What Are the Chances Waco’s New Water Restrictions Will Drip Into Temple and Killeen?
The drought in Central Texas continues, and now Waco has moved to a Stage 2 Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan.
Belton has also requested that residents adjust irrigation schedules to match Stage 1 Drought Restrictions.
How are things looking for Temple and Killeen?
Belton Water Restrictions
The City of Belton issued a press release stating that they have only asked residents to adjust irrigation schedules during peak usage.
Residents are being asked to match Stage 1 Drought Restrictions, meaning limited watering days down to twice a week between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. and based on whether an address ends in an odd or even number.
City officials hope to see watering happening Sundays and Thursdays for addresses ending in an even number, and Saturdays and Wednesdays for addresses ending in an odd number.
What About Temple and Killeen?
We reached out to both the City of Temple and the City of Killeen, and here's what we found out.
Temple Water Restrictions
We reached out to Public Relations Specialist Alex Gibbs about the possibility of water restrictions in Temple, and this was his reply:
<p>The City of Temple gets its water from Lake Belton and we (Public Works Dept.) pay close attention to this reservoir’s level. While Lake Belton is lower than we would like, it is not low enough for alarm.</p><p>As far as what it takes to put restrictions in place, the City could declare a water shortage if the Brazos River Authority (BRA) moves to Stage 2 of its Drought Contingency Plan, a drought warning. The BRA is currently at Stage 1, labelled a drought watch.</p><p>A water shortage could also be declared if system water demand exceeds a certain percentage of water treatment capacity. Demand is currently below these percentages.</p><p>Lastly, it is important to note the City is always conserving water. The City elects to promote year-round water conservation as part of its Drought Contingency Plan.</p>
Good news for now, but things could change if conditions worsen.
Killeen Water Restrictions
Janell J. Lewis Ford, Executive Director of Communications for the City of Killeen, had this to say when asked if Killeen has issued any recent water restrictions:
<p>No sir, we have not…but we will issue a media release and publish to our website and social media platforms if we do so.</p><p>Make sure to sign up for our alerts notifications, so you don’t miss any information. Thanks!</p>
So for now it looks like Bell County residents should be aware we are under a Drought Watch, but there are currently no water restrictions in place.
You can bet that the longer we go with this heat and no rain, that could change quickly. Please do your part to conserve as much as you can.
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