Fair Oaks Ranch moved from Stage 2 to Stage 1 drought restrictions on Aug. 1, but customers still face surcharges for high water use and limits on commercial car washing and landscape-watering permits. The city announced that Fair Oaks Ranch Utilities had met the requirements in its drought plan for terminating Stage 2.
Under the city’s Stage 1 rules, a surcharge applies to water use above 20,000 gallons per residential account in a billing period and above 50,000 gallons per commercial account. The announcement does not state the surcharge amount, so customers cannot calculate its bill effect from this notice alone.
Why the city ended Stage 2
The city’s drought plan allows Stage 2 to be rescinded when two conditions are met, according to the announcement. First, the static water level in the Fair Oaks Ranch Utilities observation well must average more than 1,035 feet above mean sea level for 60 consecutive days. The city marked that condition as met.
The second condition concerns drought designations from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority or the Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District. The city also marked that requirement as met and said Stage 1 becomes operative when Stage 2 ends.