Customer demand is one of several factors behind the city of Kyle’s transition into the second stage of its water conservation plan, which begins Aug. 14.
When Kyle starts hitting peak demand numbers, it triggers the city’s water department to start thinking about higher-level water management efforts.
Another factor is the decisions made by Kyle’s groundwater conservation districts.
According to Kyle Treatment Operations Manager Jason Biemer, the current drought continues as water consumption is on the rise.
“Current demand trends are reminiscent of the 2011 water usage patterns. Our groundwater resources have already started some curtailment efforts as part of their management plans,” Biemer said. “That, coupled with the limited rainfall and high temperatures, led to our decision to implement higher level conservation efforts.”
The decision to transition from one stage to another is determined by the city manager after a recommendation by the water treatment division manager in the public works department.
During Stage 2, watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Odd-numbered residential addresses can water on Wednesday and Saturday, even-numbered residential addresses can water on Thursday and Sunday and commercial and multi-family establishments can water on Tuesday and Friday.
Those who do not abide can face a maximum fine of $2,000 and a minimum of $50, although the city has not had to issue any citations in the last few years as residents are quite familiar to water conservation efforts in the area.
“We’re always grateful to our residents who seem to understand that conservation is of high importance, and truly year-round here in Central Texas.” said Kim Hilsenbeck, Kyle communication specialist.
Kyle uses an annual average of 2.6 million gallons of water a day, roughly half of the water accessible. This July, the average daily water demand was 3.6 million gallons.
“We had one day in July where demand peaked nearly 5 million gallons,” Biemer said.
The city of Kyle has already begun measures to find additional sources of water. One measure was joining with the Alliance Regional Water Authority, formerly known as the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency (HCPUA), for its water sharing project.
Water conservation is such a regular occurrence in the area that the Stage 1 Water Conservation Period is in effect from May 1 through September 30 of each year.
“At this point, we are just preparing everyone for higher-level water conservation efforts that go into effect Aug.14, which is based on an increase in demand and anticipating what groundwater conservation districts will decide here in the next few weeks,” Hilsenbeck said.
Residents can find additional information on Kyle’s water resources and conservation stages through “Water Wise and Sewer Savvy”, an outreach effort to educate residents of the city’s water resources on the city’s website.
