The Austin Chronicle is an independent, locally owned and operated alternative newsweekly that reflects the heart and soul of Austin, Texas.
Austinites who have been around at least a decade may remember that back in the summers of 2015 and 2016, Barton Creek flowed from Barton Springs into South Austin, pocketed with deep green, swimmable water holes.
That’s because in both years, Central Texas hadabove average rainfall as measured at the airport and Camp Mabry, recharging the Edwards Aquifer after the 2008-2011 drought years.. Our annual rainfall levels have hovered in the red ever since, with 2025 getting about 11 inches less than a normal year. “We’re basically missing an entire year’s worth of rainfall at this point,” said Shay Hlavaty, communications and outreach manager at the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. “What we need is long-term, sustained, above-average rainfall, ideally for years.” As of October 2025, the district declared its territory to be in Stage 3 Exceptional Drought, which includes portions of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers that supply drinking water to nearly 100,000 residents. Exceptional Drought was only Now, the district says the Austin area is close to another first-of-its-kind declaration: a Stage 4 Emergency Response Period, with Edwards Aquifer levels and springflow at Barton Springs dipping closer to historic lows. “This is unprecedented. These are crazy times, and so our rules and bylaws say that our board of directors can take action as they see fit to help protect flow in the aquifer,” Hlavaty said, noting that such plans are in the works ahead of the declaration. A Stage 4 declaration would mean even tighter pumping curtailments for those who have well permits to pump water out of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers through the district – depending on the permit type, monthly pumping out of the aquifer must reduce by 30%, 50%, or 100%, according to the District’s User Drought Contingency Plan. Who uses the Edwards and Trinity aquifers as their water source? The district’s territory encompasses Austin south of Lady Bird Lake and stretches down into Hays County. The cities of Buda, Hays, Sunset Valley, Kyle, Mountain City, Creedmoor, and Mustang Ridge all have permits with the district, using the aquifers to supply water to their communities, Hlavaty said. Under a Stage 4 declaration, those municipalities, along with utility companies, businesses, churches, and other non-domestic water users would be subject to tighter water pumping restrictions and need to lean on their alternative water sources, according to Hlavaty. “Having a diverse portfolio of water supplies is probably more important than ever these days for service supply providers, because there’s so much uncertainty,” said Natalie Ballew, the Texas Water Development Board’s Groundwater Division director. “But groundwater is typically the cheapest option of water supply just in the nature of how groundwater law is set up: It’s often cheap to drill a well and get some shallow groundwater.” While most Austinites get their water from the Highland Lakes , thousands of Austin-area homeowners have a well on their property, pumping water from the aquifer for their own homes, according to Hlavaty. While domestic permittees are not subject to pumping restrictions by the district, water levels have gotten so low that many wells may no longer actually reach the groundwater, she added. “What we actually see for most of those domestic wells is not necessarily that their well is going to go dry right now, but it’s more that their pump isn’t low enough,” Hlavaty said. “So they’d have to pay money for somebody to come in and lower it even further.” March could bring healthy rainfall over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, delaying a Stage 4 drought declaration, Hlavaty said. “But based on the climatic conditions right now, it’s not looking great. We’ve been having below average rainfall the last several months,” Hlavaty continued. “Even getting average would be great, but that’s not going to put a huge dent in the drought.”Shay Hlavaty, communications and outreach manager at the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Drought particularly strains aquifers, Ballew explained. During drought periods, there’s usually less water available from lakes and rivers, prompting folks to lean on groundwater supplies even as aquifer levels are also dropping. “That can compound the water level declines that we see in those aquifers: There’s less rainfall coming in and there’s increased pumping coming out of them,” Ballew continued., and development across the state strains Central Texas water resources, groundwater conservation districts like Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer are exploring ways to conserve aquifer health. One avenue is aquifer storage and recovery, where treated Edwards Aquifer water is stored in the Middle Trinity Aquifer and recovered later when supplies are tight. Buda is one of the earliest Austin-area municipalities toMany think of the Edwards Aquifer as a spring of fresh water, but the aquifer contains saline water as well. Another strategy currently being explored is the purification of that saline groundwater, the “saline Edwards,” into drinkable water quality. “Most of the Edwards has really high-quality water. We’ve all been in Barton Springs, the water is incredible,” Hlavaty explained. “But then the saline Edwards is a separate portion that has super high salination and high total dissolved solids in it, meaning it’s not drinkable as it is.” The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer district is currently coordinating the first-ever permit to pump water from the saline Edwards for desalination efforts, Hlavaty said. Beyond large-scale water supply projects, Austinites can also conserve water in small ways, like establishing a“Every gallon of water that you waste or use on your lawn is one less gallon that somebody can drink or recreate in,” Hlavaty emphasized. “We want to save our drinking water and wells as long as we can, and also conserve Barton Springs and make sure it keeps flowing.” has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.Sammie Seamon is a news staff writer at the Chronicle covering education, climate, health, development, and transportation, among other topics. She was born and raised in Austin , and loves this city like none other. She holds a master’s in literary reportage from the NYU Journalism Institute and has previously reported bilingually for Spanish-language readers.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
America Edwards, Ph.D.America Edwards, Ph.D., is the founder and co-director of the Social Ties Lab at the University of Kentucky.
Read more »
Texas Republicans Demand Immigration Halt Following Austin Shooting; Other Local News UpdatesIn response to the Austin mass shooting, Texas Republicans are calling for an immigration pause while other local news highlights a police officer's suspension, vehicle recalls, and community responses to the shooting.
Read more »
CBS Austin Community Partner: Seedling Supporting Students Through Mentorship!AUSTIN, Texas — As part of the CBS Austin and Telemundo Austin Community Partner Program, this month’s spotlight is on Seedling, a local nonprofit dedicated to
Read more »
Is longtime Sharks defenseman about to play his final game in San Jose?San Jose Sharks defenseman remains without a contract for next season as NHL trade deadline nears
Read more »
Anthony Edwards in, How to Watch Memphis Grizzlies-Minnesota Timberwolves, Injuries, Betting Lines, Lineups & MoreThe Memphis Grizzlies will look to take three of four from the Minnesota Timberwolves on the season but will have to deal with Anthony Edwards, who is in the lineup. Santi Aldama, Cedric Coward and Ty Jerome will all be in the mix for the Griz. A preview.
Read more »
Anthony Edwards reminds Grizzlies why losing is winningAnthony Edwards reminded Grizzlies fans what the point of the tank is - to get a talent of his caliber in the NBA Draft - in Memphis' loss Tuesday night.
Read more »