The Edwards Aquifer serves 2.5 million people across Central Texas counties, primarily Bexar and Medina counties. Additionally, the aquifer also serves parts of Hays, Atascosa, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Comal counties.
Other groundwater authorities in Hays County have implemented tighter restrictions in the wake of low aquifer levels.
What’s happening in the Edwards Aquifer?
The EAA implemented Stage 4 Critical Period Management on May 29 after a brief call to declare Stage 5 Critical Period Management on May 23 due to declining aquifer conditions, according to a May 23 news release.
Stage 4 mandates permit holders to reduce groundwater withdrawal by 40%, based on the number of days the CPM is in effect for the indicated stage reduction. Stage 5 is the highest critical period management stage, calling for 44% in reduction.
The drop to Stage 4 comes from “slightly improved” conditions in which the J-17 index well, or a monitoring well that provides data on aquifer conditions, measured 625.2 feet above sea level, falling within the Stage 4 parameters, according to a May 29 news release.
Additionally, the 10-day average at San Marcos Springs measures 82 cubic feet per second, or cfs.
At Stage 5, EAA index wells showed levels below historic average, with the aquifer measuring 624.7 feet above mean sea level. In Bexar County, the index well measured water levels 33 feet below historical average as of May 23, the previous news release states. In San Marcos Springs, water levels were 98 cfs below historic average as of May 22.
Water levels had not been that low since June 1990, the news release states. The last time the aquifer recorded lower water levels was in 1956, during the Texas drought of record, the worst drought in the state’s history.
The EAA has 68 permits for irrigation, industrial, municipal and exempt uses in Hays County.
Hays County Edwards Aquifer permit holders include city of Kyle, city of San Marcos, city of Buda, Texas State University, South Hays Emergency Service District No. 3 and Aqua Texas.
The EAA does not enforce lawn watering activities or other water general restrictions aside from groundwater Edwards Aquifer withdrawals. Other water restrictions will be regulated by municipalities and other water providers.
What else?
Western and Northern Hays County residents are also facing the impact of low water levels due to drought and demand. The Trinity Aquifer, serving other parts of the county such as Dripping Springs, Driftwood and Wimberley, is recording low water levels in the aquifer, according to the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, or HTGCD.
HTGCD has been in an Emergency Drought Stage district-wide since September. That means permit holders have had to curtail groundwater by 40% per district restrictions. That also means that no new permits for production or nonexempt well construction have been issued and will not be accepted “until conditions improve,” according to the HTGCD website.
Permit holders in the Jacob’s Well groundwater management zone, also in HTGCD Emergency Stage since March 2024, must curtail use by 30%.
The Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation, serving residents of Dripping Springs with groundwater and water from the Lower Colorado River Authority, implemented Stage 4 watering restrictions May 23. The restrictions come due to “declines in aquifer water levels and a lack of substantial rainfall/recharge west of Dripping Springs,” the corporation states on their website.
To “prolong limited water supplies,” the corporation is implementing reductions to nonessential water uses for customers such as prohibiting automatic sprinkler use and drip irrigation, and only allowing hand-held hose irrigation.
Dripping Springs WSC customers will also have to adhere to the following watering schedule:
- Watering hours 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., not both times
- Residential: odd addresses Saturday only, even addresses Sunday only
- Commercial and homeowner association common areas: odd addresses Friday only, even addressed Tuesday only
- Schools: Monday only
Middle Trinity Aquifer levels in the April report showed an averaged decline of 0.6 feet relative to March 2025.
However, the south-central part of the HTGCD, south of the Hwy. 290 and Ranch Road 12 intersection in Dripping Springs, recorded up to 20% above lowest recorded measurements. The Bear Creek and Cedar Valley areas also recorded “steady” levels but are near historic lows, the report states.
More details
Canyon Lake is facing similar challenges to the Edwards Aquifer, with both water sources strained by ongoing drought and increased demand.
Canyon Lake, located in Comal County, is a major water source for many Central Texas communities, including San Marcos, New Braunfels and parts of the Hill Country.
As of May 29, Canyon Lake is 45.4% full, down from 57.6% the year prior, marking this year one of the worst for Canyon Lake since before the 1970s, according to Water Data for Texas.
As water levels decline, communities relying on Canyon Lake, along with other resources such as the Edwards Aquifer, have implemented restrictions to conserve their limited supplies. These include but are not limited to Kyle, Buda and San Marcos.
Kyle residents are under Amended Stage 3 drought restrictions, allowing outdoor irrigation every other week on assigned weekdays from 7–10 p.m. Handheld watering is allowed daily during off-peak hours. Some activities, like automatic pool refills and charity car washes, are banned, while others, like vehicle washing and foundation watering, are limited to once a week. Further information is available on the city of Kyle website.
San Marcos is also enforcing Stage 3 drought restrictions, which limit outdoor irrigation to specific days and times, ban nonessential water uses such as car washing and pool filling, and require residents who draw water directly from the Edwards Aquifer to comply with the EAA’s stricter Stage 4 restrictions. More details are available on the city of San Marcos website.
The city of Buda has enacted Stage 3 drought restrictions as well, allowing outdoor irrigation once per week on designated days during early morning and late evening hours. Hand-held watering and drip irrigation are permitted with time limits once per week, new pool filling is prohibited, and existing pools must be covered when not in use. These measures aim to conserve water amid ongoing drought. Further information can be found on Buda’s website.
Looking ahead
The U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows the Hays County area under severe and extreme drought conditions as of May 29. The U.S. Drought Monitor predictions show drought conditions persisting for the next three months, as of May 29.
