Two days of rain has brought some temporary relief from the Texas drought and is helping the level of Lake Brownwood. Reports of 3 inches of rain or more across the county will benefit the area, but likely not enough to lift water restrictions anytime soon according Brown County Water Improvement District General Manager Dennis Spinks.
“We got a good bit of rain in the water shed and it will flow into the lake for the next couple of days,” Spinks said. “The lake is up about a foot and a half so far and we expect it to raise a few more tenths and get close to a two foot rise (total).”
Spinks said that this is the most significant rise in Lake Brownwood in several months after gaining a 1.6 foot lift in October 2011. Spinks said that it has been a couple of years to his recollection since the lake has caught this much water prior to that.
Although the added water to the lake is welcome, Spinks said that Lake Brownwood will still be around 13 to 14 feet below spillway level and officials are looking at another tough summer in regard to drought conditions.
“The long-range forecast shows that the drought will continue this summer,” Spinks said. “We would have to get much more rain than this to lift the water restrictions.”
Spinks said that the district and the local water providers are still considering additional water restrictions in the near future unless the lake gets a significant improvement.
“With spring approaching, we don’t want irrigation customers and home owners to get ready to water as the weather warms up.” Spinks said. “If we have to stop all outside watering, we will look at doing it soon before everyone starts to buy fertilizer and spending money on their lawns.”
Officials at the water district and the City of Brownwood have said in recent weeks that a ban on all outdoor watering is likely.
