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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 |
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GBRA limits pumping on hydro lakes
Published August 27, 2009
MCQUEENEY — Drought conditions that have reduced flows from Comal Springs in New Braunfels to levels that could soon threaten endangered wildlife will result in the implementation on Tuesday of increased pumping restrictions on the hydroelectric lakes in Guadalupe and Gonzales counties.
Guadalupe Blanco River Authority General Manager Bill West said the restrictions announced in a news release Wednesday to take effect Sept. 1 apply to property owners along the Guadalupe River in Comal, Guadalupe and Gonzales counties and on lakes Dunlap, McQueeney, Placid, Nolte, Gonzales and Wood.
The restrictions apply to any diverter of water except for contracted stored water on the hydro lakes extracted by utilities.
The Stage II restrictions are applied when flows at the Comal Springs in New Braunfels slow to below 200 cubic feet-per-second. Monday, the Comal Springs flowed at 174 cfs. Wednesday, the level of Canyon Lake was 893.24 feet above mean sea level — nearly 16 feet below its normal conservation pool of 909 feet above msl. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was releasing water from the lake at 63 cfs Wednesday afternoon.
West said this drought, already being measured in years, could rival the historic 1950s drought of record, and its time for river- and lake-front residents to begin conducting themselves as though they’re living in a drought emergency.
“It’s a measure of fairness,” West said. “Everyone in the cities of Seguin, New Braunfels or San Marcos as well as much of the rest of this region are living with some level of restriction — primarily only being allowed to water once a week by their utility — while some folks living on the lakes are running their sprinklers 24/7. It’s just not fair for them to ignore the fact we’re in a very severe drought, and that everyone should be conserving water.”
The restrictions that go into effect on Tuesday include Stage I restrictions already in effect. They are:
• No wasting of water, including allowing irrigation tailwater or water from vehicle washing at a home to escape from that person’s property.
• No using water to wash impervious ground covering such as a parking lot, driveway, street or sidewalk unless for health or safety reasons.
• No landscape watering between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Odd-numbered addresses may water only on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays, while even-numbered addresses can water only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Landscape watering by bucket, hand-held or soaker hose or a properly installed drip irrigation system is permitted at any time. This restriction does not apply to reclaimed, reused or recycled water.
• Swimming pools must be covered when not in active use by an evaporation cover, screen or shield covering at least 25 percent of the surface of the pool. Active use for apartment or commercial pools includes any time when the pool is not closed to the public.
• No one can use water for an ornamental outdoor fountain or similar feature unless the water is recycled and the only additional water used to is replace evaporative losses.
• No one can wash a vehicle at other than a commercial car wash facility except over a lawn or other pervious surface, using a hand-held hose with a bucket and an automatic shut-off nozzle on Mondays and Fridays before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
The penalty for wasting water or any violation of Stage II restrictions is a fine of up to $100 per day per violation.
West said the GBRA has also amended its drought contingency plan, which will be considered for final adoption by GBRA directors during their Sept. 19 meeting.
Anticipated winter rains, even with the formation of an El Niño condition on the South Pacific Ocean often characterized by increased winter rainfall, might not be enough to break the drought, which West said may soon rival a historic dry spell.
“This drought has reached an exceptional condition, and if it keeps at its current pace, it could be worse than the 1950s drought,” West said. “This winter will be the determining factor.
“They say we could have a wet winter. But winter typically produces slow, soaking rains of 2-3 inches that are good for vegetation, but not for replenishing the aquifer or reservoirs and the river. That’s just not going to do it. We’re going to need more.”
Comal County Judge Danny Scheel said he realized some people would be unhappy with the increased restrictions.
“Given the severity of the drought we’re experiencing, it is understandable that everyone in the region would have to make some sacrifices to stretch our water resources as far as possible,” Scheel said in the GBRA news release. “In the long run, such conservation efforts are necessary to protect our economic engine: water.”
West said the new measures are a matter of responsible policy for GBRA.
“We don’t know when this drought is going to end,” West said. “GBRA is working to steward the remaining water resources in a manner that sees its constituents through this situation. The drought is continuing, and irrespective of your water supply, everyone should conserve.”
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