Irrigation Schedule

Updates to the Drought Contingency Plan were passed by the LMUD Board of Directors at the April 10, 2024 meeting.

In preparation for spring and summer, to stay ahead of the ongoing drought showing no signs of easing, the LMUD Board of Directors, at the February 12, 2025 Board Meeting, committed to a move from “Stage 1” to “Stage 2” watering restrictions starting March 1, 2025, requiring LMUD customers to limit their automatic irrigation to 1-day per week on an assigned day. This move is in compliance with our Drought Contingency Plan.

We urge our customers to continue to use water wisely. Reversing the impact of years of—and continuing—”hydrological drought” will take an unseasonable amount of rain in the right places to replenish our water resources. Lakeway’s only source for raw water is Lake Travis.

STAGE 2 (1-Day per Week) IRRIGATION RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT
STARTING MARCH 1, 2025

These water restrictions affect irrigation schedules pertaining to use of an automatic inground irrigation system, timed drip/soaker hose, and/or unattended hose-end sprinkler. Hand watering, defined as the manual operation of a hose with a functional hose-end spray nozzle with working trigger shut-off, or refillable container, is allowed at any time.

Irrigation Hours: 7:01pm to 9:59am
NO WATERING 10am to 7pm

For full details, please see the LMUD Drought Contingency Plan.

IN EFFECT STARTING MARCH 1, 2025:

Stage 2: Moderate Drought Conditions

LMUD customer compliance with Stage 2 restrictions include:

• Use of an automatic inground irrigation system, timed drip/soaker hose, and/or unattended hose-end sprinkler shall not exceed one (1) day per week with the following restriction:
  • Limited to a designated day based on the last digit of the service address;
  • No automatic irrigation is allowed on Sundays;
  • Automatic irrigation is limited to the hours of 7:01pm to 9:59am (no irrigation between 10am and 7pm); and
  • Commercial accounts are defined as public common areas irrigated with LMUD potable water, such as those maintained by homeowner associations.

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• Hand watering, defined as the manual operation of a hose with a functional hose-end spray nozzle with working trigger shut-off, or refillable container, is allowed at any time. Customer will be subject to a penalty up to $1,000 if the customer is alerted by LMUD AMI metering system’s detection of a pattern suspect as timed irrigation, quantity of water use exceeds a typical garden hose flow rate, and/or a violation is observed by LMUD personnel. See Rate Order for details.
• Vehicle washing, power washing, and flushing or flooding gutters are allowed with the use of a functional hose-end spray nozzle with working trigger shut-off or refillable container only. An open hose with continually running water used for these purposes is prohibited.
• The operation of outdoor water features or temporary continuous flow of water for events or activities are allowed. Examples include, but are not limited to, personal water slides; personal splash pads; temporary pools, spas, ponds, or fountains; and/or misting systems.
• Additional automatic irrigation of newly installed sod, landscaping, or re-vegetation seeding is permitted by approved variance only. Variance must be submitted and approved by LMUD personnel before additional irrigation is used. Failure to abide by the terms of an approved variance are subject to penalty.
• Pool filling for new installation or to maintenance levels is allowed. No variance required. Customer will be subject to penalty and/or be required to install a cover if the customer is alerted by LMUD AMI metering system’s detection of a pattern suspect as timed irrigation, quantity of water use is deemed as excess, and/or a violation is observed by LMUD personnel attributed to routine refilling due to excess water evaporation.  

These restrictions remain in effect until updated.

Permanent Restrictions

Water waste or negligence is prohibited and can be enforced at all times. The following restrictions apply to all LMUD potable water customers on a year-round basis, regardless of water supply or water treatment plant production conditions. If LMUD authorized personnel observe an uncontrolled leak or excess water use that is not being addressed within a timely manner, an authorized LMUD representative has the right to shut off a customer’s water at the utility side of a water meter. The active customer on file or homeowner must contact LMUD to have the service restored after the payment of a reconnection fee and/or any other applicable charges. To prevent water waste, under threat of penalty, the following water use restrictions shall apply to all retail water customers: a potable water user must not:

1. Fail to repair an observed and/or customer-notified controllable leak in a timely manner, including, but not limited to, a broken or leaking sprinkler head, valve, water pipe, faucet, or trigger causing pool autofill or other water-using appliance to run too often or inefficiently;
2. Continue the operation of an automatic irrigation system (including, but not limited to, sprinkler, drip, or soaker hose) with an observed and/or customer-notified:
   • broken head or line;
   • head or nozzle that is out of adjustment and the arc of the spray is over a street or parking area; or
   • head or nozzle that is fogging or misting because of excessive water pressure;
3. During irrigation, allow water:
   • to run off a property and form a stream of water in a street; or
   • to pool in a street or parking lot;
4. Leave an unattended open garden hose running for more than one (1) consecutive hour.
5. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using a pool cover can prevent up to 95 percent of pool water evaporation; as such, the use of a pool cover while a pool is not being used is encouraged. A pool cover will be required when excess water use is attributed to pool refilling due to pool water evaporation.
6. Allowable vehicle and power washing must make use of a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle that completely shuts off the flow of water, even if left unattended, or refillable container only. An open hose with continually running water used for these purposes is prohibited.
7. All restaurants are encouraged to serve water to their patrons only upon request.

Reuse Customers

Customers utilizing our recycled water system for irrigation purposes (locations designated by the purple recycled water signs) are under separate usage requirements and restrictions dependent on drought and flood conditions. We notify these customers when their restrictions change.  Reuse water is only available at select locations. To apply for residential reuse, fill out an Application And Agreement for the Residential Delivery and Use of Reuse Water.

Enforcement

Notice of individual violations of drought response measures and penalties incurred due to documented violation(s) of drought measures will be sent to the current account holder’s primary e-mail, phone number, and/or mailing address via U.S. Mail, where available and/or appropriate, on file for the impacted service address(es). Data obtained to issue these notices are derived directly from LMUD’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) metering system or through observed violations by LMUD personnel. Residents who observe a potential violation are encouraged to contact LMUD customer service representatives during regular business hours, however information obtained from these observations cannot be used to warrant a penalty unless the violation is subsequently observed directly by LMUD personnel or is verifiable through AMI data.

Any person who violates this plan shall be subject to the following fines, penalties and/or conditions of service:

• Following the first documented violation, the violator shall be sent a courtesy notice specifying the type and timeframe of the violation. The notice will mention that penalties may result from additional violations.
• Following the second documented violation, the violator shall be criminally responsible for the violation of this DCP, punishable by a fine of $500.
• Following the third documented violation, the violator shall be criminally responsible for the violation of this DCP, punishable by a fine of $1,000.
• Following the fourth documented violation or failure to pay a previously issued fine before or during the next bill cycle, LMUD shall, upon notice to the customer, discontinue water service to the premises where such violations occur. Services discontinued under such circumstances shall be restored only upon payment of a reconnection charge and any other applicable charges according to the current Rate Order, and any outstanding charges including late payment fees or penalties. In addition, suitable assurance in the amount of a security deposit per the current rate Order must be given to LMUD so that the same action shall not be repeated. LMUD may apply the deposit to any surcharges or penalties subsequently assessed under this DCP against a customer. The deposit, if any, shall be returned to the customer at the time of the customer’s voluntary disconnection from the utility system.

Changes to Restrictions

Conservation of potable water is a year-round consideration. Water should always be used wisely. Because our area is drought-prone and water production and delivery facilities can fail, you may be required to take additional restrictive action during water shortages. When it becomes necessary to further restrict water usage, we will make every effort to notify our customers of the condition in effect and the actions being triggered (see Drought Contingency Plan for details). If time permits, a special notice will be mailed to all customers regarding a severe emergency.

We thank you for sharing our concern for water conservation and for your cooperation during drought conditions and facilities failure, should either occur.

Watering Schedule Summary

The below is a reference guide only. Please see complete Drought Contingency Plan for details.

If you have new sod or landscaping that requires a variance from this schedule, please submit a Request for Variance. See Drought Contingency Plan for allowances.

If you have any questions, please contact us.