Drought Status

Groundwater District Declares Stage 2 Drought Conditions in Precincts 1 and 4

07 July 2008

After reviewing water levels in District Monitor Well, Ron Fieseler, General Manager of the Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District, has raised drought conditions in southern Blanco County from Stage One (Mild Drought) to Stage Two (Moderate Drought) for groundwater users in Precincts 1 and 4. This declaration goes into effect on July 9, 2006 and will continue until further notice.

District-declared Stage Two Drought conditions affect only well owners and those whose water supply is provided by water wells located in Precincts 1 and 4. The City of Blanco is on surface water and anyone who is served by that water system is not required to comply with drought reductions required by the District. However, Fieseler notes that flow from seeps, springs, creeks and rivers is often derived from groundwater sources and when this flow is reduced during times of drought, it can result in less surface water being available. Therefore, City of Blanco customers may find it prudent to voluntarily incorporate conservation measures in order to help reduce demand on their surface water supplies.

Precincts 2 and 3 in the northern part of Blanco County will remain in Stage One (Mild Drought), since water levels in monitor wells in those areas indicate a somewhat more stable water table. Even so, the District urges well owners in northern Blanco County to continue to practice voluntary water conservation in an effort to avoid more restrictive drought stages.

Under Stage Two, the District's Drought Rule increases the conservation goal from the 5-10% reduction previously required under Stage One, to a 20% reduction in groundwater use. The 20% reduction can be achieved by following one or more of the water conservation methods listed below.

Stage Two Moderate Drought
Conservation Goal: 20% reduction in groundwater use
Usage Reduction Measures:
• Continue, or increase, voluntary reduction in various uses
• Check for and correct all plumbing leaks
• Water outside lawns, trees, shrubs once every 5 to 7 days
• Water at night between hours of 8pm and 8am
• Keep swimming pools, landscape or decorative ponds, and fountains covered, use water recirculation, and refill only once every 5 to 7 days
• Wash vehicles at car wash only as needed
• No washing of buildings, driveways, streets, patios, or other outdoor surfaces except as required for human or animal health and safety needs, or for fire prevention
• Water livestock in leak-proof troughs as much as practical
• Providing groundwater to ponds, lakes, tanks, reservoirs, swimming pools, or other surface impoundments for holding water that have a total capacity of more than 50,000 gallons is prohibited except for those wells permitted for non-domestic irrigation.

The District is grateful for the water conservation efforts of well owners during the last month. The voluntary reductions in use, in conjunction with a few scattered rain showers, have helped to slow the steady decline in water levels measured in District Monitor Wells over the past few months. This week, a couple of wells even showed a slight increase in water level from the previous readings. However, Fieseler noted that with three more months of hot summer weather ahead of us, such increases are usually short-lived and it is still prudent for the District to declare Stage Two at this time for Precincts 1 and 4.

Fieseler said that during the past month, two new wells have been drilled to replace older, shallow wells. Other wells have had to have their pumps lowered. Such actions are to be expected during times of drought. However, if groundwater users make sincere and ongoing efforts to conserve groundwater, the District hopes to keep the number of well problems at a minimum. If reduction goals during Stage Two are met, the District may be able to avoid declaring a more serious drought condition.

It has come to the attention of the District that many Blanco County well owners may not know who to contact with aquifer questions or reports of problems associated with lower water levels and changes in water quality. If you have any questions or concerns about water wells, Drought Conditions, water conservation practices, or Blanco County groundwater resources, you should contact the District directly. The District is the primary source in Blanco County for aquifer questions, water level records, water quality data and testing, individual well records, and overall geology and hydrology information.

The District Office is located at 601 West Main in Johnson City and the office phone number is (830) 868-9196. You can also email the General Manager, Ron Fieseler, at: manager@blancocountygroundwater.org.

Groundwater District Declares Stage 1 Drought Conditions

05 June 2008

At the June 5, 2008 meeting of the Board of Directors, Ron Fieseler, General Manager of the Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District briefed the Board on declining aquifer levels in District monitor wells and decreased flow in the Blanco and Pedernales Rivers.

As a result of those conditions and in accordance with District Rules, Fieseler has declared Stage One Drought (Mild Drought) conditions for Blanco County groundwater users. This declaration goes into effect on June 11, 2008 and will continue until further notice.

District-declared drought conditions affect only well owners and those whose water supply is provided by water wells, such as the City of Johnson City. Individuals and public water systems that rely on other sources, such as rain water or surface water, are not required to comply with drought reductions required by the District, but may find it prudent to incorporate conservation measures in order to help reduce demand on their supplies.

Under Stage One, the District's Drought Rules ask for voluntary reductions in groundwater use of 5-10% for all Blanco County groundwater users. Stage One also requires a mandatory end to all pumping of groundwater into surface ponds, tanks, lakes, etc., except for those holding 50,000 gallons or less that are used for domestic purposes or for livestock watering.

According to Fieseler, the 5-10% reduction in use is an easy goal to achieve and will help reduce the demand on the aquifer. "The greatest water savings can be found by incorporating water-efficient landscape irrigation practices. Reduction goals can be easily achieved by watering established lawns and plants once every 5-7 days during times of no rainfall. Use of decorative or landscape water fountains or similar water features should also cease in order to conserve water," says Fieseler. He added that water is most effectively applied to lawns, shrubs, and trees between 8 o'clock in the evening and 8 o'clock in the morning when evaporative losses are less. If new landscape plantings are planned, he recommends waiting for a less stressful time.

Rather than the normal monthly visits to the District Monitor Wells, District staff members will begin measuring water levels on almost a weekly basis due to the very dry conditions. If aquifer levels continue to drop sharply, the District may have to declare Stage Two Drought or even Stage Three, which impose higher reduction goals and more restrictive water usage requirements.

The District expects that cooperation in reducing groundwater usage by everyone, from private well owners up to the biggest users, should result in lower demands, and this may help put off the need to impose other Drought Stages. There are still several months of Texas summer weather ahead and long range weather forecasts indicate continued lack of rainfall.

The District bases much of its Drought declaration decisions on water levels measured in several Monitor Wells. All District Monitor Wells have demonstrated small, but steady declines over the past several months due to lack of rainfall and the resulting increase in pumping demands…mostly for outside watering needs.

An example of District monitor well water level records are shown in the Blanco River Monitor Well chart above, which was last measured on June 3, 2008. The aquifer level shown in the chart has dropped about 30 feet since early April. This decline is very likely tied to the reduction in flow in the Blanco River. According to Fieseler, the combination of lack of rainfall, dropping of aquifer levels, reductions in flow to local creeks and rivers, and several hot, summer months coming up clearly justify the declaration of Drought Stage One.

If you have any questions about the Drought Conditions, water conservation practices, or Blanco County groundwater resources, you are invited to contact the District at (830) 868-9196.