FAIR OAKS RANCH, Texas – The Guadalupe River has stopped flowing, so people who depend on that water are now being asked to cut back on their use.
“Water conservation is very important for Texas as a whole,” environmental program manager Kelsey Delgado said.
Fair Oak Ranch city officials warned people this week about a possible water boil notice.
“Very, very quickly, we saw that observation well levels dropped significantly,” Delgado said.
The Guadalupe Blanco River Authority stepped in with enough water to avoid an emergency.
“It was in order to boost our well levels, to help during that surge demand time,” Delgado said.
As Fair Oaks Ranch heads into stage two drought restrictions, people have started trimming down their water use and it’s helping.
“Over the course of the last 24 hours, we have seen our wells replenishing quicker,” Delgado said.
The city is asking homeowners to reduce their water use to 15,000 gallons, or they could face a fee. Last summer, the average Fair Oaks Ranch household used 19,000 gallons and Delgado said a lot of that comes from landscape irrigation.
“It’s just very vital for residents here or anywhere else to conserve water where they can because it could be a while until we get out of the drought stage again,” Delgado said.
To keep an eye on how much water your family uses, you can sign up for Aqua Hawk.
To see your weekly and hourly water consumption, just type in your address and utility account number.