Reassessing Austin’s Water Restrictions
Photo by KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Are Austin’s water restrictions too restrictive?
The City of Austin is considering revising water restrictions put in place during times of drought. Those restrictions get more severe as drought continues. Austin is currently in Stage 2 water restrictions. The city could be looking at Stage 3 restrictions in a few months, if the drought persists. Some have complained that those restrictions are too great a burden on some water users – especially when they’re enforced for an extended period.
The Austin Water Utility‘s Drema Gross tells KUT’s Matt Largey that the city is looking for feedback and ideas for potential changes to the water restrictions.
The way our current code is written, we know that [water restrictions] have significant consequences for some businesses and for our regular residential customers, as well. There’s been a lot of concern about the tree canopy, about people who grow vegetables at home and wanting to use water for those needs. As well, there are certain restrictions on businesses – say for car washes or pressure washing companies – that could effectively shut those businesses down if stage 3 were enacted.
The city is holding a workshop on potential revisions to water restrictions on Thursday, January 19, at 6:30 pm at the Water Utility’s headquarters on East 10th street.
Podcast: Download (4.8MB)
