Round Rock and Georgetown are moving to their highest level of drought emergency because of the mechanical failure of two pumps that move water from a lake in Bell County to Lake Georgetown, a major source of water for people who live in the area.
“Basically, any [Georgetown resident] on the west side of I-35, their water is coming from Lake Georgetown,” city spokesman Keith Hutchinson told KUT News. “It’s our primary water supply.”
The high volume pumps move water through a 26-mile long pipe from Stillhouse Hollow Lake to Lake Georgetown. Fixing it could take two weeks or longer.
In the meantime, all watering, even hand watering with a hose, is banned in Round Rock and Georgetown. The emergency also affects the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District and the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District.
Car wash businesses in Georgetown are allowed to operate, but they are not permitted in Round Rock.
Here are the specifics from the City of Round Rock:
- Irrigation is prohibited, including foundation watering, using permanently installed irrigation systems, hose end irrigation, or drip irrigation. Hand watering with a hose is also prohibited.
- Irrigation of professional athletic fields is prohibited.
- Irrigation of youth and amateur athletic fields is prohibited.
- The washing of automobiles, trucks, boats, etc., is prohibited, including at commercial car washes.
- The filling, refilling, or adding of potable water to public and private swimming or wading pools is prohibited.
- No new landscapes of any type may be established.
People are also being asked to curb water consumption in any other way they can.
“It is imperative that everyone adhere to the restrictions put in place by their water providers,” Brazos River Authority regional manager John Hofmann said in a statement.
