Water crisis in western Travis County
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Some schools west of Austin were temporarily without water Thursday — which the utility serving the schools blamed on lawn watering violations by its customers.
Why it matters: The episode renews long-term concerns about growing demands for regional water supplies as Central Texas weather promises more drought and extreme heat.
Catch up quick: At least three schools in Lake Travis ISD dealt with low or no water pressure until it was fully restored by the early afternoon.
- Restrooms at Bee Cave Middle School were closed Thursday morning because of the pressure, per a note to parents from principal Mason Whitfield.
What they're saying: Sarah Wright, a resident in the area, told CBS Austin the incident caused "chaos" for many families she knows, as many chose to pick up kids early from school.
The other side: Officials with the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, which serves homes, schools and businesses in a 225-square-mile area, blamed the pressure loss on overnight lawn watering, which left their storage tanks struggling to recharge.
- Restrictions adopted by the utility earlier this week limit watering to one day per week between 6am and 10am.
- "We know Texas summers are hot, lawns dry quickly, and additional restrictions can be frustrating," utility officials said when they adopted the restrictions. "We don't like imposing them any more than our customers like receiving them, but they are necessary to protect our water supply and maintain reliable service."
Zoom in: Between 7pm Wednesday and 6am yesterday alone, however, roughly 5.27 million gallons of water were used "in irrigation-sized bursts," per utility officials.
- "This entire period was outside the permitted Stage 3 watering window," they said.
Follow the money: The utility is currently working on about $125 million in capital improvement projects as it tries to meet the region's growing demand.
- It issued a boil-water notice on Wednesday to some of its customers because of the low pressure problems.
The bottom line: Even with the recent replenishment of the Colorado River reservoirs that supply more than a million Central Texans, the episode points to vulnerabilities in the regional water supply system.