Residents of Cedar Park are tightening their faucets as the city enters Stage 3 Water Conservation Measures to confront the persistent drought plaguing the region. According to an official announcement released by the city, deteriorating lake levels at Lake Travis, managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), have mandated this move. With the combined storage of Lakes Travis and Buchanan precariously perched at the 900,000 acre-feet threshold, mandatory conservation is no longer a suggestion but a requirement.
To stave off further water deficits, Cedar Park's city officials are requiring both residential and commercial customers to scale back their water usage by 10-to-20 percent. This insistence comes into effect for residents across all city limits and spans into specific neighborhoods outside the city limits as outlined on the city's website. The robust plan, launched on August 14, last year, aimed to instill conservation habits among citizens and involves stricter measures including a one-day-per-week outdoor watering schedule.
The new watering regime, which has been in force since last summer, demands residents with addresses ending in 1 and 3 to drench their lawns on Wednesdays, while those ending in 4, 6, and 8 have Thursdays marked for irrigation. The city has granted the weekend to other residential digits — ending in 5, 7, and 9 on Saturdays; 0 and 2 on Sundays. In a similar vein, all commercial addresses—including apartments and HOA-owned entities—are relegated to Tuesdays for freshening up their green patches.
Abiding by the specified schedule, Cedar Park homeowners are advised to grab their hoses outside the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on their allocated day, as per the city's guidelines. With the stroke of enforcement set to begin on September 4, 2023, the City hopes the rate adjustment kicking off in October will be a significant deterrent, encouraging households to keep their utility bills from ballooning. Considering the temporary 9% increase in water rates, the city is banking on the frugality of its citizens to prevent any drastic hike in their monthly expenses.
For those eager to beat the drought by proxy, the city offers an array of conservation tools and resources. This includes a rebate program for rain barrel users, providing significant credit on residential utility bills, and enhancing self-reliance in water conservation. Details of the rebate program and other resources available to Cedar Park residents have been detailed on the City's dedicated water conservation website.
