Drought Conditions
REUNION RANCH WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
April 25, 2024
Dear neighbor and customer,
I am writing you today to bring your attention to the serious drought conditions for our water supply and the required restrictions on your use of water that your WCID Board has adopted. The conditions that we face today with respect to our water supply are serious, and the forecast by our water supplier, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), is that there is a significant chance that conditions could get much worse.
Our water supply comes from the Highland Lakes by way of a contract that the WCID has with the LCRA. Our water along with many others’ water in this region is pumped from Lake Austin by the West Travis County Public Utility Agency (PUA). It is then treated, stored, and delivered to us at pressure and volume in accordance with a contract the WCID has with the PUA. Both contracts require that we follow the directions of the LCRA and PUA, particularly with respect to how water demand is managed during conditions of shortages.
Your WCID Board has just adopted a new Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) that is consistent with the LCRA and PUA plans. You can find that plan posted at www.rrwcid.org. The plan has various requirements that are applicable depending upon the stage of drought. The most significant restrictions that apply to all of us govern when we can use water for irrigation of our yards and gardens. Starting May 1st, you may only water your yards and gardens once per week during the hours of 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM on the following days:
- If your address ends with an odd number, you may water on Saturdays
- If your address ends in an even number, you may water on Sundays
Please adjust your sprinkler systems before May 1st to meet these new requirements. There are many other restrictions and conditions that may apply to your use of water. For example, there are restrictions on fountains, pools, car washing, significant new landscaping, runoff from irrigation, etc. I urge you to read the DCP to ensure you comply. The Board will start vigorously enforcing these restrictions as set out in the DCP.
Note that further restrictions could be implemented if declining lake levels hit certain trigger points or if the PUA cannot deliver sufficient water to us. If the extreme drought continues through the summer, we may enter into a drought worse than the drought of record. If that were to occur, no outdoor watering would be allowed and financial penalties will be very severe.
Thank you for your attention to adjusting your watering habits. If you have questions, please contact Inframark’s customer service, attend our Board meetings or reach out to any of the current Board members listed on www.rrwcid.org.
Sincerely,
Dennis B. Daniel
President, Reunion Ranch WCID Board of Directors
A message from Reunion Ranch WCID: Stage 3 – Watering Schedule (2x per week)
October 24, 2023 - Reunion Ranch WCID has moved to Stage 3 of its Drought Contingency Plan.
Under threat of penalty, all retail customers are required to further reduce non-essential water uses as follows.
Outdoor watering days will be restricted to twice a week in accordance with the following schedule:
Monday & Thursday 0, 1, 2, 3
Tuesday & Friday 4, 5, 6
Wednesday & Saturday 7, 8, 9
Tuesday & Friday All commercial and HOAs
Hours will be limited to between midnight and 6 a.m. on designated days. This prohibition does not apply to irrigation of landscaped areas with hand-held hoses, buckets, or watering cans of five gallons or less.
B. No additional water for new landscapes may be used unless a variance was received.
C. Use of water from fire hydrants shall be limited to firefighting and activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare only.
Message to Reunion Ranch Residents About April 2023 RR WCID Rate Order
Reunion Ranch WCID has provided residents with water supply and wastewater operations since 2014. During that time, the WCID has not increased water/wastewater service rates, and has worked diligently to maintain or lower property tax rates, even as operating costs have risen.
RR WCID has provided safe and reliable water service through the challenges of the past few years - including a global pandemic, severe winter weather, and power grid failure which caused customers of other Austin-area water utilities to lose service for many days. Additionally, our WCID has executed capital projects such as the wastewater capacity expansion, odor and noise mitigation, and improvements to allow treated wastewater to be reclaimed for irrigation.
At this time, the WCID has not been able to build up the desired level of reserve funds to cover the costs of future maintenance, repairs, and replacements for our infrastructure. In order to prepare for these planned expenses by replenishing those reserves, the RR WCID will be proposing an increase of 4% to water/wastewater rates, which will be presented to the board of directors at the April Board meeting, on Tuesday April 18, 2023, 3:00 PM, which is open to the public to attend in person or via Zoom. For more info visit the Reunion Ranch WCID Website.
New Bill Pay Address for Inframark - March 21, 2023
Reunion Ranch WCID has a new payment address! You will see this reflected in your next monthly water bill.
If you use your own bank's online bill pay, please update the payee address to the following at your earliest convenience:
Reunion Ranch WCID
PO Box 4728 Dept 60738
Houston, TX, 77210
Please see the attached flyer for more details. You can contact Inframark if you need help or have questions: 281-579-4500.
Thanks for your cooperation!