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Aquifer District Declares Critical Drought (Stage III)

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2022
For more information, contact: David Marino, Communications & Outreach Manager at (512) 282-8441 or dmarino@bseacd.org

On October 20, 2022, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District General Manager Tim Loftus, declared Critical Drought (Stage III). One of the District’s drought triggers, Lovelady Monitor Well, passed below its Critical Drought trigger on October 17, 2022. Only one of the District’s two drought stage triggers (Lovelady Monitor Well & Barton Springs) needs to be reached for a drought declaration to be made. However, to exit a drought stage, both Barton Springs and Lovelady must rise above their respective drought trigger values. This latter requirement keeps the District from making multiple declarations about drought over short periods of time.

The District hasn’t been in Critical Drought (Stage III) since October of 2013. While drought conditions have improved across the state, central Texas still isn’t seeing much rain. So far, we have received below average rainfall every month this year except for February and August. May, June, and July of 2022 were the warmest on record for Austin. Reducing water use is now critical. With continued lack of rainfall and high rates of pumping, water levels could drop to the extent that some wells go dry. The District has already received reports of dry wells. Flow from Barton Springs could eventually decrease to the point where ecological, recreational, and aesthetic uses of Barton Springs would be damaged.

Declaration of Critical Drought (Stage III) requires all District permittees to implement mandatory measures specified in their User Drought Contingency Plans (UDCPs) to meet monthly pumpage reduction requirements:

• 30% for Edwards Historical and Conditional Class A permittees,
• 75% for Edwards Conditional Class B permittees,
• 100% for Edwards Conditional Class C and Class D permittees, and
• 30% for Trinity and Alluvial/Austin Chalk Historical permittees

“We can’t afford to underestimate the threat that the current drought poses and the need for everyone to do their part to conserve water,” said General Manager Tim Loftus.

End-user customers (60,000+ existing groundwater users in the District) served by water utilities on groundwater wells are required to comply with their utility’s water use restrictions for this drought stage. Generally, outdoor irrigation of lawns and landscaping is now prohibited or severely restricted. Groundwater uses should be limited for essential indoor demands needed to preserve health and safety with a very minor allocation provided for non-essential outdoor water use.

November is the first month that permittees will need to meet new reductions in pumpage. Permittees should refer to the monthly drought allocations listed in their User Drought Conservation Plan (UDCP) and Drought Target Charts.

Planting native or drought-tolerant landscapes, mulching, and using compost can substantially reduce the amount of irrigation water required to keep plants healthy. Making sure your irrigation system is functioning at peak efficiency and replacing leaking gaskets and hoses can help conserve water. Installing a rain barrel or rainwater harvesting system can make an even bigger impact in reducing overall water use.

The District recommends that both exempt and permitted well owners follow these conservation tips. For additional information on groundwater wells, please take a look at the District’s Well Owner Guide. If you have questions about your well, please contact us at 512-282-8441. We encourage you to call or visit our office (1124 Regal Row, Austin, TX) during office hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to review our groundwater management process, receive information about the drought, or if you need assistance with other groundwater related matters.

Useful links:

Drought Information
Frequently Asked Drought Questions
Drought Media Tool-Kit
Drought Status page
Drought Management page

Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation will hold a Zoom meeting on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. Additional information can be obtained by calling 512-312-2725. The meeting agenda may be viewed here

Drought Update September 29, 2022 The District remains in Alarm Drought (Stage II), which was officially declared at the June 9, 2022 Board meeting. However, the declaration of Critical Drought (Stage III) could happen by early to mid-October if we do not see additional rainfall. Despite widespread rains across Central Texas in August, a dry pattern quickly returned in September delivering only an average of 0.76 inches of rainfall between Travis and Hays counties. According to KXAN (Austin), rainfall recorded at Camp Mabry (0.47 inches) marks September 2022 as the 12th driest on record, while Austin-Bergstrom (0.14 inches) comes in as the 4th driest. This month isn’t supposed to be this dry. Typically, September is our 4th wettest month of the year, with almost 3.5 inches on average in Austin (KXAN). As of September 29 we’ve reached the 21st straight day without measurable rain. With no rainfall relief, drought conditions in the Texas Hill Country continue to worsen. We have received an average of 15.2 inches – 10.2 inches behind annual average rainfall – from January through September (figure 1). Edwards and Trinity aquifer levels began to decline in spring and continue to do so. Figure 1. Monthly deviation from avg. and monthly total rainfall in BSEACD territory Climate scientists forecast that La Niña conditions (declared by NOAA on October 14, 2021) are favored to continue into winter. The continuation of La Niña means that we are predicted to receive below average rainfall and above average heat through the summer and into the winter. It’s not until February 2023 that forecasters predict a chance of neutral conditions and increasing chances of returning Central Texas to average temperature and rainfall. May and June, which are historically the wettest months of the year in Central Texas, were both way below their historical monthly average (-2.8 & -2.7 respectively). Only August has provided above-average rainfall since February. May, June and July 2022 clocked in as the warmest on record for Austin. As a result, both aquifer levels and spring flows are approaching historic lows. Lovelady crossed under the Alarm Drought (Stage II) trigger on May 26. On September 29, the well had a level of 463.7 ft msl, only 1 ft above Critical Drought (Stage III) (Figure 2). Without rain, it is expected to cross into Critical (Stage III) in early to mid-October. Figure 2. Lovelady monitoring well water elevation level Also, Barton Springs crossed under the Alarm Drought (Stage II) trigger in late June. On September 29, Barton Springs was flowing at 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) (10-day average), 5 cfs above the Critical Drought (Stage III) trigger point of 20 cfs (Figure 3). Without rain, Barton Springs is also expected to cross into Critical Drought (Stage III) in early to mid-October. Figure 3. Barton Springs flow The District could declare Critical Drought (Stage III) in the coming weeks if conditions continue to worsen. Declaration of Critical Drought (Stage III) would require all District permittees to implement mandatory measures specified in their User Drought Contingency Plans (UDCPs) to meet monthly pumpage reduction requirements. 30% for Edwards Historical and Conditional Class A permittees, 75% for Edwards Conditional Class B permittees, 100% for Edwards Conditional Class C and Class D permittees, and 30% for Trinity and Alluvial/Austin Chalk Historical permittees Again, the District could declare Critical Drought (Stage III) in the coming weeks. We will share that information on the District’s social media channels, website, through our newsletter, and put out a press release when/if Critical Drought (Stage III) declaration happens. Now is the time to brush up and double down on water conservation measures. Check out this great list of water saving tips from the Texas Water Development Board. Generally, restricting outdoor water use, including limiting landscape irrigation, pool filling and refilling, and non-essential water use such as water fountains, are easy ways to conserve water. It’s also best to only water your lawns once a week during the early morning hours. You can find more conservation tips for both indoor and outdoor conservation here. The District recommends that both exempt and permitted well owners follow these conservation tips. For additional information on groundwater wells, please take a look at the District’s Well Owner Guide. If you have questions about your well, please contact us at 512-282-8441. We encourage you to call or visit our office (1124 Regal Row, Austin, TX) during office hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to review our groundwater management process, receive information about the drought, or if you need assistance with other groundwater related matters. Also, check out our drought information page. We will frequently update this page. Other useful links: Drought Media Toolkit Press Release Archive Drought Status Page Drought Management Page BSEACD is a groundwater conservation district charged by the Texas Legislature to preserve, conserve, and protect the aquifers and groundwater resources within its jurisdiction, which includes parts of three central Texas counties. It is governed by a Board of five elected directors and staffed with hydrogeologists, groundwater regulatory compliance specialists, environmental educators, geospatial systems specialists, and administrative support personnel.

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