BY GRACE DICKENS, GRANT CRAWFORD & SAM SCHAFFER
Water use Of the 70.53 million gallons per day, or MGD, of water collectively allocated through LCRA contracts to the cities, about 30.09 MGD was used on average in 2023, or 42.66%.
Going forward
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Once the Phase 1D Water Treatment Plant Expan- sion portion of the project is complete later this year, Cedar Park’s total water treatment capacity— between the BCRUA plant and the Cedar Park Water Treatment Plant—will be 37.2 MGD, Sousa said. The city will also bene t from increased reliability as part of the deep water intake project. Based on the city’s current water plan, Cedar Park’s additional treatment capacity that will result from Phase 1D is expected to meet demands through 2040, Sousa said. As a result, the city does not need additional treatment capacity from the Phase 2A Water Treatment Plant Expansion and will not participate in that phase of the project. Both Phase 2 and Phase 2A of the project are expected to nish by the summer of 2027. Cedar Park expects to participate in the Phase 3 Water Treat- ment Plant Expansion portion of the BCRUA proj- ects, which will bring the BCRUA’s total treatment capacity and the pumping capacity at the raw water pump station to 106 MGD, with Cedar Park’s portion rising to 15 MGD. The timeline for that project is yet to be established but will be decided by the three participating cities, according to BCRUA’s website. Sousa noted that Cedar Park, on average, pulls 1.5 MGD from the BCRUA. Daily water use uctuates signi cantly throughout the year though, he said. “Demand typically rises during warmer months due to outdoor water use, while in the winter, the city often takes no water from the BCRUA at all,” he said. Sousa said Cedar Park is committed to proactive water planning to provide for the needs of residents in the future. “[The pipeline] will allow the city to access its full raw water supply from Lake Travis even during periods of extreme drought,” he said.
Sousa said Cedar Park is committed to proactive water planning to provide for the needs of residents in the future, and that the BCRUA projects re ect that. The LCRA began the process to update its water management plan in March, and Hamilton said the CTWC is calling for increased conservation measures for future planning. “The new intake will help provide a more reliable way for the cities to reach water for which they have contracted but will not provide them the right to any additional water,” LCRA o cials said in an emailed statement. More information on the project timeline can be found at www.bcrua.org.
BCRUA
Leander
Cedar Park
80
70.53 MGD
64
42.66% of total water allocated
48
32
11.02 MGD 4.32 MGD
16
14.75 MGD
0
Amount of water used
Total amount of water allocated
SOURCE: LAKEWAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
Water allotment
12 10
11.2 MGD
8 6 4 2 0
8.7 MGD
Before Phase 1D
After Phase 1D
Workers tour the underground pipeline project.
COURTESY CITY OF ROUND ROCK
SOURCE: BRUSHY CREEK REGIONAL UTILITY AUTHORITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
1407 N. Bell Blvd. (Hwy 183) Cedar Park H illCountryWaterGardens.com 512-260-5050
21
CEDAR PARK FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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