After months of hard work, Kyle City Council approved the new Drought Contingency Plan at the Tuesday, September 1 City Council meeting.
The new plan, crafted by the Kyle Water Utilities Department, provides clear criteria to increase or decrease drought restrictions, reduces the need for amendments to the drought stages, and allows the City to effectively manage its water resources during drought conditions in a conscientious, fair, and appropriate manner.
Based on the new criteria, the City is now in Stage 3 Drought restrictions – meaning Kyle water customers can now water once a week, an increase from the previous Stage 2 Amended Drought restrictions that allowed watering once every other week.
Based on this new stage, customers may water (irrigate):
- By a hose and sprinkler or spray irrigation system from 8 p.m. – 5 a.m. once per week on their designated outdoor water use day.
- By drip irrigation or a soaker hose from 7 p.m. – 10 a.m. once per week on their designated outdoor water use day.
- By handheld hose, or handheld watering can from 7 p.m.- 10 a.m. on any day. Any time a handheld hose is used, the hose must have a positive shut-off nozzle connected to the emitting end.
Additionally, Kyle water customers can wash vehicles at home using a handheld hose on any day; clean outdoor surfaces like sidewalks, fencing, driveways, etc., with a pressure washer any day; and water foundations with a soaker hose on any day.
Limits on water used for construction purposes are still in place. Commercial business and commercial construction must also adhere to once-a-week watering standards.
We ask that all City of Kyle water customers check and adjust their automatic irrigation systems to make sure they align with the current once-a-week watering restrictions. In fact, you can track the water usage in your home down to the hour through Kyle WaterSmart, a secure online portal that gives City of Kyle water utility customers a better understanding of their water use, helping to track and monitor usage and conserve water more efficiently.
Getting started is simple. Visit CityofKyle.gov/WaterSmart or Kyle.WaterSmart.com with your Kyle Water Utilities account number and service address zip code on hand, click the ‘Access the Kyle WaterSmart Portal’ button and follow the prompts. For even more information, check out this Kyle TX News article:
Failure to comply with current drought restrictions, as outlined in ordinance 569, that governs our drought plan, can result in a fine of up to $2,000. To report a violation, please contact Kyle 3-1-1.
It’s also important to mention that, according to a new state law (Texas Property Code §202.008), HOAs are prohibited from fining residents whose lawns go brown while drought restrictions remain in place.
5 New Drought Stages
As you’ve likely noticed, the stages have changed, increasing in number but decreasing in watering (irrigation) restrictions. This is due to the previously mentioned criteria including triggers to increase or decrease drought restrictions. Each of the five stages include a set of circumstances that must occur before being enacted, including but not limited to:
- Our local water authorities, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) declaring increased or decreased drought restrictions
- Assessing the daily usage of our water system as well as our daily production
- A water quality, supply, distribution system or other emergency exists as determined by the City manager or designee
To read more about what each drought stage entails, visit CityofKyle.gov/Drought and read over the full Drought Contingency Plan.
