Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Other Georgetown water customers may return to one-day-per-week watering until further notice

Due to excessive irrigation, water supply challenges, and severe drought conditions, customers in the western side of the City of Georgetown’s service area – generally the areas west of D.B. Wood Road and southwest of Williams Drive – will remain in Stage 3 restrictions through Sept. 4. Watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler is prohibited during Drought Stage 3.

Customers not in the affected area may return to Stage 2 restrictions, which allow for one-day-per-week outdoor watering. Strict compliance to the one-day schedule is required to avoid additional restrictions.

You can enter your address into the interactive map below to find out if you are in the Stage 2 or Stage 3 area.

You may also view a map of the affected area, including water infrastructure locations, here.

Georgetown water customers that remain in Stage 3 restrictions include but are not limited to residents and businesses:

“We did not make this decision lightly,” said Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder. “We know Georgetown water customers take pride in their homes, and not being allowed to water our lawns is far from ideal. However, having safe drinking water for our customers must take priority over pristine, green lawns. We are taking this step to ensure we can continue to provide safe drinking water, at least until temperatures cool down.”

All City splashpads will be closed for the rest of the season, and City facility irrigation systems not using reclaimed water will remain off. City-maintained pools will remain open, as water use is minimal and must be done to maintain operations and sanitation.

Several, predominately regional factors contributed to the City’s decision to keep 35 percent of its customers — including customers in the ETJ, outside the ETJ, and within City limits — in Stage 3 restrictions:

“A combination of cascading challenges – within our system and regionally – have left us with few options to ensure we maintain safe drinking water for all our customers,” said Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery. “If any one of those conditions were to improve, we could look at lifting the restrictions, but for now, everyone must adhere to the watering restrictions in place, so we don’t have to take them further.”

Find more information on rebates, programming your controller how-to videos, and information on our water system at water.georgetown.org.

Why has the City enacted Stage 3 restrictions in only a portion of its service area? The primary water sources for the three pump stations serving the Stage 3 area are the Southside Water Treatment Plant, Northlake Plant, and the City of Leander. The Southside Plant is offline for rehabilitation; the Northlake Water Treatment Plant pumps that serve this area have been running a maximum capacity; and the water from Leander is greatly reduced for the foreseeable future. There are no other alternative water sources for those three pump stations due to the topography of the area (unlike other parts of the City water system that do have alternatives). Once the Southside Water Treatment Plant comes back online, an additional 3 million gallons of capacity per day would be dedicated to this area. In the interim, this area will remain the most stressed part of the water system until Southside comes back online or we are able to pull enough water from the City of Leander. In other words, we are targeting the restrictions in response to the operational need to stabilize that specific area of our system. The other parts of the system benefit from different water sources that are currently stable.

These restrictions are necessary to maintain the integrity of the City’s drinking water system. The City Manager has broad authority to order water conservation measures necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

How much water is Georgetown pulling from the City of Leander?The City of Georgetown is collecting water from the City of Leander. The amount of water coming from the City of Leander since July 13 is not sufficient to keep up with demand in the west or to get our western area out of Stage 3. Georgetown didn’t need – and therefore didn’t take – water from Leander on Monday, July 17, because the western segments of our system had recovered enough due to lower water usage over the weekend during the temporary citywide Stage 3 restrictions and because the City’s watering schedule in Stage 2 prohibits watering on Mondays. The challenges are compounded by the high demand for water for irrigation in the west and the Southside Treatment Plant, which also serves the western area, being offline for rehabilitation. We are coordinating with Leander to develop both near- and long-term solutions to best serve all our customers and pull our customers out of Stage 3.

How do surface water rights work, and why are neighboring cities not in the same restrictions we are? Surface water rights for Lake Georgetown and Lake Stillhouse are contracted through the Brazos River Authority. Each municipality is unique with how many acre feet they have access to in the lakes per their contracts, as well as how many other sources of water (like wells, MUDS, etc.) they pull from to total their available capacities in their service areas. Watering restrictions look different for every City, and they are based on things like treatment capacity, usage, lake levels, and drought conditions.

Will we fine residents who were out of town and unable to change their irrigation during the temporary restrictions? Please email [email protected] with your address and concern. If possible and approved by the property owner, the City can turn off water to the irrigation system.

What about golf courses and car washes? All six golf courses in Georgetown and Southwestern University use reclaimed water, as do some City maintained outdoor facilities, such as soccer fields. Sun City also uses reclaimed water for their communal facilities, in addition to their golf course. Car washes also recycle their water.

Why is the City continuing to approve new development when Stage 3 restrictions are in place? The state legislature has severely limited what municipalities can do to restrict growth. If developers can meet our development rules, they are entitled to develop their property. We are in the process of updating our development rules to match the vision we adopted in the 2030 Plan. Find out more about the 2030 plan here.

All new development pay impact fees, which help fund capital improvements to the City’s water infrastructure. Currently, those funds contribute to the $200 million, 44 million gallon-a-day Southlake Water Treatment Plant, half of this plant is scheduled to come online in 2025, and to the Northlake Water Treatment Plant expansion of 8 million gallons per day which should come online in the next two months. Learn more about water capital improvement projects here.

Is the City meeting its obligations to provide water within its service area? The City is statutorily required to meet daily drinking water needs. (i.e., drinking water, showers, toilets, etc.). The City has capacity constraints s during the summer months when the vast majority of our drinking water is used to irrigate lawns. That is why the recent order was narrowly tailored to meet our immediate conservation needs.

Is hand-held watering allowed during these restrictions? Yes, hand-held watering is allowed at any time during both Stage 2 and Stage 3 restrictions. Hand-held watering includes holding your hose with a nozzle and watering with a watering can or bucket. You can hand-water anything, including your lawn, plants, and foundation.

Why can’t I fill my pool? A person may not use water to add to an indoor or outdoor swimming pool, splash pad, or hot-tub, unless necessary to maintain the water purification system in service or to maintain structural integrity of the pool.

Why did we pick Sept. 4 as the day to end Stage 3 restrictions? The City is continuing to monitor this unprecedented situation and will only implement water restrictions in a portion of our water service area as necessary to preserve the integrity of our drinking water system. Our primary goal is maintaining sufficient pressures for drinking water and other domestic uses in the western portions of our service area.

Will we roll the schedule to allow Friday-Sunday customers who could not water July 14-16 to water this week (July 18-23)? Since this is an isolated issue for the west side of our service area, we will not be changing the watering schedule.

What are we doing about new homes that need to install new sod? Landscape install variances are not permitted in Stage 3 restrictions, and sod is not required by our building code to allow homes to be sold or occupied within the City of Georgetown. We are allowing residential builders to provide us a letter of intent to install landscaping when water restrictions are lifted at their final inspection. Generally, we do not recommend laying down new sod during the heat of summer.

Why is the City flushing water out of hydrants? TCEQ regulations require water utilities to flush water lines regularly to ensure safe drinking water. The water coming out of the fire hydrants should not be used for consumption or irrigation.

The fastest-growing city in U.S. and home to more than 86,000 people is struggling to meet its water demands.

At a press conference Tuesday, Georgetown officials blamed the struggle on excessive irrigation, water supply challenges and severe drought conditions.

"The largest driver of why we're in restrictions today, is specifically ... the heat that we're experiencing and the amount of water that's having to be demanded in order to keep to keep grass green," City Manager David Morgan said.

Morgan estimated that about 75% of the city's total daily water use goes toward outdoor watering and irrigation.

The challenge is exacerbated, Morgan said, by the rehabilitation of one of the city's two water treatment plants: The Southside Water Treatment Plant, which is currently offline and unable to contribute to the city's water supply, is estimated to return to operating at full capacity in October.

Morgan also said the city has not been receiving its full contracted amount of water – 3 million gallons of water a day – from the neighboring City of Leander for water customers located in Georgetown's western service area.

As a result, around 35% of the city's water customers remain prohibited from using outdoor irrigation and hose-end sprinklers. A temporary ban on all outdoor watering in the city was put into place earlier this month.

Water customers located in the western side of the City of Georgetown’s service area (areas west of D.B. Wood Road and southwest of Williams Drive) will remain under Stage 3 water restrictions until Sept. 4, city officials said. This includes the neighborhoods of Parkside, Santa Rita, Liberty Hill ETJ, Parmer Ranch and Water Oak.

Stage 3 water restrictions means:

Outdoor watering with a hand-held hose or bucket, however, is allowed at any time.

All other water customers in the City of Georgetown have returned to Stage 2 restrictions, which also allow outdoor watering with a hand-held hose or bucket:

Morgan said it's critical that water customers follow the rules to avoid any additional restrictions. "The focus of it is to make sure we have safe drinking water and that we have safe pressure to where we can respond to fires and emergency situations," he said.

Due to sustained high water use nearing system treatment capacity, the City of Georgetown is temporarily enacting and enforcing Stage 3 of the Drought Contingency Plan effective July 14-17, 2023. Watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler is prohibited during this time. The City will decide early next week whether to extend or increase these restrictions.

The water is safe to drink. Eliminating outdoor water usage is critical to keeping our water safe and to avoid boil water notices.

“We need every one of our water customers to immediately stop outdoor watering, at least through Monday,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “Conserving water this weekend is critical to giving our system enough time to recover, so we can lift these temporary restrictions, but we won’t know for sure until Monday.”

Georgetown water customers must turn off all irrigation systems effective immediately. City leaders are making direct contact with large developers, homeowner associations, and high-water users and informing them that they must stop watering outdoors during this time.

All City splashpads and City facility irrigation systems will be turned off. City-maintained pools will remain open, as water use is minimal and must be done to maintain operations and sanitation.

Over the past two weeks, water production from the City’s water treatment plants has exceeded 90 percent of capacity on multiple days, triggering an immediate need to conserve water to allow our system to recover. During the summer months, 75 percent of the water produced each day by water treatment plants is used for lawn and landscape irrigation.

“While irrigation is the bulk of the issue, we also have not been receiving the full, contracted amount of treated water from the City of Leander,” City Manager David Morgan said. “Between conservation and some additional capacity coming online this weekend we are hopeful we will not have to extend Stage 3 restrictions beyond Monday.”

This call for limiting water use only applies to City of Georgetown water customers. See a map of Georgetown’s water utility here. Round Rock water customers west of I-35 and all City of Leander water customers also are prohibited from outdoor watering this weekend due to treatment and supply limitations.

Updates will be posted here and on social media pages.

Find more information on rebates, programming your controller how-to videos, and information on our water system at water.georgetown.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hand-held watering allowed during these restrictions? Yes, hand-held watering is allowed during the temporary Stage 3 restrictions.

Will we roll the schedule to allow Friday-Sunday customers to water next week? Since this is expected to be an isolated issue for just three days, we will not be changing the watering schedule.

Will we fine residents who were out of town and unable to change their irrigation during the temporary restrictions? Please email [email protected] with your address and concern. If possible and approved by the property owner, the City can turn off water to the irrigation system.

Why is the City continuing to approve new development when we can’t serve our current residents? Cities are limited in what we can do to restrict growth, predominately because it’s a property rights issue. When developers/landowners submit a plan for their property, it goes through our development and permitting process. If they can meet our development rules, they are entitled to develop their property. We are in the process of updating our development rules to match the vision we adopted in the 2030 Plan. Find out more about the 2030 plan here.

Enacting a moratorium will do little to stop the development you see now. The developments you see coming online today were vested to their rights 3-5 years ago. It takes about a year for a development agreement to be negotiated with the City; a year to design and permit; and a year to construct infrastructure before the first house in a new subdivision ever receives water from us.

The developments being negotiated today will pay impact fees, which will help fund the $200 million, 44 million gallon-a-day Southlake Water Treatment Plant. Half of this plant is scheduled to come online in 2025. The Northlake Water Treatment Plant expansion of 8 million gallons per day should come online in the next two months. Learn more about water capital improvement projects here.

Additionally, we have enough treated drinking water for our customers’ daily, domestic uses (i.e. drinking water, showers, toilets, etc.). We only run into capacity issues during the summer months, when the vast majority of our water is used to irrigate lawns. That is why we ask for communitywide participation in conservation efforts, particularly in the summer. Conservation is easy, and something everyone can do.

The 40th annual Sertoma Club Family July 4 Celebration and fireworks display will be held at San Gabriel Park Tuesday, July 4. The event is sponsored by the Georgetown Sertoma Club with assistance from the City of Georgetown.

Activities begin at 11 a.m. at San Gabriel Park and will include live entertainment starting at noon. The festival also includes arts and crafts vendors, food vendors including a beer and wine vendor, a petting zoo, classic and antique cars, games, and rides for children and adults. The event concludes with a fireworks show at about 9:30 p.m.

Admission to the event is free; however, there are fees for some activities.

“The Sertoma Club of Georgetown and the City of Georgetown invite you to join us in the beautiful San Gabriel Park located on the San Gabriel River,” Sertoma Club President Bill George said. “This year’s 40th celebration sponsored by Sertoma is partnering with FREEDOM FUN to bring you new and exciting experiences in games, a petting farm, train rides, and many activities, plus more and affordable pricing in wrist bands and individual rides. With an increase in the number of food and craft vendors, we have something for everyone. Classic car displays and other, new items to be announced. Our stage will have entertainment after our kids’ parade starting at 11 a.m. Bring your chairs, enjoy the fun, and stay for the fireworks starting at 9:30 p.m.”

Hometown parade

The July 4th Hometown Parade in San Gabriel Park begins at 11 a.m. at the low water crossing near the College Street bridge and ends at the large pavilion. Participants should gather at 10:30 a.m. at the low water crossing. Kids are encouraged to decorate their wagons or bicycles for the parade. Motorized vehicles and pets are not permitted in the parade. The annual parade is sponsored by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.

The fireworks display begins at about 9:30 p.m. Fireworks will be launched from the McMaster Athletic Fields on North College Street. Fireworks can be viewed from San Gabriel Park, VFW Park, and other areas in Georgetown. The best entrance to San Gabriel Park for the event is via Morrow Street on North Austin Avenue. Please do not bring dogs to the fireworks show.

Parking

There is limited parking in San Gabriel Park. The Sertoma Club has arranged a free shuttle from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 4. Guests can park in Georgetown ISD’s stadium parking lot, behind the Richarte School District. Please bring water.

Alternatively, attendees also are encouraged to park at Georgetown High School and carpool to San Gabriel Park. Limited handicapped parking is available in the designated area on the south side of San Gabriel Park.

Both the McMaster Fields parking lot and the Parks and Recreation Administration parking lot at North College Street and W.L. Walden Drive will be closed on July 4 due to their proximity to the fireworks fall zone.

College Street and McMaster Fields closure

Due to the fireworks fall zone, North College Street will be closed from about 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, between the traffic circle and Holly Street. Parking, standing, or sitting along that segment of North College Street will not be permitted during this time.

The McMaster Athletic Fields will be closed all day Tuesday, July 4.

Personal fireworks prohibited

By City of Georgetown ordinance, fireworks are not allowed in the city limits of Georgetown or within 5,000 feet of the city limits, unless they are used in a permitted display authorized by the Georgetown Fire Department. This area outside city limits includes, but is not limited to, the neighborhoods of Cedar Hollow, Crystal Knoll, Escalera, Fountainwood, Indian Creek, Logan Ranch Road, Lost Rivers, Oak Crest, Olde Oak Estates, Serenada, Shady Oaks, Turtle Bend, and Woodland Park, and areas along D.B Wood Road.

Violations can lead to fines of up to $2,000 per firework. To view a map showing the 5,000-foot boundary, go to Georgetown fireworks ban area map.

Also, please ensure your dog is secure inside your home, particularly during the evenings of the holiday weekend. Georgetown animal control officers pick up several loose dogs around the Fourth of July and New Year’s holidays, many of whom are never reunited with their owners.

New ordinances for water conservation are in effect starting April 26, 2023. These ordinances contain key elements for the continued conservation of the City’s available treated drinking water and will affect all property types across the entire City of Georgetown Water Utility.

“Georgetown is located in an area of Texas that is prone to droughts,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “By focusing on water conservation, the City can help to ensure there is enough water to meet the needs of its residents and businesses, even during times of drought.”

Water conservation holds a key role in responsibly managing the City of Georgetown’s available water. The ordinance changes were made to promote and encourage conservation efforts across all account types within the City of Georgetown Water Utility.

“It is important that we preserve our natural resources and that when we do use them, we are doing so in a responsible and efficient manner,” Georgetown Water Utility Director Chelsea Solomon said. “The conservation ordinance is a time- and condition-based approach that considers local conditions and evaporation as a guide to make educated decisions on how to efficiently and effectively use our available water resources.”

Changes include updates to water use restrictions when the City is not in Drought Contingency (the City is currently in drought stage 2), a new fee structure, developer requirements, inspection requirements for commercial and HOA irrigation systems, and new watering timeframes for all irrigation methods. Drip, soaker hoses, and hose-end sprinklers also must adhere to the new set times for irrigation—hand watering is still allowed on any day.

The new ordinance also includes updated watering schedules across all drought phases, as well as times when the City of Georgetown is not in a stage of drought contingency. Reducing irrigation times can help conserve water and cut down on water waste. Over-irrigation can result in excess water runoff, which not only wastes water but can also lead to soil erosion, nutrient leaching, and contamination of water sources. The new ordinance will also help with the reduction of irrigation in the middle of the day during peak times, which in turn will cut down on the amount of evaporation due to high temperatures.

New DCP 2 Watering Schedule (The City of Georgetown is currently in this phase)

Developers, builders, and irrigation-system installers will now be required to provide instructions on the irrigation system’s design and functionality. Additionally, they must provide information to homeowners on where to find the City’s watering schedule and how to properly maintain their irrigation systems.

Council also approved an automatic irrigation system audit ordinance that requires homeowner associations and nonresidential customers to have irrigation systems inspected every two years.

The violation process and associated fee structure also were adjusted. Residential and nonresidential customers are on a different violation and fee structure, and fees will be based on the drought stage the City of Georgetown is in at the time of the violation.

At the first occurrence of a violation, customers will receive a courtesy notice. (Customers will only receive one courtesy notice in a 12-month period.) They will have 10 days to move into compliance. If there is no proof of change after the courtesy notice, a violation will be issued to the customer. If customers need more than 10 days to make repairs after the first violation has been received, up to an additional 20 days may be granted. Customers can appeal and request an administrative hearing within the first 10 days of a violation, as well. If no contact is made, an administrative fee will then be added to the customer’s account on the 11th day.

Residential Violation Structure

Non-Residential Violation Structure

For more information about the City of Georgetown water utility, visit water.georgetown.org.