Reading, Writing, Water Conservation

Congratulations to Knowles Elementary, the lucky winner of the Water IQ Week drawing for $500! The City of Cedar Park sponsored Water IQ Week May 24-28 at the city’s nine elementary schools to help students become better educated about the city’s water source and the importance of daily water conservation habits.

At the Cedar Park Library’s summer reading program on June 24, “Mr. Saver” visited with kids to explain why it’s important to save water for LATER – Little kids and their families, Animals, Trees and plants, Every other living creature, and Recreation. The next Cedar Park Water IQ student event will take place at Camp Timberwolf on Monday, July 26.

Raise Your Water IQ

Cedar Park's water source is Lake Travis, part of the Colorado River. Lake Travis has many jobs – water supply, flood management, and recreational use. The primary role of Lake Travis is to supply water to the region and manage floodwaters. An added benefit of having the lake, but not its primary role, is for recreational use — water skiing, fishing, and boating are some of the activities Central Texans regularly enjoy on Lake Travis.

Lake levels are important indicators of your overall water supply. Lake Travis’ full elevation is at 681 feet above mean sea level. To help you gauge what that means, during the drought of 2009, Lake Travis fell to 629.83 feet — less than 40 percent full. That was one of the historic lows for the lake.

During the summer, outdoor watering typically accounts for more than all indoor water use combined. So the most important thing you can do to protect Lake Travis right now is to closely monitor your landscape irrigation. Water no more than 1 inch per week, and avoid watering during the heat of the day. Finally, be sure to follow Cedar Park’s voluntary watering schedule. The City of Cedar Park takes the lead to ensure all city parks are watered before 10 a.m. and never more than twice a week within designated zones on various days throughout the week. The City does this to avoid placing unnecessary stress on Cedar Park’s water supply. Click here to learn more about Your Water.

Around Town

We’re taking Water IQ on the road! Our first event this year took place at the Cedar Park Farms To Market on June 12. The Water IQ booth includes an interactive Water IQ game, Kid Zone activities and a chance to win a Home Makeover kit full of great water-saving items valued at $400. Our next event will be at the Cedar Park 4th of July Celebration. Look forward to seeing you there!