Water Violation
Posted on Monday , February 5 , 2024 by
I received a notice for violating water restrictions. What should I do?
- WCID No. 17 is enforcing the Stage 1 water restrictions set forth in our new Drought Contingency Plan. If you have received a violation notice, please visit our website at https://www.wcid17.org/water-restrictions-and-conservation/ to ensure you are watering on your designated day. We suggest you do this as soon as possible in order to avoid being fined and potentially even have service disconnected.
- Check your irrigation controller to ensure it is set properly. We have found many customers were watering correctly with one program on their irrigation controller but inadvertently also had a second program running. Also, remember to check the irrigation controller after a power outage as they tend to reset to factory settings.
- Check for leaks! A running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day. If you suspect a leak, please call our office at 512.266.1111 so we can review your account with you.
- View your water consumption and monitor water use by downloading the “My Water Advisor 2.0” app or visit https://mywateradvisor2.com/ to sign up. You will then be able to access your own data and even be notified if you should ever have a leak.
- Pay your fine as soon as possible at https://www.wcid17.org/billing/ or visit our office at 3812 Eck Ln. or call our office at 512.266.1111. Please note, it could take up to 72 hours to return your call.
Why are you issuing fines for violating water restrictions?
- WCID No. 17 recently adopted a new Drought Contingency Plan in order to help safeguard the water supply for our 50,000 customers. The ongoing drought, record-low inflows into Lakes Travis and Buchanan as well as community growth have made it necessary to conserve our water supply so that we can have water in which to drink, bathe and use in our homes.
How do you determine which stage we are in?
- Outlined in the new Drought Contingency Plan, the stage of watering restriction is based on the acre-feet of combined storage rather than the current level of the lake. Since our current acre-feet of combined storage is above 900,000 acre-feet, we are in Stage 1 which entails a maximum of twice per week watering.
I was issued a violation but I’m only watering on the wrong days. Why is this even a restriction?
- Some customers may wonder why watering on the wrong day is a violation since they aren’t over watering or even watering outside the allotted times. If just 25% of the District’s customers are watering on the wrong days, it could amount to a little more than 5.6 million gallons of unplanned water use. This, on top of normal daily use, would significantly impact the District’s ability to serve all of our customers as there is a limit to how much water our treatment plants can provide on a given day.
Are commercial accounts and HOAs held to the same restrictions?
- Yes, both commercial accounts and HOAs are only able to water on Tuesdays and Fridays unless they have an effluent water account meaning they use re-claimed water to irrigate.
Can my fine be waived?
- Unfortunately, our customer service representatives are not able to waive fines for customers who violate water restrictions. We take water conservation seriously and would encourage our entire community to do so as well.
Where does the money from fining customers go?
- All fines are treated as revenue and are used to help support programs like our water conservation credit.
Can I get on a variance list for filling my newly-constructed pool/planting sod?
- Completely filling a pool should be a one-time instance and pool-owners can get on a variance list by completing the form on our website at https://www.wcid17.org/ Homeowners are discouraged from installing sod in the hotter summer months and instead encouraged to install a drought-resistant landscape or xeriscape. Homeowners can complete the variance form on our website prior to the installation of landscape.
What about re-filling pool after evaporation? Do I have to wait until my watering day?
- Adding water to a pool should not use as much water as irrigating does and can be done any day. If you find you are needing to fill it often, you could have a leak.
How have you notified customers about the new DCP and stage of water restrictions?
- We have notified customers and publicized the new DCP and water restrictions in numerous ways including the distribution of an email to customers on December 1, 2023. We sent a three-page mailer to all customers on January 11, 2024 which included a letter explaining the new DCP, a flyer showing the new stages of water restrictions, the watering schedule, and an infographic with conservation tips. Notice of the restrictions has been included on customer invoices since December. We have also posted the information on our website and Facebook page, placed flyers in our lobby and installed signage in neighborhoods. We have worked with HOAs to publish the information in newsletters and have worked with media outlets on TV news stories and newspaper articles.
