Thanks in large part to the Amarillo community and the response of several City of Amarillo (COA) partners, the city is lifting Stage 1 of the 2024 Drought Contingency Plan, effective today (Friday). Stage 1 consists of a voluntary outdoor watering schedule.
COA has recovered to more than 80 percent capacity in its water storage reservoir after reaching a low of approximately 52 percent in August. The city entered Stage 1 of the plan on August 17.
Stage 1 is implemented when demand or normal operating condition results in a drawdown of the reservoir to approximately 60 percent of capacity or when total daily water demand equals or exceeds approximately 70 percent of available water production capability for five consecutive days.
“Residents and businesses responded when the city asked for voluntary conservation, and several organizations made meaningful operational changes to help reduce demand, and this helped lead to a significant recovery in water reservoir capacity,” said COA Assistant City Manager Donny Hooper. “This strong level of cooperation truly made a difference.”
Amarillo is experiencing one of the hottest and driest summer seasons in recent memory. Amarillo has had more than 38 days with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and has received less than five inches of rainfall for the year.
The recovery in water reservoir capacity was helped by city partners and city entities such as the Amarillo Independent School District, the Canyon Independent School District, Amarillo College, the COA Parks and Recreation Department and the staff at the city’s four municipal golf courses.
In addition, the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA) worked with COA to manage high regional water demand across the Texas Panhandle. The City of Lubbock also played a vital role in sharing portions of its CRMWA allocation with COA.
“The strong levels of cooperation from CRMWA and especially the city of Lubbock were instrumental in helping the city recover our reservoir levels,” said City Manager Grayson Path. “This was a community and regional effort that was hugely beneficial.”
While the city’s Drought Contingency Plan is no longer in effect, COA encourages residents to continue to use water responsibly and maintain good conservation practices.
For more information contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at 806-378-5219 or by email at david.henry@amarillo.gov.