Water is flowing again into Lake Pflugerville after a fifth waterline break was fixed late Wednesday, the city announced. But the city's water system remains depleted after a series of leaks in recent months.
Water is flowing again into Lake Pflugerville after a fifth waterline break was fixed late Wednesday,. But Pflugerville 's water system remains depleted after a series of leaks in recent months, and water customers remain subject to serious restrictions.
Lake Pflugerville is the primary water source for the city. It’s human-made and fed entirely by water pumped from the Colorado River. Construction crews discovered the fifth break on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the city of Pflugerville said Wednesday officials could not take interviews as the city was “completely focused on handling the current water situation.” Officials said the break was “easily accessible” and “quickly located.” The break was the latest in a string of leaks that have depleted the city’s water supply by hundreds of millions of gallons since September.The city’s raw waterline that runs from the Colorado River to Lake Pflugerville experienced breaks in September, November and January. But the city did not implement water restrictions until a fourth, more severe break was discovered in early February. It look crews more than ten days to locate the break, according toPublic Utility and Engineering Director Matt Rector said at a March 10 city council meeting that identifying the fourth leak was “strenuous to say the least.” “We had to excavate down 20-plus feet on each side of the creek just to try to figure out where the leak was,” he said. “That took us a little while.” Rector said as the lake was being depleted from the break, customer demand was rising due to an unseasonably warm February. Hundreds of millions of gallons were lost. The city responded March 1 by entering Stage 1 restrictions, which limited outdoor watering to one day a week. But the extent of the water loss did not become clear until a March 3 report found the fourth waterline break caused the lake to have “significantly less water than we had originally thought,” Rector said. The city wasn't able to install a bypass line to reroute the water flow for another week.the city was in a"disaster water shortage emergency” and moved the city to Stage 3 water restrictions. He said engineering projections show the city’s water supply could dip below the elevation of the city’s existing raw water intake structure by late April,"threatening the city’s ability to withdraw and treat sufficient water to meet essential health, sanitation, and firefighting needs."restrictions until Lake Pflugerville reaches a depth of 19 feet, which could take more than two months. As of Wednesday, the lake was 17 feet deep. Under Stage 3, Pflugerville residents are not allowed to use water outdoors unless it’s to water a home’s foundation to prevent cracking. They also aren’t allowed to irrigate lawns, fill swimming pools or wash cars. Additionally, the city is recommending folks start catching rainwater; reuse water for hand-washing; take shorter showers; and delay laundry and dish cycles.Customers that don’t comply will receive a “formal warning” or a fine ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 per occurrence, according to the city. At the March 10 meeting, Police Chief Willie Richards said the department had “made contact” with 117 businesses and residential water customers to educate them about the new restrictions, but so far had not issued any citations. “The willingness to say ‘Yes, we understand,’ and coming alongside us and helping us be successful in this endeavor has been exceptional,” Richards said at the meeting.shows customer water usage has gone down by over a million gallons per day since the restrictions were put in place.Ahead of the latest waterline leak, the city agreed to activate a local well that is typically only online during peak demand in the summer. Pflugerville is also purchasing water from the Manville Water Supply Corporation to go directly to customers.to increase water capacity to the area. A project to add a new pump station that will add a 1.25 million gallon storage tank to the water system's capacity is in the design stage, but the city has not yet announced when construction will begin.
Mayor Doug Weiss Pflugerville Pflugerville Water Disaster Pflugerville Water Main Breaks Pflugerville Water Restrictions Pflugerville Water Shortage Stage 3 Restrictions Texas Break
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.
Fifth break in raw waterline cuts off flow to Lake Pflugerville againA fifth break in a troubled pipeline has again cut off water flow to Lake Pflugerville, city officials said Tuesday.The latest break was discovered Tuesday morn
Read more »
Colorado bets big on water: Record sports betting revenue fuels water conservation projectsMaggie Bryan joined the Denver7 team in June 2025 as a morning reporter.
Read more »
McCloskey: Republicans are squandering their MAHA momentGOP muddying the water as politics shrouds real health concerns.
Read more »
Headed to a lake, river, or beach this weekend? Here’s an update on water conditionsA quiet forecast lay ahead. If you plan to head to the water this weekend, we've got you covered! Here's a look at water levels, stream flows, and Gulf temperatures.
Read more »
Everything you should know about Lake Clark National Park and PreserveGlaciers, volcanoes, forested coasts—these distinctive Alaskan landscapes are packed into this rarely visited reserve.
Read more »
Pflugerville Massage Therapist Arrested Again; Other Local News in BriefPflugerville police arrested a massage therapist for the second time on sexual misconduct charges based on new public tips. Additionally, this report includes brief mentions of a commercial vehicle crash, the cancellation of the César Chávez March and renaming controversy, Governor Abbott's stance on César Chávez Day, a Liberty Hill man's sentencing for attempted murder, and a murder charge related to a fentanyl death.
Read more »