City Council Adopts Drought Level One Water Restrictions Effective August 1

SAN ANGELO, TX -- San Angelo City Council members Tuesday voted unanimously to adopt a resolution triggering drought level one water restrictions effective August 1. The move restricts outside watering to once a week and increases water rates by five percent for all residential customers who use more than 2,000 gallons of water in a month and all commercial customers.  

According to the resolution:

1) The amount of water available to the City from its developed water sources being estimated by the Director of Water Utilities to meet the criteria for entering “Drought Level I”. City Council hereby declares that the City is in such Drought Level I stage; and

2) All water conservation measures as detailed under the Drought Level Istage of the City’s Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan shall be applicable and enforced August 1, 2018; and

3) All water rate adjustments enacted with the implementation of the Drought Level I stage shall become effective on August 1, 2018; and

4) When the available water supply rises above the trigger point for Drought Level I stage, the Director of Water Utilities may recommend to the City Council termination of Drought Level I stage status and a return to Drought Level I stage status or other recommendation.

5) The City Clerk shall cause notice of this Resolution to be published one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of San Angelo.   

Councilman Harry Thomas made the motion to adopt the resolution and Billie DeWitt seconded the motion.  The vote was unanimous.

The water conservation and drought contingency plan includes trigger points for three different drought stages.  Level one kicks in when the city has a 24 month water supply, level two kicks in when there is an 18 month supply remaining, and the most extreme level starts when the city has less than 12 months water supply remaining.  In addition, water rates increase by a minimum of five percent for residential customers who use more than 2,000 gallons per month and all commercial customers.

The report to the council Tuesday says the Colorado River Municipal Water District projects O.H. Ivie water will be available to the city until August of 2019 and then the city will be dependent on groundwater from the Hickory Aquifer and local lakes which is projected to last until July of 2020.