By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rio City Council members on Tuesday adopted revised water conservation and drought contingency plans as per a requirement by the state. Assistant Public Works Director Greg Velazquez presented an ordinance amending the Del Rio Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency Plan.
In an informational handout included in the council’s agenda packet, Velazquez explained, “Public water systems must have a contingency plan in place in case of drought or similar water shortages. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires all public water suppliers and irrigation districts to submit drought contingency plans . . . every five years to coincide with the regional water planning group process.”
Velazquez noted in his memo the city adopted its water conservation plan and drought contingency plan in August 2019. The revised plan includes updates in language, but is essentially unchanged from the 2019 plan.
“Drought contingency planning by public water suppliers is to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water in an amount sufficient to satisfy essential human needs. The plan minimizes, to the extent possible, adverse impacts on quality of life, the economy and the environment,” Velazquez wrote.
Copies of the revised plans were included in the council’s agenda packet and will be posted on the city’s web page.
The plan includes a “utility profile,” which notes, “The city of Del Rio supplies water to approximately 15,509 retail connections in the greater city of Del Rio area. The area encompasses about 46,500 people over 18 square miles in Val Verde County.
“Del Rio Utilities pumps surface water from the San Felipe Springs to the water treatment plant. The city has water rights in the amount of 11,416 acre feet. Surface water is then treated through the membrane water treatment plant that is designed to produce up to 18.2 MGD (million gallons per day). Average water plant production is approximately 9.2 MGD. The water system has water storage capacity of 9.7 MGD,” the narrative reads.
The plan also outlines the “trigger conditions” for each of four stages of water restrictions the city can enact as part of its drought contingency measures, with Stage 1 being a mild water shortage and Stage 4 being a critical water shortage.
Velazquez earlier told The 830 Times the city enacted Stage 2 water restrictions in August 2023 and remains under Stage 2 restrictions today.
Under Stage 2, the five-day outdoor watering schedule included in the drought contingency plan is mandatory. The schedule is based on the last number of the customer’s street address. Any outdoor watering may be done only between the hours of 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday through Friday.
According to the city’s published Stage 2 regulations, the schedule is as follows:
• Last number of address is 0 or 9, outdoor watering on Monday.
• Last number of address is 1 or 8, outdoor watering on Tuesday.
• Last number of address is 2 or 7, outdoor watering on Wednesday.
• Last number of address is 3 or 6, outdoor watering on Thursday.
• Last number of address is 4 or 5, outdoor watering on Friday.
In Stage 2, all outdoor watering is prohibited on Saturdays and Sundays.
Landscape watering using an irrigation system, movable sprinkler or soaker hose is allowed once a week from 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the customer’s designated watering day as determined by the last number of the customer’s address.
Del Rioans may water without restriction if they use a hand-held hose “equipped with a positive pistol grip nozzle or other device that automatically shuts off when the hose is not in use.”
Residential car washing is permitted without restrictions as long as the customer uses a hose fitted with the pistol grip nozzle or other device that automatically shuts off when the hose is not in use. Filling of non-public pools, Jacuzzi tubs and wading pools is discouraged.
Commercial car wash facilities may operate without restriction in Stage 2. Charity car washes, however, are prohibited. See story here.
Use of water from designated fire hydrants for construction purposes may be allowed under written permission from the city.
Use of water for irrigation of golf course greens, tees and fairways shall adhere to the five day watering schedule and is not permitted between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. except when such areas are irrigated with reclaimed water, groundwater, raw water sources or sources other than the city.
Also prohibited are the use of water to wash sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, patios, tennis courts, streets, ground foundations and other hard-surfaced areas, except to maintain public health and safety; the use of water for dust control, allowing water to run off a property and allowing water to pond in the street or a parking lot, operating a permanently installed irrigation system with sprinkler heads that are broken, the use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection and flushing gutters.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
