Posted: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:10 AM - 10,570 Readers

By: Ashleigh Whaley

The severe drought in Central Texas has one Spicewood community on standby.

Spicewood’s Windermere Oaks subdivision is currently under Stage 4 water restrictions, limiting customers to 7,000 gallons a month, said George Burriss, manager for Windermere Oaks Water Supply Corporation.

If Lake Travis levels drop steadily below Monday’s reading of 629.96 feet above sea level, the community will face tighter restrictions and may have to truck in water, he said.

“Customers are using a third of the water they were using in July,” Burriss said. “If conservation measures have a 15-20 percent reduction, that’s pretty unusual. We’ve had a 60-percent reduction.”

All water used in Windermere is pumped out of Lake Travis. Burriss said the Lower Colorado River Authority has predicted a level of 629.25 feet by the end of this week. If the level continues to drop below 630 feet, Windermere Oaks will have to initiate Stage 5 water restrictions, reducing usage to 3,000 gallons a month per household, Burriss said.

“We estimate we may not be able to pump water out when the lake level gets to 622 feet, and at that point, we would have to start hauling water or do without,” Burriss said.