By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members say more must be done to inform Del Rio residents about the city’s current water use restrictions.
Council members and city staff discussed the current Stage 2 water restrictions during a special city council work session on Tuesday following a presentation on the restrictions by Art Villarreal, water production assistant superintendent.
Villarreal told the council, “I want to go over the city of Del Rio drought stages. . . Stage 1 is completely voluntary. It’s just basically apprising all citizens to be mindful of water usage and to start participating in the five-day watering schedule. It’s just basically a heads-up to keep the situation from getting any worse. Let’s try and conserve water.”
Villarreal said the city is currently under Stage 2 water regulations, which were initiated on Aug. 1, 2023.
Under Stage 2, the five-day outdoor watering schedule 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, Villarreal told the council.
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.
Villarreal told the council that customers 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.
Villarreal also went over the two additional stages in the city’s drought contingency plan.
“Going over to Stage 3, that is a more severe water shortage. Basically everything automatic is prohibited. There’s no five-day watering schedule, nothing like that. The handheld hose (watering) goes to the five-day watering schedule, so you can only water with a pistol-grip hose.
“Sprinklers and permanent irrigation are prohibited in Stage 3. (Also prohibited) under Stage 3 is the use of water to fill, refill or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi-type pool or wading pool,” Villarreal said.
“Car washes is another one, and I know that’s a topic that comes up a little bit. One thing that I was able to look up is that car washes, certain ones, have a (water) reclaiming system, so whereas they might use 30 gallons of water to wash a car, they reclaim 20 gallons of that water, so it’s a better, more ecologically friendly way as opposed to doing it at your house with a hose,” he said.
Villarreal said he has already notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) so state officials are aware of the city’s water conservation efforts “so that we are on their radar in case we do need assistance in the future.”
“We have made the state aware of the situation, and as the stages (of water use restrictions) increase, I increase the stages on the website, and I keep them informed of where we’re at,” Villarreal told the council.
He then asked if there were any questions from the council.
Mayor Pro-tem Steve Webb asked, “Who sets the stage we should be at?”
Villarreal said the stages are triggered by a variety of conditions set out in the city’s drought contingency plan, which was adopted by the council in 2019.
Webb asked if there was “a set amount of water” the city could take from the springs every day.
Assistant Public Works Director Greg Velazquez fielded the question.
“We’re allocated 11,480 acre feet, which is about 12,000 gallons per minute, about three billion gallons per calendar year. The set rate is for the East Spring. However we can’t pump directly from the East Spring due to the low flow. (Currently), we’re pumping from the West Spring. . . That’s what triggers the stages (of water restrictions) that we’re in, is the spring flow,” Velazquez said.
Councilman J.P. Sanchez asked about the level of the pumps in the East Spring, and after speaking about the pump depths, Velazquez addressed watering of the city’s golf course.
“So the public is aware, the golf course is irrigated, and it’s irrigated through reclaimed water from the water treatment plant, so all the waste from the membrane filtration plant that treats the water. This water goes into a pond, and this pond is used to pump water to the golf course, and that is the water is being used for irrigation,” Velazquez told the council.
“So that is not filtered water, in other words,” Sanchez said.
“That’s correct. It is filtered water but it is waste that is being backwashed from the membranes that’s being flushed into that pond, so it’s not potable water,” Velazquez said.
Mayor Al Arreola asked if the reclaimed water could be used in other city parks.
“Currently it’s assigned for use just at the golf course and the middle school (grounds),” Velazquez replied.
Arreola asked if there was a stage beyond those listed in the city’s drought contingency plan.
“No, once we reach Stage 4, that’s the emergency stage,” Velazquez said.
Arreola also asked how the city is holding Del Rio water users accountable.
“It takes the community to be aware. It takes the city of Del Rio to be posting (the Stage 2 restrictions) periodically. One recommendation that came through from a customer that called me was using our local paper. . . every week because some people don’t have social media. But we need to use radio, we need to use the newspaper, we need to use Facebook. Tracking who is and who is not complying is up to code enforcement, but it’s the community that’s really helping us. They’re the ones that call us,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez said citizens who see abuses can call Villarreal, and he will send code enforcement officers to assess the situation.
“They will go have a talk with the individual, and if there are repeat violations, a citation can be issued and a fine can be assessed,” Velazquez said.
“The problem that we have, though, is that (the water use restrictions) are not even hitting our social media. The public is not aware of what stage we’re at, and the public has no knowledge of what Stage 2 or any of these stages are about. We’ve got to do more education. We’re just not doing enough,” Webb said.
Velazquez agreed more education needs to be done.
“It’s the city’s responsibility to educate our customers,” Velazquez said.
“We need to let the public know every week where we’re at, and what’s going on,” Webb added.
Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez said she believed the city staff needs to use local radio shows to disseminate information about the water situation.
“I know a lot of people listen to the radio,” she said.
Sanchez said he sees that the city of San Antonio keeps its water users informed of the Edwards Aquifer levels and wondered aloud if the city of Del Rio could do the same.
Velazquez said the city has technology can be used to measure the static and pumping levels of both springs used by the city and noted those figures could be disseminated weekly.
Sanchez said he also believed citizens should know how close the city is to entering Stage 3 and Stage 4.
“That’s very critical for us to be able to convey to the citizens of Del Rio so we can do what’s necessary,” Sanchez said.
Velazquez said the trigger for the various stages were not determined by the levels of the springs.
“It’s based on the combined flow of the gauging system that is monitored by the International Boundary and Water Commission. That’s where we get our numbers from. If it (the flow) falls below 15 cfs (cubic feet per second), that’s what triggers it,” Velazquez replied.
He said the current numbers could be posted by the city every week.
Councilman Jim DeReus said he, too, was going to bring up the need for more public education on the current water use restrictions.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they did not know we were in Stage 2, and then the other part, and I don’t want to give out tickets and assess fines, but people need to realize what the restrictions are, because I’ve been driving to work every morning, and I’m like, ‘they were watering yesterday, too.’ We need to work on that part,” DeReus said.
Velazquez also suggested sending a QR code out with the city water bills so customers can scan the code and find out about the current restrictions and water situation.
“If we don’t educate, the community will not know how to support us,” Velazquez said.
Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. suggested putting all the information in a one-page pamphlet to include with water bills.
“But also make it bilingual, because not everyone reads English,” he said.
Arreola also suggested using the city’s phone emergency alert system to let the public know about the water use restrictions.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
