Lake Palo Pinto, the main water source for Mineral Wells and surrounding communities, is quickly evaporating.

WFAA
Author: Adriana De Alba
Published: 10:38 PM CDT August 29, 2023

MINERAL WELLS, Texas — The city of Mineral Wells is under Stage Two water restrictions due to a severe drought at Lake Palo Pinto.

Lake Palo Pinto is the main water source for Mineral Wells and other surrounding communities.

“It’s hot. It’s not cooling off,” Sullivan said. “The evaporation is really what we’re combatting here.” 

According to Mineral Wells City Manager Dean Sullivan, the city is just days away from entering Stage Three water restrictions, which will ask residents to achieve a 30% reduction in total water use. 

Currently, Stage Two limits residents from watering outdoors with the exception of livestock. Stage Two also requires residents to reduce total water usage to 25%

“It’s moving from something serious to much more critical,” Sullivan said. 

According to a weekly report from the city of Mineral Wells, on Tuesday, Lake Palo Pinto had 35% water supply. On the same day of last year, the lake had 63% water supply, which means the lake’s water supply has nearly reduced in half.

The city is pumping water from the nearby Brazos River and blending it with water from the lake to increase water to increase its water supply. Treating the water is, however, costly and time-consuming. Sullivan said special equipment required is delayed, which has not helped the situation.

Waterfront resident Karen Bond stared out at her front yard, where everything she had ever planted was dead.

The old oak tree which sat in her backyard is now a stump. The drought forced her to remove it.

“It was really heartbreaking,” Bond said.

She’s bracing for more water restrictions.

“It shouldn’t be that way.”