues in effect through August.
You can check the "Red Flag" fire danger status at the Texas A&M website: www.srh.weather.gov/ewx/
Area Groundwater District Drought Actions
The Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District has imposed modest, voluntary measures as the current drought rapidly deepens. Drought measures and management programs vary across our area, influenced by the relationship of water supply to demand, maturity of the Groundwater authority and general disposition of the various District Boards.
Here is what some other Groundwater Districts in the area are doing at this point in the drought:
Kerr County (Headwaters GCD) - The drought index used for this district is moving rapidly toward its drought management trigger point.
Hays County (Hays/Trinity GCD) - This District is hard at work formalizing its drought management provisions and is actively working with the public water supply companies that use groundwater as they respond to the drought conditions.
Kendall County (Cow Creek GCD) - Has declared Stage 4 of a 6 level drought management plan. This stage requires a 30% reduction in groundwater use, among numerous other provisions (http://ccgcd.org/?page=stage )
Gillespie County (Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District) - Has declared Stage 3 of a 5 level system; Severe. The primary groundwater user in the county is the City of Fredericksburg. The city has imposed mandatory water use restrictions. The water conservation district will go to mandatory provisions if current trends persist.
Travis County (Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer GCD) - Alarm Stage was imposed on June 26. This stage mandates a 20% reduction in groundwater use.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Drought Statement
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued the following press release this week. Unfortunately, the city of Blanco falls under TCEQ drought provisions at this time.
TCEQ URGES WATER CONSERVATION
Hill Country and South Texas Water Flows Declining
Hot, dry conditions combined with lower than average rainfall have reduced flows in many of Texas’ major rivers. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reports these conditions are starting to have a significant impact on the Hill Country and South Texas areas. All temporary-use water rights to state surface water in the Hill Country have been suspended until further notice.
"The cities of Blanco in Blanco County and Kerrville in Kerr County have reached limits on how much water they can divert from rivers," says Al Segovia, TCEQ’s South Texas watermaster. While each city should have enough water through the summer from back-up sources and careful conservation, now is the time to start saving water.
As of this week, 58 public water systems have enacted water-use restrictions this year, an increase of 19 over last week. Of those, 25 are using mandatory watering schedules.
The TCEQ requires water suppliers to develop drought contingency plans to manage water usage, reduce peak demand, and extend supplies. Local water suppliers issue notices about water restrictions when the situation warrants action. The TCEQ breaks down restrictions into four stages. Under Stage I and II restrictions, customers are asked to conserve water. Mandatory restrictions come into play in Stage III and involve limiting lawn watering to specific days of the week and prohibit other non-essential water use to reduce the demand on the system by a certain percentage. If these efforts fail to sufficiently reduce usage, Stage IV restrictions may be implemented. These critical water use restrictions prohibit all outdoor watering and using water to wash vehicles of any kind. Restrictions issued by your water system may vary.
Individuals can take action to conserve water now before conditions worsen:
· water your lawn no more than twice a week and only during early morning hours,
· use a drip irrigation system instead of sprinklers,
· wash full loads of dishes or laundry,
· cut back on washing your vehicle,
· replace old plumbing with water saving fixtures,
· consider installing a cistern to catch rainwater for future use,
· plant native plants (that require less water).
Texas Water Development Board Drought Information
The current issue of the "Aquifer Monitor", an electronic newsletter published by Dr. Robert Mace, Director of the Groundwater Resources Division of the Texas Water Development Board, alerts us to drought management steps being taken by the San Antonio Water Supply Company and directs us to several useful sources of information about droughts.
From the Aquifer Monitor:
Once again, Texas finds itself under drought conditions, with the Panhandle, South Central, South, and Far West Texas experiencing extreme drought conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the Oklahoma Panhandle and the bordering areas in Texas are experiencing exceptional drought conditions. The Nation Weather Service projects ongoing, persistent, or intensifying drought for much of the state through September.
According to the San Antonio Water System, San Antonio has received less than 4 inches of rain since January, more than 12 inches below normal. This week, the San Antonio Segment of the Edwards Aquifer went into Stage 1 drought restrictions as the J-17 indicator well fell below an average elevation of 660 feet above sea level for 10 days for the first time since October 2006.
TWDB drought page:
www.twdb.state.tx.us/DATA/DROUGHT/drought_toc.asp
U.S. Drought Monitor:
www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_south.htm
U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook:
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html
How is Your Well Doing?
How is your well doing as the drought sets in? If you are experiencing problems with your well’s water quantity, quality or both please drop us a note and let us know. We will make sure our Groundwater Conservation District receives the information.
They can’t put water in the ground, but they should understand when citizens are beginning to feel the bite of this drought.
Write to us at: pow [a] hughes.net
