Thousands of residents and businesses along the U.S. Highway 281 corridor are being urged to drastically curtail water usage today as crews struggle to repair a major water main break that has severely compromised system storage.
The emergency notice, issued by the Texas Water Company shortly after 7 a.m. on Friday, covers 22 service areas, including the city of Bulverde. While initial projections suggested that the repair work would be completed within four hours, the situation remained unresolved as of noon on Friday, forcing the utility to extend its conservation plea indefinitely.
Texas Water Company officials stated that the main break has caused a significant drop in pressure across the regional network. To stabilize the system and ensure that enough water remains available for critical functions, the utility has mandated that customers limit their water use to essential needs only.
“Available water must be reserved exclusively for drinking, cooking, and sanitation until further notice,” the company stated in an advisory.
Under the current emergency conservation request, customers are explicitly directed to:
* Deactivate all automatic irrigation systems.
* Cease all lawn and landscape watering.
* Postpone non-essential activities such as filling swimming pools or washing vehicles.
* Limit indoor water consumption, such as running dishwashers or clothes washers, wherever possible.
While the majority of the 22 affected service areas are currently under a conservation mandate, residents in the Lantana Ridge neighborhood are facing more stringent requirements. Due to dangerously low water pressure resulting from the break, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has mandated a precautionary boil-water notice for those specific customers.
Residents within the Lantana Ridge area must boil all water intended for drinking, cooking, or personal hygiene. The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil for at least two minutes before being allowed to cool for use. Alternatively, residents may utilize bottled water until the notice is officially lifted by the company.
The widespread nature of the outage has caused concern throughout the corridor, as local water reserves remain precariously low. The utility has not yet provided a revised timeline for the completion of the repairs, citing the complexity of the damage to the main.
Crews are currently on-site working to restore system pressure, but they caution that full restoration of water service may take several hours once the physical repairs are completed.
Texas Water Company is encouraging affected customers to stay updated through their official website. Those who have specific questions or require assistance regarding the water supply in their area are asked to contact the company’s customer service department directly at 830-312-4600. Updates will be provided as the situation evolves and crews make further progress on the pipeline infrastructure.
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