(a) 
The city is located in Lubbock County in the Texas Panhandle and is the eleventh largest city in the state and the largest city in West Texas. The city's population was estimated by the city planning department to be 264,009 in 2022. According to the Llano Estacado (Region O) Regional Water Plan and the city's planning department's estimates, the city's population is expected to increase to approximately 333,391 by 2040. The city is situated in a semi-arid region that requires more water per capita for landscape irrigation than in many other parts of the state. Evidence of landscape irrigation demand is apparent when comparing the average winter water usage of 113 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) to the average summer water usage of 149 gpcd. In response to this seasonal usage, much of the city's water conservation efforts have focused on reducing the amount of water used in landscape irrigation.
(b) 
This water use management plan - water conservation plan and drought and emergency contingency plan - pertains to the use of water by both the city's retail and wholesale water customers, and is intended to meet the requirements of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2014-O0167, sec. 1, adopted 12/18/2014; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)
(a) 
The city water system currently utilizes three separate water supply sources. During 2023, approximately 70% of the city's annual water usage will be supplied from the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA). Lubbock is a member city of the CRMWA. Water supplied from CRMWA is a blend of surface water and groundwater. The surface water source is Lake Meredith and the ground water source is the CRMWA well field located in Roberts County. The supply capacity of the CRMWA system to Lubbock is 34 million gallons per day (MGD). This blended supply is treated at the Lubbock North Water Treatment Plant in Lubbock. The treatment plant is a conventional water treatment plant, and treats water for the city and for six other CRMWA southern division member cities: Slaton, Tahoka, O'Donnell, Lamesa, Levelland and Brownfield. CRMWA supplies the raw water to these cities.
(b) 
The city provides water treatment services only to these cities. These cities reimburse Lubbock for their respective portions of the water treatment cost. CRMWA operates a 250 million gallon capacity raw water reservoir located near the treatment plant. The city owns and operates a 400 million gallon raw water terminal storage reservoir located adjacent to the CRMWA reservoir. This reservoir is used during summertime peak water use periods to supplement the normal supply from CRMWA. The peak supply capacity of the system is 75 MGD when drawing upon the terminal storage reservoir for short periods of time.
(c) 
During 2023, approximately 18% of the city's annual water usage will be supplied from a well field located in Bailey and Lamb Counties, which is owned and operated by the City of Lubbock. This well field is commonly referred to as the Bailey County Well Field (BCWF), and is made up of 175 production wells. All groundwater from this source is treated at a central location in the well field. Disinfection is the only treatment required for this source. The supply capacity of the BCWF system is 30 MGD.
(d) 
During 2023, approximately 12% of the city's annual water usage will be supplied from Lake Alan Henry located 60 miles southeast of Lubbock in Garza and Kent Counties. The supply capacity of this system to Lubbock is 10 MGD. The water pumped from Lake Alan Henry is treated at the Lubbock South Water Treatment Plant located on 5114 FM 1585.
(e) 
The city water distribution system contains approximately 2,164 miles of pipeline mains, 11 pump stations, 12 ground storage tanks totaling 63.5 million gallons, 4 conventional elevated storage tanks totaling 5.15 million gallons, and the BCWF pipeline that functions as an unconventional elevated storage system totaling 11.0 million gallons.
(f) 
The city sells water on a wholesale basis to eight separate public water supply systems, the City of Shallowater, Lubbock Reese Redevelopment Authority, Lubbock County Water Control & Improvement District No. 1 (also known as Buffalo Springs Lake community), the Town of Ransom Canyon, the City of Wolfforth, Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Montford Prison, Cooper ISD Woodrow Campus, and Texas Tech University's East Campus classroom. The city also sells water to the City of Littlefield for infrequent emergency use only. The water supplied to the City of New Deal is water purchased from the City of Slaton by the City of New Deal and delivered through the City of Lubbock water distribution system, for which Lubbock charges only a delivery fee.
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2014-O0167, sec. 2, adopted 12/18/2014; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)
For the purposes of this plan, the following definitions shall apply:
Aesthetic water use.
Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains, reflecting pools, and water gardens.
Annual water supply.
The amount of water available to the city within a given year. Normally measured in billions of gallons or acre-feet.
Average winter consumption.
The amount of water used by a customer on average during the winter months of December, January, and February.
Conservation.
Those practices, techniques, and technologies that reduce the consumption of water, reduce the loss or waste of water, improve efficiency in the use of water or increase the recycling and reuse of water so that a supply is conserved and made available for future or alternative use.
Domestic water use.
Water use for personal needs or for household or sanitary purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking, sanitation, or for cleaning a residence, business, industry, or institution, except as provided under the definition of nonessential water use below.
Drought.
An extended period of time of below normal precipitation (rainfall, snow, etc.).
Drought of record.
Extended period of time of below normal precipitation (rainfall, snow, etc.) that exceeds the length of time and impact on water supplies of previous droughts. The drought of record is used to help determine the estimated yield of reservoirs.
Gpcd calculation.
The total average daily amount of water diverted or pumped for treatment by potable uses divided by the population served.
Hand watering.
The irrigation and maintenance of landscaped areas, whether publicly or privately owned, including residential and commercial lawns, gardens, golf course greens, tees, fairways, parks, athletic fields, street or alley rights-of-way and medians through the use of manual water devices supplied by a water hose and actively attended to by a person.
Increasing block rate.
A water rate structure that has a volume rate that increases as more water is consumed.
Landscape irrigation or landscape irrigation use.
Water used for the irrigation and maintenance of landscaped areas, whether publicly or privately owned, including residential and commercial lawns, gardens, golf course greens, tees, and fairways, parks, athletic fields, street or alley rights-of-way and medians.
Maximum daily supply.
The amount of water available to the city during a given day. The amount may be limited due to the water transmission line size, water pump size, the number of operating wells, the amount of raw and treated water storage, the water rights owned by the city and other related factors.
Nonessential water use.
Water uses that are neither essential nor required for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, including without limitation:
(1) 
Landscape irrigation;
(2) 
Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane, or other vehicle of any kind;
(3) 
Use of water to spray or wash down any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
(4) 
Use of water to spray or wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection;
(5) 
Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street;
(6) 
In connection with stage 3 and stage 4 drought response stages, use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools or hot tubs;
(7) 
Use of water in a fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes except where necessary to support aquatic and avian life; and
(8) 
Failure to repair a leak(s) within a reasonable period of time after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
Per capita water use.
A measure of water use for a city or other entity (inclusive of nonresidential uses such as commercial water use), expressed in gallons per capita per day (gpcd). The measure compares water use to the number of citizens in the area. The measure does not reflect the amount used on average by a citizen.
Water loss.
Measured as the volume of water metered into the water distribution system minus the volume billed for a given time period.
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2012-O0022, sec. 3, adopted 3/29/2012; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)