Taylor, TX – August 24, 2024 – – The Brazos River Authority (BRA) has notified the City of Taylor that it is implementing a Stage 2 Drought Warning for the East Williamson County Regional Water System (EWCRWS) at Lake Granger. This includes Taylor, Jonah Water SUD, and Lone Star Regional Water Authority. BRA is requiring consumers to reduce water usage by 10% effective immediately.
During Stage 2 in accordance with the City of Taylor’s Drought Contingency Plan, outdoor water irrigation use will be restricted except for the following time periods:
- Between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m., and between 8 p.m. and midnight on the following designated watering days:
- Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0,2,4,6, or 8)
- Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7, or 9)
- Irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted at any time if it is by a hand-held hose, a faucet-filled bucket or watering can of five gallons or less, or a drip irrigation system.
Washing vehicles is prohibited except on designated watering days above. Washing shall be done with a hand-held bucket or hand-held hose equipped with a shutoff nozzle for quick rinses. All restaurants are also prohibited from serving water to patrons except upon request of the patron.
The following uses are considered non-essential and are prohibited:
- Wash down of any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas.
- Use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection.
- Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street.
- Failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
The City will be strictly enforcing these restrictions. Violations will result in a fine of up to $500 per day per violation. The City will continue to release any updated information as it becomes available on the City’s website and social media.
The City of Taylor’s Drought Contingency Plan is available here.
The City of Taylor is NOT Running Out of Water
This water restriction is due to consumption reaching 90% capacity for more than 3 consecutive days. The restriction simply means that our peak water usage during the hottest and driest part of the year does approach the maximum amount that can be produced in a single day. This is why the restriction asks residents to alternate watering days to spread out use and limit peak usage on any given day.
In January of 2024, the Brazos River Authority (BRA) presented to the Taylor City Council on plans to expand production and plan for future water needs in the region. BRA serves Taylor, Jonah Utility District, and Lone Stat Water. The current maximum daily production capacity of the water plant is 14 million gallons per day. The average daily water usage last year was around 7 million gallons per day. Peak demand on the hottest driest day of the year is approaching the daily capacity of the plant. According to BRA projections, average daily demand will exceed our current capacity around 2035.
This is why BRA has already begun expansion work to increase capacity and plan for future needs. They have already dug a well into the Trinity aquifer that can deliver up to 3 million gallons per day once it is put into service. They will soon start on a pipeline installation to create redundancy and expand capacity of water production. Around 2028, they expect to have a plan expansion online that will bring capacity up to around 27 million gallons per day, and a long-term plan is in place to expand to 40+ million gallons per day.
Release from Brazos River Authority:
Waco, TX – August 21, 2024 – The Brazos River Authority (BRA) has informed customers accessing potable drinking water from the East Williamson County Regional Water System (EWCRWS) that a Stage 2 Drought Warning has been declared. The declaration comes as a trigger set by the Brazos River Authority Drought Contingency Plan was met during the early part of August 2024. The trigger point is a total daily water consumption of ninety percent (90%) of the EWCRWS' production capacity for a period of 3 consecutive days.
BRA Customers receiving water from EWCRWS include:
- The City of Taylor,
- Lone Star Regional Water Authority, and
- Jonah Water Special Utility District.
As a result of the ongoing drought conditions, the BRA has notified each customer that Stage 2 conservation measures are required to help reduce demand on the EWCRWS. At the Stage 2 Drought Warning, BRA requires a ten percent (10%) reduction in water use that would have occurred in the absence of any drought contingency measures.
The Stage 2 Drought Warning is part of the Brazos River Authority's Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). This DCP, which is required by the state, is intended to help preserve and extend water supplies during drought conditions and includes strategies for temporary supply and demand management.
The DCP has four conditions, or stages, for the EWCRWS ranging from 1-4 in level of severity. Each stage is tied to a corresponding reservoir lake level, storage level, or treated water consumption amount. These are referred to as "trigger" levels.
Should water consumption at EWCRWS continue to increase, the BRA may declare a Stage 3 Drought Emergency under the BRA Drought Contingency Plan. At the Drought Emergency stage, BRA would require a water use reduction target of twenty percent (20%) or greater, depending on conditions at that time.
The BRA continually monitors the EWCRWS water production and demands as well as weather forecasts, streamflow and lake levels throughout the Brazos River basin.
The BRA reminds everyone that these extreme conditions are impacting water supplies and urges everyone to do their part by implementing conservation measures as directed by their water provider.
A copy of the Brazos River Authority's Drought Contingency Plan can be found at the following web address www.brazos.org/DCP or by contacting the BRA at (254) 761-3100.