Hot, Dry Weather Brings Back Burn Ban
Austin's sunny weather led the city to reinstate a burn ban today. Photo by mali unaba, flickr.com/photos/mali_unaba.Austin’s hot, dry weather over the past few weeks has led the city to reinstate a burn ban today. That means no charcoal grilling in parks, greenbelts and preserves. Randy Denzer with the Austin Firefighters Association says with so much at stake, if fire should break out, it’s not enough to rely on people’s good intentions.
“People are kind of lax, and so a lot of times you’ll see people who won’t properly discard smoking materials,” Denzer said. “Sometimes campfires can get out of control, and we see a lot of that.”
Travis, Hays, Williamson and Burnet counties already have burn bans in effect.
San Marcos imposed tougher water restrictions today, limiting sprinkler use and car washing.
The Highland Lakes are still less than half full, with inflows to the vital reservoirs at half their historical averages. Working to expand supply, the LCRA says it is buying a nearby Alcoa aluminum plant, and the water rights that go with it. The LCRA says it has also tied up two potential sites for new water-holding reservoirs between Austin and the coast.
