Schertz could face water rationing by month’s end

Unless the typical weather patterns for August change drastically, Schertz could be facing water rationing by the end of the month, City Council was told at its Aug. 4 meeting.

The Schertz Seguin Local Government Corporation (SSLGC), which supplies Schertz with most of its water supply would declare when restrictions are put in place, explained Amber Briggs Beard, general manager of the water company, adding the system, as it is currently built, can only deliver so much water to the Schertz community.

“The trigger (for drought restrictions) would be a sustained high delivery,” she said. “We have to send Schertz enough water to keep the (city’s water storage) tanks at a certain level, and that number is around 11 to 11.5 million gallons a day total delivered.”

But water demand in Schertz is nearing that level now — and growing, Beard told council. On July 22, 10,206 gallons were delivered, she said, and the summer’s heat wave has shown no signs of going away.

“We don’t know what August is bringing us. Hopefully we’ll get some rain,” she said.

The problem is both a supply and transportation issue, explained John Winkler, manager for Walker Partners, SSLGC’s engineering firm. Construction of a second pipeline from wells into the Carrizo Aquifer near Seguin to Schertz and drilling of new wells is planned, he added, but he noted that additional capacity and supply would not be in place until late summer of 2022.

“Currently, the crunch comes at the pump station pushing water to Schertz,” he said. “In normal times, we’re running 70 to 80 percent on those pumps. Currently, we’ve got them ramped up to 92 percent to get water to Schertz, so we’ve only got about 8 percent wiggle room.”

Educating the public to cut back on water usage for both this summer and next year would help considerably to reduce the stress to the system before the new facilities come online, he added.

Assistant City Manager Charles Kelm said the reason for providing the council with all of this information now was to prepare them for the possibility of future water restrictions. “It could be a culture shock or shift for our city if we have to start rationing water at some point in August.”

If that rationing becomes necessary, the four designated stages of drought regulations are designed to reduce demand by 10 percent for each stage, explained Suzanne Williams of the city’s public works division.

Outdoor landscape watering is already prohibited between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. year round, she said, but under Stages One and Two of any new drought restrictions, watering would, in addition, only be allowed one day a week with the specific day dictated by the last number of a homeowner’s address. If rationing goes to Stage Three, she added, watering would only be allowed by handheld hoses or drip irrigation and, additionally in Stage Four, all washing of vehicles would be prohibited.

Misdemeanor fines of up to $200 — with each day’s offense counted separately — would be put in place with the drought restrictions, she noted, adding three or more offenses could result in shutting off water service to that residence, Williams said.

“But right now we’re looking at a robust educational program,” Williams told the council. The campaign would target both adults and children through social media and printed material distributed through homeowner associations, schools and possibly through printed residential water bills “helping people understand their responsibilities.”

“We just want to start with an education campaign,” Kelm said. “Maybe we can conserve our consumption as a city and reduce that demand, and then we should have no issues.”

“We’re saying that today we’re fine,” added City Manager Mark Brown, “but with 30 days of 100-degree-plus weather, we may not be.”

In other actions, City Council unanimously approved spending up to $219,650 to improve sidewalks and curbs along its Main Street district, updating restrictions governing peddlers and solicitors, and changing several permit fees for swimming pools and decks.

A charge of $200 for an above-ground pool had been in place but that fee now will be $25 for above-ground pools that are deeper than 24 inches, explained Assistant City Manager Brian James.

“What we really want you to do is to come in for the permit so we can make sure you meet a few safety things because, when it gets above 24 inches, it’s deep enough for a child to drown in,” he said, adding pools less than 24 inches deep do not require a permit.

Permits for deck construction were dropped from $225 with an additional plan review fee of $100 to a flat $100 charge. A surprising number of deck construction plans do not meet municipal codes, James said, so city inspections are necessary. “That way we insure residents are getting (safe) decks built and they are making that investment (in their homes) the way they need to within code,” James told the council.

Council also unanimously approved the appointment of Councilwoman Rosemary Scott as the new mayor pro tem for Schertz. She was to formally installed at council’s Aug. 11 meeting. She’ll serve until Feb. 2, 2021.