West Travis County residents told to stop irrigation, utility says water tanks didn't refill

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Residents of western Travis County and northern Hays County were asked Friday morning to conserve water after their local water utility reported its storage tanks did not fully refill Thursday.

The West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) said in its low water pressure/no water advisory that overnight irrigation "emptied the storage" and asked for an immediate shut off of irrigation systems.

"Due to extremely high irrigation demand, some customers are experiencing low water pressure or no water at their homes," the advisory said. "Please refrain from irrigation, filling pools and other activities that consume a lot of water and are not strictly necessary throughout the day to give our tanks a chance to recover."

Customers of the PUA were already under Stage 2 restrictions, with watering limited to once per week during limited hours.

The PUA initially said it expected the tanks would need the rest of the day to refill, but updated its report at 8 a.m. Friday, warning that "tank levels are continuing to drop."

Its water system is "hydraulically complex," according to the agency, due to "the disjointed nature of the areas of service, long transmission distances, varied topography and system improvements built over a period of more than 40 years."

The PUA gets its water from direct reuse and the Highland Lakes lake/reservoir system, according to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). The Highland Lakes system is controlled by the Lower Colorado River Authority, and includes Lakes Buchanan and Travis.

As of Friday morning, Lake Travis' level is up from 30 days prior, while Lake Buchanan is down by a foot, according to LCRA data.

TWDB listed recommendations for WTCPUA, including improvements to: aquifer storage and recovery, direct potable reuse, drought management and municipal conservation; it also recommended the addition of another reservoir.

This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN for updates.