Aquifers close to Stage IV Exceptional Drought
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District recently announced the 34th consecutive month of drought conditions for Edwards and Trinity aquifers. Falling into Stage III Critical Drought in November 2024, the continual drought conditions have Lovelady Monitor Well dangerously close to Stage IV Exception Drought.
Shay Hlavaty with Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservational District recently spoke with Meteorologist Freddy Vela about the current state of the aquifers and what will happen should drought conditions continue.
For more information on drought conditions, visit the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Website.
Read an edited version of the conversation below or use the video player above to listen.
Meteorologist Freddy Vela: So how do drought conditions affect our aquifers?
Shay Hlavarty: Drought has a significant impact. Here at the district, we’ve been in some level of continuous drought for 34 months now—just shy of three years. It’s taken a real toll on our aquifers. We oversee parts of both the Edwards and Trinity aquifers, and water levels are currently very low in both. We see this in the declining groundwater levels and in reduced spring flows at places like Barton Springs. And even though Jacob’s Well isn’t in our district, it’s connected to the Trinity Aquifer and hasn’t been swimmable for years.
Vela: How much rain do we need to get back to normal?
Hlavarty: That’s a great question. I wish I had a simple answer, like a specific number of inches, but it’s more complicated than that. Since January 2022, we’ve had a rainfall deficit of about 35 inches. To put that in perspective, the Austin area averages about 34.2 inches per year, so we’re essentially missing an entire year’s worth of rain.
Even so, if we got 35 inches of rain tomorrow, it wouldn’t necessarily end the drought. Several factors matter: The amount of rain, of course, but also the intensity—softer, slower rain is better because it has time to soak in, while heavy downpours tend to run off. Timing is also key—it helps if the rain is spread out over weeks or months. And finally, location matters. We’ve had rainfall east of I-35, which is good, but that doesn’t help our aquifers. We need rain over our recharge zones—mainly west of I-35, in areas like south Austin, Buda, Kyle and the Hill Country.
Vela: Recently, it was announced that the aquifers are in Stage 3 Critical Drought. What does that mean?
Hlavarty: The district has been in Stage 3 Critical Drought since October of last year. For us, that means organizations and municipalities with water permits from the district must reduce their water use by at least 30%, and in some cases more, depending on the permit.
This is important for cities like Buda, Kyle, and others that rely on this water. If they exceed their allowed usage, they could face fines. So Stage 3 means significant reductions in water use and serious consequences if those reductions aren’t followed.
