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Kyle updates drought contingency plan to five stages, ties triggers to production capacity
Summary
Staff proposed a five‑stage drought-contingency plan with clear numerical triggers tied to % of daily max production capacity and targeted reductions via irrigation limits; council asked to show stages in AMI portal and to consider surcharge structures and builder exceptions.
City staff recommended a revised drought contingency plan on Thursday that expands the city’s existing approach from three to five drought stages and sets explicit triggers tied to a share of the system’s daily maximum production capacity and the status of water suppliers such as GBRA and Edwards Aquifer indicators.
The five proposed stages range from Stage 1 (water supply awareness/drought watch) to Stage 5 (critical drought). Each stage attaches a numerical trigger (for example, Stage 1 at 60% of max production averaged over three days; Stage 5 at 85%), a targeted reduction (10% to 30%) and prescribed responses focused on outdoor irrigation reductions: Stage 1 voluntary limits to two days/week, Stage 3 mandatory one day/week, Stage 4 one day every other week, and Stage 5 a prohibition of automatic irrigation with limited manual watering after 7 p.m. The plan also proposes a year‑round “Conservation 365” set of prohibitions against wasteful practices such as uncontrolled leaks and runoff from faulty irrigation systems.
Staff tied the plan to broader conservation goals and recommended five‑ and 10‑year gallons‑per‑capita‑per‑day (GPCD) targets (five‑year target: total 100 GPCD, residential 65; 10‑year target: total 95, residential 64). Mike Van Winkle described a decision framework that considers supplier triggers (Canyon Lake/GBRA stage, Edwards Aquifer levels) in addition to in‑system production percentages.
Councilmembers endorsed the clarity that triggers provide and asked staff to integrate stage displays into the forthcoming AMI customer portal so residents can see which stage is active. Members also requested staff explore surcharge mechanisms used by other utilities to discourage excessive usage during droughts and clarified enforcement and messaging, particularly in developer and construction contexts where temporary use for projects has historically been an issue. Staff indicated that under current conditions they would likely operate at Stage 3 with the new thresholds, and that the plan will return in ordinance form after edits and public outreach.
