Ballinger moves to Stage 3 water restrictions as lake level falls below trigger elevation

Ballinger entered Stage 3 water restrictions June 1 after Ballinger Lake’s level fell below the city’s trigger elevation of 1,658 feet.

The restrictions apply to city water customers and place tighter limits on irrigation, hose watering and hydrant use. The city’s watering schedule does not provide a projected date for ending Stage 3 restrictions.

What the restrictions prohibit

Commercial, industrial and residential sprinkler irrigation is prohibited except under conditions identified in the city’s watering schedule. That means businesses, industrial users and households cannot use ordinary sprinkler systems on an unrestricted basis while Stage 3 is in effect.

Watering with a handheld hose is allowed only on designated days. It is also prohibited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when outdoor watering is restricted during the daytime hours specified by the city.

Hydrant water use is limited to firefighting and related activities. The restriction affects a key source of water for uses outside ordinary customer watering, making the city’s Stage 3 rules broader than a household irrigation schedule alone.

Planned system improvements

The lake-level decline comes as state planning documents identify proposed improvements to Ballinger’s water and wastewater systems.

The Texas Water Development Board’s SFY 2026 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan lists Ballinger project PIF 16589 with a total proposed cost of $28 million. The project includes treatment-plant improvements, storage upgrades, distribution and transmission-line replacement, and an asset-management plan. The state plan lists Ballinger’s population as 3,862.

The drinking-water project is proposed or planned financing, not confirmation that all construction has been awarded or started. The plan does not establish that Ballinger has run out of water; it identifies a project intended to improve treatment, storage and the distribution system.

A separate Clean Water State Revolving Fund plan describes wastewater collection-system surcharging and risks of sanitary-sewer overflows. Proposed work includes lift-station upgrades, emergency generators, pipe replacement and asset-management planning.

Together, the restrictions and proposed projects show the immediate limits facing water users while longer-term treatment, storage, distribution and wastewater needs remain part of Ballinger’s infrastructure planning. For residents and businesses, the immediate action is to follow the city’s designated watering days and avoid prohibited irrigation and hydrant uses while Stage 3 remains in effect.