Water consumption spiked last week in Comal County, just as Texas The Water Company (TWC) was close to transitioning its customers from drought stage 4 to drought stage 3 restrictions.
President Aundrea Williams warned if this trend continues the utility won’t meet the threshold to ease restrictions.
Businesses and residents need to reduce water usage — especially outdoor irrigation — to move back to Stage 3.
“We’re very close to achieving this together,” she said. “Mother Nature has played her part and now we need to continue doing ours. While we are eager to transition out of stage 4 and stay there, this depends on maintaining consistent conservation efforts, otherwise we risk moving back to stricter restrictions, which we want to avoid.”
The Texas Water Development Board said as of Sept. 10 there were improvements in the decline in drought in Central and North Texas.
However, recent rains might not be enough to sustain improvements, the board said on Facebook.
On its map of Texas, Comal County has been downgraded to being “abnormally dry.”
TWC customers are asked to
- Avoid all outdoor watering while in Stage 4
- Limit outdoor watering to once every other week during Stage 3 conditions
- Conserve water whenever possible
Williams said TWC is committed to providing reliable water service despite challenges posed by the ongoing drought.
TWC monitors water usage, aquifer and surface water levels and weather conditions across its service region to determine when certain drought stages should be implemented.
