Users of Boerne’s reclaimed water utility now may be facing the same drought restrictions on landscape irrigation as potable water users. Additionally, weekend watering may be eliminated for all Boerne utility users during any drought stage. The value of water across the Hill Country continues to rise as drought reigns heavy over the region with little signs of letting up, and the Boerne City Council is eyeing several measures to help mitigate water concerns in the short-term. The council likely will amend its ordinances to apply the same drought stage restrictions on landscape irrigation to reclaimed water as potable water, limiting the use to a day of the week based on address during drought restrictions.
The move to amend the ordinances comes after a lengthy discussion among councilmembers on how to better mitigate water conservation. Rate increases on reclaimed water were imposed last year after District 2 Councilmember Nina Woolard reported heavy misuse of the resource in her service area. But the council discussion indicated this did little in the way of conservation. Based on the conversation Tuesday, rate increase are likely coming again later this year.
“When we were first starting the whole reclaimed water, we had this discussion because the areas happen to be in my district that were using the reclaim,” Woolard said during the council’s last meeting. “And I was getting a lot of comments from citizens that they thought the reclaim was being wasted. And we had the discussion to raise the rates on it.
