Read Tuesday, October 27, 6 a.m.
Kell Reservoir and drought
Plant operators read the reservoir level every morning at 6. When it drops, the drought stages below say what we ask of customers.
Kell Reservoir today
78% full
Down 1.2 points this week
- Stored
- 3.9 billion gallons
- Normal for this month
- 74%
- Drought stage
- Normal
No watering limits. Please water lawns before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Measured at 6 a.m. by plant operators. The drought watch starts at 60 percent.
The last 12 months
Percent full at the end of each month. The dashed line is the drought watch level.
The numbers
| Month | Percent full |
|---|---|
| Nov | 70 |
| Dec | 74 |
| Jan | 80 |
| Feb | 88 |
| Mar | 95 |
| Apr | 98 |
| May | 96 |
| Jun | 91 |
| Jul | 86 |
| Aug | 83 |
| Sep | 80 |
| Oct | 78 |
Drought stages
-
Above 60 percent
Normal Now
No watering limits. Please water lawns before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
-
60 to 45 percent
Drought watch
Please use 10 percent less. Water lawns three days a week, on the days set by your house number.
-
45 to 30 percent
Drought warning
Use 20 percent less. Lawns two days a week, no car washing at home, no filling pools.
-
Below 30 percent
Drought emergency
Use 30 percent less. No lawn watering. A surcharge applies to use over 6,000 gallons a month.
About Kell Reservoir
Kell Dam was finished in 1948. The reservoir holds 5.0 billion gallons when full, about six months of the district's use with no rain at all.
The Board sets the drought stage. The drought contingency plan explains how.