State cuts Kerrville access to Guadalupe River water

Kerrville plans to tighten its water restrictions after the state further reduced its pumping from the Guadalupe River, which is running nearly 90 percent below its normal flow.

Kerrville Public Works Director Charlie Hastings said Monday that the city's allowable draw from the river was halved Saturday by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — reduced to 1 million gallons daily — to preserve its depleted flow for downstream users.

In wetter times, the city draws 6.4 million gallons from the river daily.

Increasing reliance on seven city wells to supply roughly 9,000 households and business customers with about 5.5 million gallons of water daily has already depleted the groundwater table, Hastings said. He predicted the reduced availability of the Guadalupe will automatically trigger the move from Stage 2 to Stage 3 restrictions this week under a city ordinance.

Under Stage 3, he said, lawn watering with sprinklers is banned, pools can't be refilled and new water accounts can't be opened.

TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said Kerrville is among several junior water rights holders along area rivers that have seen their draws reduced or eliminated due to the exceptional drought.

Zeke MacCormack - Express-News