Ban Lifted on Outdoor Water Use in Southwest Georgetown

Effective at 12 noon, Monday July 20, the City of Georgetown is lifting the mandatory no-watering restriction for its customers in southwestern Georgetown.

The City is encouraging its customers in southwestern Georgetown to return to the voluntary 3-day schedule. Even though the voluntary schedule calls for no watering on Mondays, customers with even number addresses in southwestern Georgetown affected by the weekend’s no-watering restriction can begin to irrigate tonight, Monday, starting at 7:00 p.m. and ending at 12:00 midnight. Customers with odd number addresses can resume the normal voluntary schedule at 12:00 midnight, Tuesday.

The Southside Water Treatment Plant, which serves the section of Georgetown south of 29 and west of IH35, is back online, stabilized and is operating within normal operating production capacity. However, production is now reduced to 62.5 percent of normal because of the state of the groundwater supply.

For the groundwater situation to improve, even with the area rains that occurred over the weekend, we would need 4 to 6 inches of heavy rain to have an effect on the aquifer. The City expects the current drought situation to continue through the rest of the summer.

3-day Watering Schedule

The voluntary 3-day watering schedule allows for outdoor watering no more than three times each week between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. Your watering day is based on the last digit of your address number.

Odd addresses: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Even addresses: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Outdoor water uses are discouraged on Monday for any addresses to allow our water system time to replenish from the weekend’s demand. The above schedule is for irrigation systems and unattended outdoor sprinklers. Watering with a hand-held hose can be done on any day between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Moving Forward – the Impact of Community-wide Effort

The City is not at this time implementing a city-wide mandatory watering schedule, but emphasizes the need for citizens to continue the efforts they have made so far and encourage others to also cut back on their water use. “If we can tune back by 10% through the entire community, even on the 3-day schedule, we will be on target to maintain our water supply at current levels, “ says Jim Briggs, assistant city manager for utilities.

On a very positive note, our community is beginning to really pull together to get through the current drought. “With the response we’ve seen, if we will continue to comply with the voluntary 3-day schedule, with no watering on Monday, we will not have to go onto mandatory, “ Briggs added. “We will not know for certain until Thursday, but it appears that we have averted more drastic measures.”

The City has received an overwhelming, positive response from the community via email, phone, the City website, FaceBook and through word-of-mouth. The people of Georgetown are working together as a community to meet this crisis proactively.

“We (the City) have been doing things and will continue to do things to compensate for this drought, but its the customer’s conservation practices that are the key element, “ Briggs noted. Though there is not yet 100 percent compliance with the 3-day schedule, every day more and more people draw together to spread the word. “Its an education process, “ says Briggs.

If you notice a business or residence that is not participating in the voluntary conservation recommendations, please let them know that they are part of the solution, or you can contact the City at (512) 930-3555 or via email at gus@georgetowntx.org. “In some cases, people are out of town, some haven’t received the message. Some tell us that they simply do not know how to reprogram their irrigation systems to fit within the recommended schedule. The city and local irrigation businesses are visiting homes and businesses to help them reprogram these systems.”