Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation

The annual meeting of the Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation (RRWSC) will be held on April 11, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Ruby Ranch Lodge.  In the RRWSC Bylaws, Ruby Ranch lot owners in sections 3 through 8, even if they do not yet have a water tap, are members of RRWSC and eligible to vote at this meeting.  The RRWSC is separate from the Ruby Ranch Homeowners Association and is run by a separate Board of Directors.

Please attend this meeting to be introduced to the current board members and to discuss the status of our water system.  PGMS, our water system’s operator, and the Board will be available to answer any questions about the new Trinity Aquifer well and the management and future of the water system.

If you are unable to attend you may mail the attached ballot to RRWSC PO Box 1585, Buda, TX. 78610 or hand deliver the ballot to 871 Clark Cove, Buda, TX.  Mailed or hand delivered ballots must be received by noon on April 10, 2013.  Current state law does not allow proxy voting.  The enclosed Agenda and Official Ballot will be used to conduct any business at this meeting. There are 3 at-large director positions available on the board and 3 candidates are running.

Our water system was established in 1997 and has been furnishing water to property owners for close to 16 years.  During this time the system has been a first class and safe water source that has grown and expanded to meet increased demand.

 

Last year PGMS, our water operations management company, had performed a routine inspection of our ground storage tanks and made the recommendation to coat the interiors of the oldest tanks at each plant location in order to extend the life of each tank.  PGMS identified potential contractors to do this work and, after receiving several bids, made a contractor recommendation to the Board which the Board accepted, stipulating that the work takes place during the winter months when the demand on our water system is lowest.  Last week the contractor initiated work on the front storage tank at plant #2 (at the far south end of Ruby Ranch Road) and we expect that once plant #2 is totally operational they will commence work at plant #1 (near the 4-way stop).  Simultaneously with the plant # 1 work PGMS will be doing some yard piping work to give us further flexibility on storage tank usage.  We do not expect any impact to the service to any of our customers during this time frame.

At its November 15 Board meeting, the Board of Directors of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District declared ‘Stage II Alarm Drought’ for the District, effective immediately.  The drought declaration affects authorized water use by some 60,000 groundwater users in northern Hays, southern Travis, and western Caldwell counties.

The Lovelady Monitor Well, in the Edwards Aquifer and located in South Austin, dipped below its Alarm threshold of 478.4 feet above mean sea level on November 7th.  The 10-day average discharge at Barton Springs, the District’s other official drought indicator, also dipped below its Alarm threshold of a 10-day average of 38 cubic feet per second, based on BSEACD manual measurements a few days later.  For the Board to officially declare drought, only one drought indicator has to cross below its trigger threshold.  In this instance, both the water level in the Lovelady Monitor Well and springflow at Barton Springs were below their respective triggers prompting the drought declaration.

Declaration of Stage II Alarm Drought requires all of the District’s permittees to implement measures specified in their User Drought Contingency Plans to meet monthly pumpage reduction requirements.  All permittees must achieve at least a 20% reduction in monthly pumpage.  Permittees with certain conditional permits may have to reduce use even further.  End-user customers served by water utilities on groundwater wells are required to comply with their utility’s water use restrictions for this drought stage.  Generally, restricting outdoor water use, including limiting landscape irrigation, pool filling & refilling, and non-essential water use such as water fountains, is sufficient to reach monthly pumpage targets for Stage II Alarm Drought.

Since January 1, the Aquifer District has recorded approximately 35 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the yearly average for the area (33.38 inches). However despite above average rainfall this year, it has not been enough to generate runoff to recharge the aquifer and to sustain non-drought water levels.  This is probably due in part to the exceptional rainfall deficit and low water levels in the aquifer in 2011. Many area surface water and groundwater resources face similar drought conditions.  Water conservation now will help slow water level declines and protect water availability for groundwater users.

For more info including Drought Frequently Asked Questions visit:

http://www.bseacd.org/publications/spotlights/aquifer-district-declares-stage-ii-alarm-drought/