San Marcos to enter Stage 2 drought rules next Monday

San Marcos will enter Stage 2 drought response rules on Monday, March 18 as the lack of rain reduces the level of the Edwards Aquifer below the Stage 2 trigger point of 650 feet above mean sea level.
The Edwards region of South Central Texas, including San Marcos, has been under Stage 1 restrictions since mid-December after aquifer levels rose somewhat in late 2012.
The ongoing drought kept the region under moderate to severe restrictions for most of 2012.
Tom Taggart, executive director of Public Services, issued an order on March 12 to enter Stage 2 effective at noon on Monday, March 18.
Stage 2 rules in San Marcos restrict use of sprinklers and automatic sprinkler irrigation systems to one day per week on a designated weekday determined by address between midnight to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. Using soaker hoses, drip irrigation and hand watering is allowed on any day before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
The rules also limit at-home car washing to one day per week, prohibit filling new swimming pools, prohibit using outdoor decorative water features, and prohibit washing paved surfaces.
Stage 2 rules are available on the city of San Marcos website at www.sanmarcostx.gov/drought. For more information, contact Jan Klein, conservation coordinator, at 393-8310.
To report watering violations, call the Water Conservation Hotline at 393-8360.
Stage 2 in the San Antonio Pool of the Edwards Aquifer is implemented when the 10-day average at the Bexar County J-17 index well falls below 650 feet mean sea level (msl). On March 12, the 10-day rolling average was at 649.8 feet and the daily reading was 650.3 feet above sea level.
The Edwards Aquifer Authority requires permit holders in the San Antonio pool of the aquifer to reduce pumping by 30 percent in Stage 2.
For the past two years, San Marcos and the Edwards region have been under almost continuous drought restrictions.
In 2012 San Marcos activated Stage 1 watering restrictions on April 23, Stage 2 on May 7 and Stage 3 on Aug. 20. San Marcos returned to Stage 2 on Sept. 21 and to Stage 1 on Dec. 17 as regional water demands decreased.
The city of San Marcos in 2012 receives 87 percent of its water supply from surface water from Canyon Lake and 13 percent from the aquifer.