Friday, January 10, 2020

2020 Talking Points for Approaching Alarm Stage II Drought

No Drought
Lovelady well height: 495 ft-msl (158 ft-Depth to Water)
Barton Springs approximately: 45 cfs (10-day average)


·         How close are drought triggers to Stage II Alarm Drought thresholds?  (last updated 1/10/20)
o   Barton Springs 10-day average discharge is at 47 cfs and continues to decline towards the drought trigger threshold of 38 cfs.
o   The water level in the Lovelady Monitor Well is 17 feet above the Stage II Alarm Drought threshold (478.4 feet above mean sea level).  It is expected to cross its threshold in mid-February.
o   Only one drought trigger below its threshold required to enter into drought.

·         What does Stage II Alarm Drought mean for homeowners?
o   Water utilities using groundwater are required to cut back their monthly pumping by at least 20%.
o   Consequently, all end users that get their water from groundwater will have to reduce their water use.
o   Check your water bill for monthly water use—should be below 4,000 gallons a person.
o   Restrict outdoor watering.  Follow your water utility’s watering restrictions. 

·        What is the weather outlook for the next few months? (last updated 1/10/20)
o   U.S. Drought Outlook is predicting a drier than average January - March 
o   Discharge and water levels are in steady decline; it will take consistent rainfall to saturate the soils to allow runoff to fill creeks.  We need enough rainfall so creeks flow consistently for a few weeks—preferably a few months—since the majority of the recharge to the aquifer comes when creeks flow across the recharge zone.



Where should people go to find out more information?
o   Our website… www.bseacd.org or google ‘Barton Springs Aquifer District’.

What is the drought response from other area water agencies (updated 1/10/20)?

Edwards Aquifer Authority:
o   No drought conditions
o   EAA Critical Stage Info (Triggers, Stages and Reductions)

City of Austin: 
o   City of Austin is in Conservation Stage Restrictions (automatic irrigation limited to 1 day per week, before 10am or after 7pm)
o   Follows LCRA drought triggers (see next section).

City of San Marcos
o   No drought restrictions

Lower Colorado River Authority:
o   Currently no declared drought.
o   Water storage in Lakes Travis and Buchanan are currently at 87% full (1,748,038 acre feet, 1/10/20).  Check real time Lake Volumes.
o   When lakes reach 900,000 acre feet, firm water customers required to reduce water use by 10-20%, and LCRA starts curtailment of interruptible permits and environmental flow allocations.

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority:
o   Currently no declared drought.
o   See 2011 Drought Contingency Plan for more info. 

Hays-Trinity Groundwater Conservation District:
o   No drought conditions

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

2019 Aquifer Status Review

No Drought
Lovelady well height: 495 ft-msl (158 ft-Depth to Water)
Barton Springs approximately: 46 cfs (10-day average)

FY 2019 began with a status of Stage II Alarm Drought declared by the Board on July 12th, 2018. An average of 13 inches of rain in September to October provided much needed recharge to the Edwards and Trinity aquifers. These rains revived aquifer water levels and Barton Springs flow, elevating to above Stage II Alarm drought warning levels. The Board subsequently updated the drought status from Stage II Alarm Drought to NO Drought on October 11th, 2018. The calendar year ended with some of the wettest December weather ever recorded. By New Year’s Eve, six inches of rain had fallen in Austin and the Hill Country for the month of December, more than two times the average. January 2019 provided about 3 additional inches, exceeding its historical average of 1.9 inches.
A combined 14 inches of spring rain fell in May and June 2019 providing even more recharge. Barton Springs flow quickly responded to the fall 2018 rains and additional spring 2019 rains to maintain an average daily spring flow of 100cfs throughout FY 2019. On June 14th, 2019, water level measurements in the Lovelady monitor well had risen to surpass the 3rd highest peak recorded in 2003 (536.0 ft-msl or 117.4 ft-dtw). 
Summer came with a drying trend. Below-average rainfall initiated a rapid decline at the Lovelady well beginning July 15th. This decrease has continued through a dry fall season and is projected through the winter.

To summarize, the Austin/Hill Country area has received an average 27 inches of rainfall in 2019, producing significant recharge for local aquifers. However, official forecasts point toward drier and milder-than-normal conditions across Central Texas, which will likely result in further declines as 2020 gets underway. We hope spring will bring its usual upward swing of recharge to keep our aquifers well-supplied.