State limits Kerrville's river usage

KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) - The state of Texas ordered the city of Kerrville to take 5.4 million gallons less for its daily water supply from the Guadalupe River.

That means only one million gallons will be available, forcing the city to rely more heavily on wells and aquifer storage.

During the lunch hour, the downtown park where the Guadalupe winds through Kerrville is full of people using the waterway any way they can. Betty Shipman brings her dog Princess to take a daily break.

“This year, it’s only the second time in about 19 years that it’s been this low,” said Shipman.

After two decades of living here, she now faces a limit on other ways she can use the river.

While the city is under restrictions from the state on how much water it can take, it also sits on the edge of boosting outdoor watering bans to the next level.

Stage two is working so far, but Stage three seems likely to work within the week, according to city officials. That level includes stricter rules for residents and heftier fines.

Where the water once flowed fast through Kerrville, it now quietly drifts. The river is down 90% due to the drought, and biologists say it can affect even more downstream life without action within the city.

“(They are) the resource needs overall for people and for nature,” said Cyndee Watson, U.S. Parks and Wildlife biologist. “I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m sure it was the right one at the time.”

While Shipman plans to stick to her lunchtime schedule, she knew her other routines involving river usage might have to change soon.

Gazing across the river, she said, “further on down, where it’s real shallow, it’s almost at the point where you can walk across it just on the rocks.”