Three Brazos River Authority water supply reservoirs are now under a Stage 2 Drought Warning, and one is nearing Stage 4 Pro Rata Curtailment.
As a result of the ongoing drought conditions, the BRA has placed Lakes Stillhouse Hollow, Georgetown, and Belton under a Stage 2 Drought Warning.
Meanwhile, Lake Proctor is nearing the trigger for Stage 4 Pro Rata Curtailment. The reservoir has been in Stage 3 Drought Emergency since October of last year.
The Brazos River Authority informed customers accessing water at these locations of the declaration.
The Lake Stillhouse Hollow - Lake Georgetown subsystem, which hit the storage trigger Aug. 3, provides surface water to the following customers:
• The cities of Harker Heights, Lampasas, Georgetown, and Round Rock
• Bell County Water Control & Improvement District No. 1
• Central Texas, Kempner, Jarrell-Schwertner, High Gabriel, and Salado Water Supply Corporations
• Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District
• Several agricultural irrigators
Lake Belton provides surface water to the following customers:
• The cities of Temple, Belton, Gatesville, Harker Heights, and McGregor
• Fort Gates, 439, The Grove, and Bluebonnet Water Supply Corporations
• Bell County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1
• Coryell City Water Supply District
• SLR Property I, LP
• Wildflower Country Club, Inc.
The BRA has notified each of its customers that Stage 2 conservation measures are required to help extend water supplies. At the Stage 2 Drought Warning, BRA requires a 10% reduction in water use that would have occurred in the absence of any drought contingency measures.
The Stage 2 Drought Warning is part of the BRA's Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). This DCP, which is required by the state, is intended to help preserve and extend water supplies during drought conditions and includes strategies for temporary supply and demand management.
Lake Proctor dropped below the Stage 3 trigger of 1153.3 feet mean sea level on Oct. 20, 2022. In addition to requiring a water use reduction target of 20 percent of the water that would have been used in the absence of any drought contingency measures, the Stage 3 Drought Emergency also requires that all interruptible water contract holders cease diversions. The reservoir is the surface water supply for several wholesale water providers including the Upper Leon River Municipal Water District and several other agricultural users.
The BRA's Drought Contingency Plan has four conditions, or stages, ranging from 1-4 in level of severity. Each stage is tied to a corresponding reservoir lake, storage, or Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index (PHDI) level. These are referred to as "trigger" levels.
- Stage 1 Drought Watch
- Stage 2 Drought Warning
- Stage 3 Drought Emergency
- Stage 4 Pro Rata Curtailment
When a reservoir or subsystem drops below its Stage 1 trigger level, the BRA implements a Stage 1 Drought Watch, where customers and the public are made aware of developing drought conditions. During Stage 1, there is a recommended voluntary 5% reduction in water use that would have occurred under normal conditions.
A Stage 1 – Drought Watch was established for Lakes Belton, Stillhouse Hollow, and Georgetown on March 17, 2022. Since then, Lake Belton dropped below its Stage 2 Drought Warning trigger of 578.7 feet mean sea level on July 31 and the Lake Stillhouse Hollow - Lake Georgetown subsystem dropped below its combined storage Stage 2 Drought Warning trigger of 164,789 acre-feet on August 3.
Should dry conditions continue to the Stage 3 trigger level, a Drought Emergency condition would be initiated with a water use reduction target of 20 percent or greater, depending on conditions at that time.
Under Stage 4 Pro Rata Curtailment, the general process under which the BRA will make water available is in accordance with Texas Water Code §11.039. BRA will meet with its customers to determine measures to reduce water use and extend available supplies within the reservoir.
The BRA continually monitors weather forecasts, streamflow, and lake levels throughout the Brazos River basin. All Brazos River Authority system reservoirs are under some level of the Drought Contingency Plan. Those lakes also include lakes Possum Kingdom Lake, Lake Granbury, Lake Limestone, Whitney, Aquila, Granger, and Somerville.
The BRA reminds everyone that these extreme conditions are impacting water supplies and urges all to begin implementing conservation measures as directed by their water provider.
A copy of the Brazos River Authority's Drought Contingency Plan can be found here or by contacting the BRA at (254) 761-3100.
For biweekly video drought updates on the basin, go here.