(Credit: City of Kyle)
The City of Kyle has moved to Stage 1 water conservation as of today, Tuesday, Nov. 27, as authorized under the city’s Drought Contingency Plan, Ordinance 569. That ordinance was approved by Kyle City Council on May 19, 2009.
Kyle has been in Stage 2 since June of 2017.
Water Treatment Division Manager Timothy Samford said the decision to move to Stage 1 was based on multiple factors. In part, it was because of the actions of two of the city’s water providers, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD).
“These water authorities have been out of drought status since Oct. 2018 with no signs of going back into a stage of drought in the near future,” he said.
He added that Kyle did not make the move in October because the BSEACD well that supplies the city was not functioning at the time.
“That well has since been put back into service, which allows us to move water into certain parts of the system without effecting other areas,” Samford said.
Another reason for making the switch now is that the Guadalupe Basin Regional Authority (GBRA) delayed the reduction in Kyle’s drought stage due to a raw waterline break that happen just before Thanksgiving.
“The leak was repaired and service began again on November 21,” Samford said.
According to Samford, crews from Public Works are in the process of removing the Stage 2 signs from around Kyle. The city will share information about the change to Stage 1 on its website, on social media and in its weekly e-News.
He stressed that Stage 1 is still a level of water conservation and that he appreciates how Kyle residents have modified their water use to meet the standards of the Drought Contingency Plan.
