City of Waco encouraging conservation as water levels at Lake Waco fall
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - The City of Waco is asking residents to consider conserving water as levels in the local reservoir continue to fall.
“The water levels in the Lake Waco reservoir continue to decline and the City of Waco is currently reviewing the drought contingency plan to identify ways to conserve the available water supply,” said Monica Sedelmeier, the director of communications and marketing for the municipal government.
“Please consider water conservation and consider taking action to reduce water demands to improve water-use efficiency.”
Lake Waco’s reservoir currently sits roughly seven feet lower than it was a year ago on July 6, 2021. The dip in capacity gives the city the authority to enact stage one of its water conservation plan.
According to that plan, stage one occurs anytime the reservoir falls between 72 percent and 61 percent of its capacity.
During stage one, the city will limit its own water usage and monitor any excessive water usage among residents.
“One way to cut down some runoff is to water less often more times so that the water can actually permeate the soil instead of running off,” said Travis Williams with Fitzgerald Landscaping.
Williams says water running off into the street is a problem. It’s not allowed to extend 10 feet from your property in stage one.
“We have a lot of areas that are heavy clay, and once the clay closes up then you just get runoff,” Williams said.
Another method to reduce your water footprint is to run your yard’s system when it isn’t so hot out.
“Watering all your sod as well as plant material during night hours or early morning hours allows you to not lose as much water to evaporation,” Williams said, citing that watering during the day doesn’t allow for the water to reach the roots of the grass.
Although city officials haven’t officially moved to stage one, they say it’s important to be a friendly neighbor and start the conservation efforts now.
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