Drought FAQ

Periods of drought naturally bring up questions and concerns for many people—especially well owners and permit holders in the District’s territory.

To help provide clarity, we’ve put together answers to some common questions about drought conditions and the possibility of a Stage 4 Emergency Response Declaration. Our goal is to explain what this could mean, why certain actions may be considered, and how the District works to protect shared water resources while supporting the community.

General Questions about Drought

The only way to end a drought is through significant, widespread rainfall in the recharge zone. One or more of these weather events may be required to recharge the aquifers and raise groundwater levels and springflow above drought conditions.

Barton Springs flow and groundwater levels at the Lovelady monitoring well are the two determinants of the District’s drought status. Each site has predetermined threshold levels for each stage of drought. A drought declaration is triggered when either monitoring site crosses its respective threshold. However, to exit a drought stage, both Barton Springs and the Lovelady well must rise above their respective trigger levels.

Please visit our drought status page for current conditions. 

 
To date, there is no evidence of significant impacts to groundwater quality during periods of drought.  
The District has been in continuous stages of drought since We depend on outside sources, such as the US Climate Prediction Center, for evaluating future climate conditions. However, none of these sources can predict how severe the drought might be beyond the next few months. Speculating beyond that is very complex. 
 

Relevant Questions for District Well Owners and Permittees

The District has over 40 wells that record hourly water levels in the Edwards and Trinity aquifers across our territory. Staff is currently working to provide updated hydrographs for these monitor wells on our website. Check out the interactive map on our  Monitoring Wells & Aquifer Data  page for more information. 
 

Water levels in karst aquifers, such as the Edwards and Trinity aquifers, naturally fluctuate due to drought, seasonal conditions, and groundwater pumping.

When a well stops producing water, it is often not completely dry. In many cases, the water level has dropped below the pump intake, which is typically set 50 feet or more above the bottom of the well. Wells completed in shallow aquifer units are more sensitive to drought and reduced rainfall than deeper wells and are therefore more susceptible to declining water levels. A well log can help identify your well depth and the aquifer it taps.

Before assuming your well has gone dry, it’s important to rule out maintenance, construction, or pump issues. Wells and pumps require periodic servicing, and many wells stop producing due to mechanical problems rather than a permanent loss of water.

Homeowners should first contact a licensed well driller or pump installer to evaluate the well. If you don’t already work with a water well company, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) maintains a list of licensed professionals.

Steps you can take include:

  • Conserve water and reduce pumping to allow the well to recover, especially in low-yield or drought-prone aquifers. Installing a water meter can help track usage.

  • Protect your pump. Low water levels can cause overheating and rapid cycling, which may damage the motor. Turn off the pump if it cycles frequently and consider installing a pump saver or low-water shutoff switch.

  • Add a storage tank if your well has low or variable yield. Storage tanks can meet peak demand, stabilize supply, extend pump life, reduce odors, and allow sediment to settle.

  • Watch for warning signs, such as reduced pressure, sediment, air bubbles, or cloudy water that clears after a short time. If the pump sounds like it’s sucking air, turn it off and allow the well to rest.

If it still appears that your well has gone dry, please fill out this form.  

The District does not have a watering schedule because we do not sell or provide water to end users. The District requires permittees to implement practices outlined in their User Drought Contingency Plan (UDCP) to ensure that they comply with their required curtailments.

If a permittee needs copies of their UDCP and/or Drought Target Chart, please us at (512) 282-8441 or email Erin Swanson, Regulatory Compliance Manager, at eswanson@bseacd.org. 

Exempt well owners are not subject to mandatory drought restrictions; however, all well owners are strongly encouraged to conserve water—especially during periods of prolonged drought.

The District also has a special category of domestic well owners who hold Limited Production Permits (LPPs). While LPP holders are not subject to mandatory drought restrictions, they have agreed to follow the recommended drought stage measures outlined in the User Conservation Plan submitted during the District’s application process. These measures become increasingly important as drought conditions worsen.

LPP holders who need a copy of their User Conservation Plan or who would like to review the applicable drought and conservation measures can email Erin Swanson, Regulatory Compliance Manager, at eswanson@bseacd.org.

Although exempt users, such as private well owners, are not required to submit a User Conservation Plan, the District strongly recommends adopting the same conservation measures outlined in an LPP User Conservation Plan to help protect groundwater resources during this critical time.

The District has issued both Historical and Conditional permits in both the Edwards and Trinity aquifers. Declaration of drought requires all non-domestic use District permittees to implement mandatory measures specified in their User Drought Contingency Plans (UDCPs) to meet monthly pumpage requirements. Curtailments for Stage 3 Exceptional Drought are listed below and depend on permit type. For some of these permits, curtailment rates will increase if the District descends into the next stage of drought.   

  • 30% for Trinity and Alluvial/Austin Chalk Historical permittees
  • 40% for Edwards Historical
  • 50% for Edwards Conditional Class A permittees
  • 100% for Edwards Conditional Class B permittees
  • 100% for Edwards Conditional Class C and Class D permittees

 

You can find curtailments for all drought stages here. If a permittee needs copies of their UDCP and/or Drought Target Chart, please contact Regulatory Compliance staff at (512) 282-8441 or eswanson@bseacd.org. 

Ratepayers that are served by municipal water utility or other types of water providers are required to follow utility rules regardless of where the provider sources its water. Utilities often declare drought at different times than when the District does. 
 
If a permittee is deemed non-compliant during drought for over pumping their allotment, the District may pursue enforcement and assess penalties pursuant the District’s Enforcement Plan. 
 

Getting more water will depend on your well. First, we recommend you have your well and pump checked. If you do not have a well company you work with already, you can find one here. Once they have evaluated your well, they can provide an assessment of what the options are for getting you more water out of your well.

Options may include: 

  • Lowering the pump. Usually the well is not dry, but the water level has declined below the pump and the pump needs to be lowered. In most cases getting more water could be as simple as having your well company set the pump lower in the well column so it is low enough to remain in water during times of drought. A driller or pump installer can help determine if the well is deeper than where the pump is set and if lowering the pump will address the issue. 
  • Deepening your existing well or drilling a new, deeper well. If it is determined your pump cannot be lowered and you are interested in deepening your well or drilling a new well, you should contact your well driller. It is important to note that deepening of your well may not be practical depending on the condition of your well. 
  • Install a storage tank. Keep this filled by hauling water in during times of drought.