Pool Leaks Could Waste Millions of Gallons as Hill Country Drought Worsens

Austin Experts Warn: Pool Leaks Could Be Worsening Central Texas Drought

Austin, United States – May 11, 2026 / Austin Pool Leak Detection /

Because the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is under its second ever Stage 3 Exceptional Drought warning, with leaders saying an unprecedented Stage 4 (and the strict water use cuts it would bring) is still possible, a specialist in finding pool leaks in Central Texas is pointing out a water waste source people often miss: leaks in backyard swimming pools.

Industry figures show about 65% of pools start to leak within their first fifteen years, and a single leak you don’t know about can waste around 15,000 gallons of water each year – almost enough to fill an average family pool twice! Most people with leaks don’t realize they have one, and just think higher water bills and frequently adding water are from normal evaporation.

Hector Navarro, who started Austin Pool Leak Detection and is a certified Leaktronics specialist, explains, “A typical Texas summer might see a quarter of an inch of water disappear through evaporation each day. But we’ve found pools in Austin losing two inches a day.” He adds that homeowners are essentially paying for that water twice; once on their water bill and again as the water damages patios, washes away soil, and causes equipment to break down more quickly. And during a drought as serious as this one, the whole community foots the bill a third time.

After doing over 238 pool leak detections in Austin and the Hill Country towns around it, the company says, on average, each home saves 15,000 gallons of water a year and their water bill goes down by 25% after the leak is fixed.

How Homeowners Can Spot a Hidden Pool Leak

Austin Pool Leak Detection wants Central Texas homeowners to check their pools, not wait for obvious damage. They suggest three easy tests you can do at home:

1. The Bucket Test: Put a five-gallon bucket in the pool, partially underwater, filled to the same level as the pool’s water. Mark the water level inside and outside the bucket. After 24 hours, see how much the water has gone down in each. If the pool’s water has dropped more than the bucket’s, it’s a leak, not just evaporation.

2. Look at the Equipment Pad: If you see damp patches that won’t going away, rust on the machinery, or bubbles coming up from the jets after the pump has been running, it could mean a leak in the pipes.

3. Pay Attention to the Auto-Fill: If your pool’s auto-fill is running every day, or you’re keeping a hose running “just to keep the water up”, that’s a very clear sign of a leak. During the hottest part of summer in Central Texas, a properly sealed pool should only need topping off every five to seven days, not daily.

A Drought That Hits the Hill Country Hardest

Though the City of Austin went back to normal Conservation Stage in September 2025 after the Highland Lakes got more water, the Hill Country isn’t doing so well.

The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District declared Stage 3 Exceptional Drought on September 12, 2025, only the second such declaration in district history.
District officials have stated publicly that Stage 4, which would trigger historic, mandated cutbacks in water use, remains possible if rainfall does not return.
Communities including Buda, San Marcos, New Braunfels, Lakeway, and Canyon Lake sit squarely within the affected region and Austin Pool Leak Detection’s service area.
Roughly 95% of Hill Country residents depend on groundwater for drinking water, making every gallon lost to a backyard leak a community-level concern.

“Most pool owners aren’t trying to waste water — they just don’t know they’re losing it,” [LAST NAME] said. “A pool can leak for years without an obvious sign. With the aquifer where it is right now, this is the year to find out.”

About Austin Pool Leak Detection

Austin Pool Leak Detection was started by Hector Navarro (a certified Leaktronics specialist) after he had a frustrating experience with a leak in his own pool. They work with homeowners and property managers in Austin, Buda, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Lakeway, Canyon Lake, and the surrounding areas of Central Texas. They find leaks in pools and spas without ripping up patios or gardens using sonar, pipe cameras, and hydrostatic testing. They arrange for repairs with trusted local companies, and guarantee they’ll find the leak or keep looking.

Learn more at austinpoolleakdetection.com.