The weather has been hit or miss so far this spring for getting a little spring cleaning yard work done, but I’m not going to complain about the wet weekends!! The wildflowers have been gorgeous (check out my pictures) AND the rain has meant we haven’t had to turn on our sprinklers yet this year, which is great.
Even though we’ve had some pretty consistent rain, the lake levels haven’t come up too much. Lake Georgetown (Round Rock’s main water source) is holding pretty steady at 64% full. It’s a little higher than it was last year at this time, but still, not full! Lake Stillhouse Hollow has come up a little with the recent rain, is at 67% full.
If you haven’t been to Lake Georgetown in a while, I encourage you to go. It’s not too far, I drove over to take these pictures for this article. (What can I say, it was a nice day and I needed a current picture!) Simply take IH-35 north t
o the HWY 29 exit in Georgetown, head west (turn left at light). Turn Right onto DB Woods road and follow the signs to the scenic overlook or one of the many parks in the area. It’s great to actually see your drinking water source in person AND the area has a lot to offer recreation-wise!
On the picture that actually shows the lake, the portion I’ve circled is a screen on an intake pipe. This is basically like the City’s straws that are in the lake, sucking the water up and transporting it to our water treatment plant. The screen is what keeps out fish, trash, and other large debris from entering into the treatment plant. This is supposed to be underwater! That gives you an idea how low it is.
Because of the continuing low lakes levels, the Brazos River Authority has asked that all users of these lakes reduce their water use, so that’s why Round Rock and Georgetown have enacted their Drought Contingency Plans for the last year and a half. We are still under Stage 1 watering restrictions. This means if and when you water your yard, it can only happen on your assigned water days:
- For odd addresses, that’s Wednesday and Saturday.
- For even addresses, that’s Thursday and Sunday.
- No automatic irrigation is permitted between 10am – 7pm on any day.
- Watering by hand allowed any day, at any time.
Remember, when setting your sprinkler controller for the spring, it’s best to start low and slow; watering once per week or less is plenty for this time for year. When it starts to actually get hot, then increase the times.
Need more detailed information about the water restrictions? Visit the City website: www.roundrocktexas.gov/departments/utilities-and-environmental-services/water/drought-restrictions/
