Del Rio ends Stage II watering restrictions as spring flows rise
Del Rio lifted Stage II watering limits July 10 after San Felipe Spring flows stayed above the city threshold, easing summer irrigation rules for 15,509 water customers.
Del Rio lifted Stage II watering restrictions Friday, July 10, after monitoring showed San Felipe Spring flows stayed above the threshold in the city’s 2024 Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan. The city returned to normal water operations, ending the mandatory outdoor watering limits that had governed lawns, landscaping and other summer irrigation.
The City of Del Rio Public Works Department recommended the change after reviewing current operating conditions at the water system. The conditions that triggered Stage II no longer exist, but the rollback is not a signal to stop conserving water altogether.
Residents can resume normal outdoor watering, and city facilities are no longer bound by Stage II limits. Even so, careful use of water remains urgent, especially as July heat puts extra pressure on trees, grass, commercial properties and municipal landscaping across Del Rio.
Public Works will keep monitoring spring flows, reservoir levels, overall demand and other operational indicators. The relief could hold through the rest of summer if San Felipe Springs stays above the plan threshold, but new restrictions could return quickly if flows fall again or other signs of stress worsen. The drought contingency plan identifies when supplies may be threatened and what actions should be taken to minimize those threats.
A 2024 city plan summary put Del Rio at about 15,509 retail connections and roughly 46,500 people over 18 square miles in Val Verde County. The city first moved to Stage 1 restrictions on Aug. 1, 2023, then entered Stage 2 on Aug. 8, 2023, after continued declines at the springs. An ongoing South Texas drought is damaging San Felipe Springs, Del Rio’s sole source of drinking water.
Del Rio has also been investing in the system behind the taps. The city recently secured a $17 million Texas Military Value Revolving Loan Fund loan to rehabilitate the San Felipe East Springs containment wall and modernize the water treatment plant. That work is intended to protect the spring supply that also serves Laughlin Air Force Base, where drinking water is bought from Del Rio and drawn from the same source.
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