Stage 1 Drought Watch Rescinded

Stage 1 Drought Watch Rescinded

Effective immediately, the City of Belton is rescinding Stage 1 drought conditions, which call for voluntary reductions in water usage.

Stage 1 conditions were initiated on Aug. 19, 2019, due to high water usage tied to irrigation, which resulted in periods of low water pressure throughout the City. One of the triggers for a Stage 1 is when treated water in elevated storage tanks does not refill overnight to 80 percent capacity. Although the City was able to fully fill the tanks overnight, significant irrigation usage caused the level in the tanks to drop.

The City will continue to monitor water demand and the levels in the elevated storage tanks during peak demand hours.

The triggers for Stage 1 are one of the following:

  • Brazos River Authority enters into Stage 1 Drought Watch.
  • When total daily water demand equals or exceeds 6.45 million gallons for three consecutive days or 7.31 million gallons on a single day.
  • Total treated water in the elevated storage does not refill to 80% of capacity overnight.

 As of Nov. 12, 2019, all components of the Brazos River Authority (BRA) reservoir system were above BRA’s Stage 1 trigger levels: Belton’s daily water demand is well under 6.45 million gallons, and the elevated storage tanks are able to refill overnight.