Do We Have Enough Water?

The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District’s aquifer monitoring system shows an all-time low in aquifer levels “with no relief in sight.”—August 7, 2023, Charlie Flatten, General Manager, Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District

Tom Jones

From August 1, 2023, Stage 4 Drought Conditions have been in effect in areas of Central Texas due to inadequate rainfall. The ongoing drought is having serious impact to the aquifers and the people living in the Texas Hill Country. Water well levels have dropped 20 feet in some areas, coinciding with low river flows and depleted aquifers. Although rainfall had been forecast for late August, the 20-minute shower we saw from a storm in the Gulf wasn’t enough and practically evaporated on contact. Short term projections into September indicate that there is little drought relief in sight.

Now is the critical time to conserve water to maximize water availability for the next several months. At the beginning of the month, Paul Bertetti, Senior Director with the Edwards Aquifer Authority said, “August doesn’t look good. Above-normal rainfall is not expected until winter months.” He was right, and in August, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District issued a 40% curtailment for the entire district. This was the first time a district-wide emergency drought declaration had ever been issued. The Hays Trinity district includes the cities of Dripping Springs and Wimberley.

The vast Edwards Aquifer, below the surface of most of the Texas Hill Country north of the Balcones uplift, is approaching its lowest flow levels on record. According to Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, “As we continue to get warmer and warmer, we’re going to see less and less recharge to the Edwards Aquifer, which means it’s going to threaten our springs.” The largest spring complex in Texas, Comal Springs in nearby New Braunfels, is flowing at 30% of its historic average for August. Its primary spring has already gone completely dry.

David Baker, executive director of the nonprofit The Watershed Association, told KUT reporter Steven Santana, that Jacob's Well Natural Area, a public resource managed by Hays County Parks and Recreation, has lost "thousands of dollars in revenue" from closing the area to swimmers over the past two summers. "It’s really unacceptable to just sort of ignore the guidelines that the groundwater district has set up,” Baker told KUT, referencing Aqua Texas, a local utility company that has been exceeding pumping limits and endangering Jacob’s Well. "To not comply with those rules [is what] we think significantly contributed to the situation we’re in now.”

Katherine Sturdivant, education coordinator for the Hays County Parks Department, said she’s been keeping a close eye on the rain gauge at Jacob's Well Natural Area. She said that standing water with almost no flow can build up bacteria and make it dangerous for people to be in. “It can be really gross,” she said. “People are not the cleanest things in the world, and when we pile them all in, it can cause a lot of problems.”
Last July,
Jacob’s Well stopped flowing for the fifth time in its recorded history and closed for swimming for half the summer.

Sturdivant said oral and written records have shown no evidence that Jacob’s Well stopped flowing before the year 2000. “So now this has happened five times in the last 23 years,” she said. “And it’s happening more and more frequently.” Sturdivant said she believes the spring's low flow is caused by the region coming out of a drought. She said the area got only about half the rain it should’ve gotten last summer. “But we get droughts a lot,” she said. “That’s something we’re pretty used to.” —Maya Fawaz, KUT, June 14, 2023*

*This interview was done in June, 2023, before folks noticed how Jacob’s Well was again not flowing—for the 6th time in 24 years. Fawas’ full article has two nostalgic photos of the spring’s former beauty and was eerily prescient only a few weeks before the famous destination went bone dry.

Austin NBC affiliate KXAN investigative reporter Taylor Girtman’s report, filed August 7, 2023, documents how one Central Texas corporate water provider overpumped nearly 90 million gallons of water in 2022. This led to “by far” the largest penalties for overuse in the Hays Trinity district, which includes the Jacob’s Well zone. Aqua Texas, which provides water to the Woodcreek development in Hays County, overproduced its permit by 89.4 million gallons of water in 2022. And according to Hays Trinity Groundwater District, already by June 2023 the company had pumped 84 million gallons above its 94-million-gallon allotment. This represented overage of 89%, with half the year still to go! Aqua Texas was issued a $450,000 fine for pumping almost twice as much as its permit allowed last year, but the company hasn't paid. Charlie Flatten, general manager of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, said that settlement negotiations continue—along with the ongoing excessive water withdrawal from the aquifer.

Of course, it’s people demanding that water. Brent Rhea, central Texas manager for Aqua Texas, said the utility is sending out letters to customers about the Stage 4 drought restrictions in effect since August 1, 2023, in central Hays County areas, including Wimberley. He said the company also launched social media ads and sent emails to customers with information on how to conserve water. “We know that water is essential,” he said. “We are obligated to serve the customers, but we also know that if we sell all the water in one day, we don’t have water to sell tomorrow.” Rhea said Aqua Texas can decrease the water pressure on a property that’s using too much water, which makes outdoor watering difficult. Besides that, he said, “it’s really the customer’s responsibility to follow the drought restrictions."

If you live anywhere in Central Texas, you are in Stage 3, “Extreme Drought,” or have already moved to the highest, Stage 4, “Exceptional Drought.”

A related issue is water supply infrastructure maintenance. The Watershed Association estimates that the Aqua Texas system loses more than 30% of its water to leaks. Aqua Texas said it is looking to tackle water loss by spending more than $3 million to replace old and broken pipes. Craig Blanchette, president of Aqua Texas, said he understands the importance of finding water solutions for the community. “We can’t fix it overnight. It takes the entire community to pitch in. But we’re committed to our customers and our partners at the groundwater conservation district to get there as quickly as possible.”

Aqua Texas has bought land outside Jacob’s Well Management Zone and is exploring the possibility of using a different aquifer as a water source. A majority of the pumping in the Jacob’s Well area is from the Upper and Middle Trinity Aquifers. But the Lower Trinity aquifer has significant water capacity that has only been minimally developed. The company said it is running tests to see if installing a well on that land would restore flow to Jacob’s Well and the local environment.

Why all this concern, anyway, about Jacob’s Well? Well, it was an idyllic small town swimming hole. For indigenous peoples it was sacred. But Jacob’s Well is also the hydrologist’s indicator of groundwater levels and springflow feeding Cypress Creek.

Its flow indicates the amount of water in the aquifer—rain water stored naturally in karst limestone beneath our feet. That groundwater is held clean and pure for our judicious use.

Today the surface of Jacob’s Well is a Wimberley Parks and Recreation managed Natural Area. But water companies and private wells are depleting the aquifer below. Less and less rainfall has been available to recharge it. So, yes, unless we change our personal habits and public oversight, large areas of Hays County will run out of water.

The Texas drought that the nation remembers was the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. It could be argued, however, that the 1950s drought, which lasted 8 years, was worse than the Dust Bowl. The last bad drought for Central Texas was in 2011, and nobody who lived through it can forget it.

It’s ironic to read harrowing accounts of those historic droughts in an article written a year ago by Michael Barnes, The Times It Never Rained: 3 Devastating Historic Texas Droughts, in Austin American Statesman, July 18, 2022. And on August 28, 2023, he updated that article.

And how does the current drought compare with conditions across the country? Look at these national drought maps. Record heat plagues the west and southwest, tornados have swept through the Midwest all summer, wildfires take trees, towns, and lives from California to Maine, and with global cyclone activity ramping up, rain events are causing floods and mudslides. The cost of all of it is incalculable.

Depression, desperation—we’re emotionally impacted. Action is the best medicine. What can we do?

Water Conservation...It's Your Business!

Residential water conservation means saving for the future! Growing populations, rising demands, warm temperatures, and low rainfall can challenge the availability of water, especially during the summer. A few small changes in your water use habits can make a huge difference in water savings. Practicing these tips could save up to 25,000 gallons per year for a family of four!

Start Water Conservation Indoors

Installing a low-flow shower head is the single most effective conservation step that can be taken inside the home.
Take a shower instead of a bath.
Never use the toilet to dispose of trash.
Don't allow the water to run while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Only run the dishwasher with a full load.
Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator. Running water from the tap until it is cool is wasteful.
Install an aerator on your kitchen faucet to use less water, without feeling an impact.

Also Conserve Outdoors UPDATE August 1: Stage 4 Restrictions prohibit all outdoor water use.

In the summer, outdoor water use can account for 50% or more of total water use:

One-half inch of water per week in the summer will keep most Texas grasses healthy. Although there may be some loss of green color, the root system is often alive and healthy. To determine how long you should run your sprinklers,* place straight-edged cans at different distances away from the sprinkler and time how long it takes to fill an average of one-half to one inch of water in each can. Then, only water for the amount of time it takes to reach the desired level.
Water during the early morning or evening hours, since evaporation losses will be up to 60% higher during the day. Do not water on windy days.
Set sprinklers so the lawn is watered, not sidewalks and driveways.
Harvest the rain. Buy a rain barrel or cistern and collect the water from your gutters to water your plants.

*When Wimberley moved to Stage 3 Restrictions in 2022, hose end sprinklers were prohibited in favor of bucket, handheld, or drip irrigation only. August 1, 2023, Wimberley moved to Stage 4 Restrictions, prohibiting all outdoor water use.

Commercial Water Conservation Counts!

Washing driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, or other impervious areas on a commercial property is prohibited, unless it is required to eliminate a public health hazard.
Commercial dining facilities must utilize shut-offs for handheld dish rinsing wands.
Commercial dining facilities must utilize water flow restrictors for all garbage disposals.
Commercial dining facilities shall not operate a misting system in unoccupied areas.
Ice machines shall not be single pass water-cooled.
Commercial car wash facilities shall recycle rinse water.
Homebuilders and developers shall offer xeriscape and rainwater harvesting options to prospective home buyers.
Golf courses shall not water greens, tees, and roughs with potable water. *
*For several years Wimberley area golf courses have used grey water only; no potable water is used.
Wimberley Water Supply Corporation

On August 1, 2023, Wimberley moved to Stage 4 Water Restrictions, under which all outdoor water use is prohibited; indoor use must be “essential” and follow the conservation guidelines listed above. Other Hill Country communities are expected to follow.

Master Naturalists know and Texans are coming to understand that each ecology-minded habit or community action improves our global chances of cooling a warming planet. Will we have enough water? Maybe, but only if we act now.

Do We Have Enough Water?

Do We Have Enough Water?

Water Conservation...It's Your Business!

Collecting Seeds to Protect an Aquifer

Documenting Drought