The Edwards Aquifer started off the year at 640.7 feet, its lowest level to date in more than five decades.
This aquifer provides most of San Antonio’s water and is already under pumping restrictions imposed by the Edwards Aquifer Authority, according to the San Antonio Express-News. But even tighter limits could be enforced once farmers begin irrigating in March if the area doesn’t receive above-average rainfall in the first few months of the year.
Nearly 25 inches dropped in the aquifer’s recharge zone during 2013, but that wasn’t enough to fill the aquifer.
Another water source for San Antonio—Medina Lake—is down 9.5 percent from one year ago, sitting at 3.7 percent full.