Central Texas Faces a Growing Water Crisis
A pipeline break in Pflugerville is the latest alarm in a region already stretched thin by drought, explosive growth, and the insatiable thirst of a booming data center industry.
Wednesday evening, Pflugerville Mayor Doug Weiss signed a Declaration of Disaster — not over a flood or a fire, but over the absence of water. A pipeline feeding raw water into Lake Pflugerville had failed, sending lake levels plummeting to historic lows and forcing the city to impose Stage 3 emergency water restrictions on its roughly 64,000 customers. Outdoor watering was banned outright. Pools could not be filled. Car washing at home was prohibited. Engineers warned that without aggressive conservation, the lake could drop below the city’s raw-water intake as soon as April 18, threatening drinking water, sanitation, and firefighting capability.
“Lake levels are at a critical point, and we must act now to ensure we can continue providing essential services. Every drop counts.” — Mayor Doug Weiss, Pflugerville, March 4, 2026…