Pflugerville, Texas, is set to lift Stage 3 water restrictions implemented in early March, following a pipe break that disrupted flow to Lake Pflugerville, the city’s primary reservoir.
With the lake maintaining a target elevation of 633 feet, the northern Austin suburb moved to modified Stage 1 conservation measures on May 1. Whereas customers were previously limited to indoor water use under Stage 3 regulations, the new rules allow for “handheld watering” on designated days. According to the city, handheld watering means “using a hose with a shutoff nozzle, small bucket or watering can.”
Though homeowners can wash their vehicles during the allotted timeframes, they are still prohibited from washing outdoor surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways and patios. Automatic irrigation remains on the outs as well, for now.
Residents can fish from the shore and most piers, an activity barred in March and most of April. Pflugerville will open public pools for swimming, although recreational splashpads will stay closed.
“Swimming and recreational boating are still on hold until the lake elevation reaches 634 feet, which provides the depth needed for operation of the boat ramp and safer swimming conditions along the beach,” the city said in a statement on its website
The updated protocols are expected to remain in effect at least through mid-June, allowing Pflugerville to finish repairs on the existing raw waterline and complete construction of the secondary raw waterline. After aiming for a limit of 4 million gallons per day during the height of the crisis, the city is now targeting a threshold of 8 MGD during modified Stage 1.
Despite average daily consumption climbing past 4 MGD during parts of March and April, the lake managed to hit the 633-foot limit required to pull back restrictions. Lake Pflugerville gained about one foot of elevation every five or six days in late March, a visible difference nonetheless slowed by an increase in surface area. “Meaning it takes much more water to raise the lake from 630 feet to 631 feet than it did to raise it from 629 feet to 630 feet,” the city said.
Making fixes
In the meantime, Pflugerville is winding up fixes on the 30-inch existing raw waterline damaged during the parallel construction of a new 42-inch secondary raw waterline. Numerous breaks stopped water from flowing into Lake Pflugerville, leading the city to install a temporary bypass waterline on the existing raw waterline to continue pumping water from the Colorado River into the lake.
In a statement to Water Daily, officials said the initial breaks were immediately repaired by the contractor. But a fourth break occurred deep under a nearby creek, “presenting greater challenges in locating, assessing and repairing it than with the previous breaks.”
“That (fourth) break prevented water from flowing through the existing line,” the city said. “As a result, a bypass was constructed to allow water to flow around that broken waterline area. So, this is a phased approach. In the first phase, we constructed the bypass to get water flowing again. In the last phase, we will replace the broken section under the creek and remove the bypass.”
The secondary waterline is scheduled for activation this summer. A nearby pump station will shut down after Memorial Day for two weeks so workers can complete final connections and install new raw water pumps, said the city.
For now, Pflugerville is coordinating with its partners to resolve any additional risks impeding the project.
“We are working together to improve line location efforts to better protect the existing raw waterline throughout construction,” said the city. “The city has required detailed plans from the contractors to bring the project’s schedules on track, and the contractors have increased the number of personnel onsite to lessen the construction delays.”
Repairs to the damaged waterline will wrap up during installation of the secondary raw waterline, the city said. Assuming no further complications arise, the city expects the 30-inch raw waterline to remain stable without additional repairs – the 42-inch secondary line will double the water capacity available to City of Pflugerville water customers as well.
The Austin area is the fastest growing Texas metro, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Pflugerville is a focal point of that surge, thanks to a 134% population jump from 2000-2023. Considering this growth, administrators are keeping a sharp eye on the region’s water future.
“Water is a precious commodity in Texas, and we should always be mindful not to overuse,” the city said.
