Brazos River Authority and the City of Brenham Initiate Stage 1 Drought Contingency Plan

Posted April 1, 2025 -

The Brazos River Authority (BRA) has announced the implementation of Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan for Lake Somerville due to current drought conditions. In response, the City of Brenham is also enacting Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan, effective immediately.

Voluntary Water Use Restrictions Are Now in Effect as follows

Landscape Irrigation Schedule:

Even-numbered addresses (0, 2, 4, 6, 8): Water only on Sundays & Thursdays
Odd-numbered addresses (1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Water only on Saturdays & Wednesdays
Watering is permitted only between midnight–10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.–midnight on your designated days.

City Operations:

City facilities will follow Stage 2 water restrictions, including reduced hours at the City Splash Pad.
Hohlt Park will remain under Stage 1

Water Conservation Encouraged:

All water customers are strongly encouraged to conserve water and limit non-essential water use.

Your cooperation is essential in helping to preserve our community’s water supply. Let’s work together to be wise stewards of our resources.

For updates and more information, visit the City’s website at www.cityofbrenham.org or call 979-337-7400.

See Also:

BRA Video Updates

The following links offer water conservation tips and techniques:

Run the dishwasher only when full. This practice will save water, energy, detergent, and money. If your machine has a quick wash or light duty setting, use it! *Be sure to add detergent to the pre-wash section of the dispenser.

Turn off the water while you are shaving. Fill the sink with an inch of hot water instead of letting the water run continuously.

Prevent evaporation of water. Water lawns early in the morning. Never water on windy days. Use drip irrigation systems for bedded plants, trees, or shrubs and use low-angle sprinklers for lawns. Cover pools and spas. This can save the equivalent of your pool volume each year!

Drought Data: Texas Water Development Board

BRA Drought Severity Triggers for Lake Somerville¹

Status	Surface Elevation	Water Storage	Reservoir Drawdown
	(ft msl)	(acre-feet)	(ft)
Top of Conservation (full)	238	150,293	0
Stage 1 Drought Watch	234.9	117,229	3.1
Stage 2 Drought Warning	231.8	88,673	6.2
Stage 3 Drought Emergency	228.2	60,117	9.8
Stage 4 Pro-rata Curtailment	223.9	30,059	14.8

¹Triggers were derived using a water availability tool specifically developed to simulate the BRA water supply system. Assumptions for developing the triggers include:

Estimated year 2030 sedimentation conditions and 2030 demands;
Previous 3 year (2015 through 2017) average return flows;
Operation of Lake Whitney hydropower;
Excluded water rights above Possum Kingdom Lake; and
included required environmental flow releases and assumed leakage through the dams

Table from the BRA Drought Contingency Plan

Current Somerville Lake Level