TIPS FOR SUMMER WATER CONSERVATION

Conservation of potable water is a year round consideration. Water should always be used wisely. Because our area is drought prone and water production and delivery facilities can fail, you may be required to take the following restrictive action during water shortages:

Mild Conditions - Recommend watering twice per week between the hours of 7:00 p.m. through 10:00 a.m.

Moderate Conditions - Watering lawns restricted to twice weekly based on the last digit in your address between the hours of 7:00 p.m. through 10:00 a.m. (see schedule below). Washing of paved areas not allowed.

Severe Emergency Conditions - All water use outside is prohibited. Watering of plants and shrubs and home car washing by bucket is permitted. No commercial or charitable car washing allowed.

Enforcement:  

When violations of the above procedures are noted the following actions will be taken:

First violation - Form letter and a telephone call to solicit cooperation.
Second violation - Signed letter explaining the need to comply with all conservation measures.

Third violation - Discontinuance of service. Restoration of service will require payment of the usual fee.

Notification:

When it becomes necessary to restrict water usage, all available media including Time Warner Cable, local television channels, Lakeway Radio 1620 AM, Lake Travis View, Austin American Statesman, Homeowners News, the District's web page, and bulletin boards at City Hall and the District Office will be utilized to notify customers of the condition in effect and the actions being triggered. If time permits a special notice will be mailed to all customers regarding a severe emergency.

We thank you for sharing our concern for water conservation and for your cooperation during drought conditions and facilities failure should either occur. Working together, we can assure fair distribution of this precious resource to all.

The entire Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan may be reviewed at the District's Office. 


2008
IRRIGATION SCHEDULE 
REQUIRED FOR
MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS

Use the schedule below if/when the District requires Moderate Conditions.  Watering is allowed between the hours of 7:00 p.m. through 10:00 a.m. when moderate conditions are in effect. 

Residential
Odd numbered addresses:  Wednesdays and Saturdays
Even numbered addresses:  Thursdays and Sundays

Commercial
Tuesdays and Fridays

WATER SHORTAGE CONDITIONS CRITERIA

Mild conditions exist if average daily water consumption is at 90% of production capacity for three days or the LCRA reduces water for its interruptible users.

Moderate conditions exist if the combined storage capacity of Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis drops to 900,000-acre feet; or if any two of the following occurs.

       Average water consumption is 100% of production capacity for two days.
       A component of the water plant facilities is out of service.
       Potable water storage cannot be re-established at an acceptable level within 24 hours.

Severe emergency conditions exist if any one of the following exists.

  Combined storage capacity of Lake Buchanan/Travis drops to less than 200,000-acre feet.
  Average daily water consumption reaches 100% of production capacity for a period of three days.
  Potable water storage levels cannot be maintained.
 

Inability to purchase potable water from Hurst Creek or District 17 while water usage exceeds 100% for a two-day period.

  Failure of water treating facilities.
  Contamination of water source.

Contamination occurring at the water treatment plants will result in immediate termination of all water service until the cause can be determined and eliminated. This is not really a conservation situation but a public health and well-being situation.

 

TIPS FOR WINTER:    Don't Let Cold Weather Catch You Unprepared!

Every winter, many homeowners face the expense and inconvenience of frozen water pipes. But you can cross that off your list of winter worries by taking a few simple precautions.

 

Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses. Detaching the hose allows water to drain from the faucet. Otherwise, a single, hard overnight freeze can burst either the faucet or the pipe it's connected to.

 

Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas. If you have pipelines in the attic, an unheated garage or cold crawl space under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. Hardware or building supply stores will have good pipe wrapping materials available.

 

Seal off access doors, air vents and cracks. Winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes.

 

Find the master shutoff. It is where the water line comes out of the meter box at the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house - kitchen, bath, basement or crawl space - this valve turns it off. So find it now. Be sure everyone in the family knows where it is and what it does.

 

In severe cold weather, you may wish to allow a faucet to drip a small continuous stream.



 
What if it's too late?

What if you wake up one day to find the pipes are frozen anyway? During an extended cold spell, it could happen despite precautions.

Do you have the plumber's telephone number handy? Write it down now before you need it in an emergency.

If you think you know where the freeze-up occurred and want to try thawing it yourself, do not under any circumstances use a torch with an open flame! The whole house could catch fire. Also, overheating a single spot can burst the pipe. Heating a soldered joint could allow it to leak or come completely apart.

The easiest tool is probably a hair dryer with a high heat setting. Wave the warm air back and forth along the pipe, not on one spot. If you don't have a hair dryer, you can wrap the frozen section with rags or towels and pour hot water over them. It's messy, but it works.

Be careful because the pipe may already be broken. It's not leaking because the water is frozen. But when you thaw it out, water could come gushing out. Be ready to run for the master shutoff valve if necessary. Better yet, turn the valve off while making your thaw-out effort.

The main thing is to take precautions before cold weather arrives.

This material was copied from the American Water Works Association.

                                                                                                                 

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