Alice issues drought disaster declaration amid Stage 3 water restrictions

Lawns, car washing and other daily water use are now under the pressure of Alice’s drought emergency. The City of Alice placed a Mayoral Disaster Declaration Due to Drought on April 14 while Stage 3 water restrictions were already in effect, and the city’s own rules allow only limited watering of edible gardens and fruit-bearing trees with a hand-held hose, bucket or watering can of five gallons or less.

For households and local businesses, the shift means conservation is no longer a background concern. Outdoor watering has been pushed into tighter limits, nonessential water use has become harder to justify, and the city is treating the shortage as a real municipal emergency rather than a seasonal inconvenience. Alice’s water-production page says the city is responsible for treating water for citizens of Alice and surrounding communities, and that demand and pressure are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The timing reflects how dry Jim Wells County has become. Federal drought monitors say 40,838 people in the county are affected by drought, with 100% of the population under drought impacts. The county also recorded the 15th driest February on record and the 5th driest January-February period in 132 years, numbers that help explain why city leaders moved now instead of waiting for conditions to worsen further.

The city council agenda for April 21 included discussion of extending and revising the April 14 disaster declaration, showing the emergency response was still active. That follows a long climb in Alice’s drought response, from Stage 1 restrictions in August 2023 to Stage 2 in January and March 2024, then Stage 3 on Dec. 2, 2024. Local reporting had also noted that revised Stage 3 rules allowed only limited watering for edible gardens and fruit-bearing trees, while city officials were already considering a Stage 4 option if the dry stretch deepened.

At the state level, Greg Abbott renewed a drought disaster proclamation on April 17 that includes Jim Wells County, and the proclamation says drought conditions increase wildfire danger. In Alice, the message is plain: the city is trying to protect drinking water, pressure and fire protection now, and if the drought holds, the restrictions may tighten again.