You can check in with the Barton Springs / Edwards Aquifer Conservation Distract for current info: www.bseacd.org Here's an update on the drought: http://www.bseacd.org/graphics/District_Declares_End_of_Aquifer_Drought.pdf For Immediate Release: Friday, March 23, 2007 Contact for more information: Kirk Holland, General Manager, (512) 282-8441 District Declares End of Aquifer Drought, but Cautions Users to Conserve Water Over 12 inches of rain fell in the northern Hays County – southern Travis County area during the first three months of 2007, bringing much-needed recharge to the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. The water level in the District’s Lovelady drought indicator well rose most of February, but at the end of the month was still in drought and began a downward trend. However, last week's rains had a substantial beneficial effect on aquifer levels; the Lovelady monitor well is currently at 178.5 feet (now more than a foot above its Alarm Stage trigger), and Barton Springs is currently about 75 cfs, which is well above its drought trigger stages and in fact, is above its long-term average flow for this time of year. On March 22, 2007, the Board of Directors of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) voted to declare the aquifer was in a No Drought condition, removing the Alarm Stage Drought status. The Board cautioned that the aquifer still remains well below its long-term average water level, and the No Drought condition could be a temporary one. The longer-term outlook for the aquifer will depend on the amount of rainfall and recharge received over the next few months. If conditions are drier than normal this spring, the aquifer is likely to return to Alarm Stage Drought by late spring, and possibly to Critical Stage Drought by late fall. May is typically the wettest period for our area, but unfortunately, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting that La Niña conditions may develop over the next 3 months, which can produce drier and hotter than normal conditions in our area. In addition, the Drought Monitor (link below) is showing that drought conditions will persist, though with some improvement, for this area. The District would like to remind groundwater users to observe the District’s Water Conservation Period and its voluntary water conservation measures. This period extends from May to September each year. In addition, homeowners are urged to hold off on re-establishing lost vegetation this spring. Re-establishment of vegetation requires lots of water that is still in short supply. Fall is the ideal planting time in Central Texas, owing to cooler temperatures and expected increased rainfall. In addition, demand for lawn irrigation water typically increases over the next few months. Kirk Holland, the General Manager of the District, notes, “Automatic sprinklers often promote wasteful water use if they are operated in an un-monitored, set-it-and-forget-it state. The District is asking groundwater users with automatic sprinkler systems to watch for and repair system leaks, which are not uncommon after winter inactivity, and also to operate their systems only in semi-automatic mode, only watering if the lawns really need it. Even then, watering should be no more often than every five days and on assigned watering days.” Groundwater users will be provided with the “5-day Watering Schedule” from their water providers at the end of this month. Place a half an inch of water on your lawn on the days that correspond to your address (see the District’s website to find out how to calculate an half of inch of water); if it has rained a half-inch or more in the preceding week, you may safely skip a watering cycle. Over-watering of turf grass can result in root suffocation and shallow root systems (which dry out more quickly during drought). Please visit www.bseacd.org for drought updates and more landscaping watering tips. District Groundwater Drought Timeline: • The aquifer has been in drought since October 2005. • In September 2006, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District declared a Critical Stage Drought for the first time in the district's nearly 20-year existence. This drought stage required District permittees to reduce monthly water use by a mandatory 30% and all users to cease lawn irrigation except for hand-held hoses. • Heavy rains in January and early February 2007 brought about increased recharge to the aquifer as indicated by increased flow at Barton Springs and higher water levels in groundwater monitoring wells. • At its January 25th Board meeting, the Board of Directors of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District voted to declare a change in aquifer drought status from Critical to Alarm Stage Drought. The return to Alarm Stage Drought meant that permittees were required to reduce pumping by 20% from non-drought monthly pumping amounts. • The water level in the Lovelady well rose most of February, but at the end of the month began a downward trend. • Rains in mid-March provided sufficient recharge to bring about an increase in the amount of water stored in the Edwards Aquifer, raising the water level in the drought indicator well above drought levels. • At its March 22, 2007 Board meeting, the Board of the District declared the aquifer was in a No Drought status, but cautioned all groundwater users that the need to conserve water continues. #### END #### -----Original Message----- From: cavera...@aol.com To: gi...@bcad.org; texascavers@texascavers.com Sent: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:49 PM Subject: Re: [Texascavers] FW: Honeycreek
In a message dated 3/28/2007 11:42:35 AM Central Daylight Time, gi...@bcad.org writes: We’ve had 10 inches in the past 3-4 weeks, 3.5 a few days ago, and more forecasted for Friday. Wow! Was that enough to get Central Texas and the Edwards Aquifer out of the drought situation it's been in for some time? Roger Moore AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.
