Government
BY CLAIRE SHOOP & ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
Local leaders will begin a long-term x to the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority’s underwater pipeline on Feb. 28. Ahead of the repairs, the city of Leander will move to Stage 4 water restrictions Feb. 12, o cials said. This prohibits outdoor watering and restricts all nonessential uses of water. The $6.7 million project requires replacing a 1,418-linear-foot section of the 36-inch pipeline that transports raw water from Lake Travis to the BCRUA treatment plant. The repair will require the entire plant to stop operations. Because of this, Leander’s overall capacity will be reduced from 24 million gallons per day to 9 MGD as the city will rely solely on the Sandy Creek Regional Water Plant, o cials said. “During this repair time, our water capacity is very restricted,” Leander Chief of Sta Mike Neu said. Leander restricts water for repair
The backstory
What to expect
Replacing the portion of the pipe is intended to prevent failures like the ones that occurred three times over the last three years.
In Leander, Phase 4 water conservation measures restrict all nonessential uses of water, including outdoor irrigation. Everyday water uses, such as drinking, bathing and washing clothes and dishes, are allowed. City o cials are also asking Leander water customers to delay landscaping improvements as those often require extra watering. Neu said, unlike other cities in the BCRUA partnership, Leander receives the majority of its treated water from the BCRUA. Cedar Park o cials con rmed they would not be enacting further water restrictions due to the repair but will remain in Stage 3—which allows outdoor watering one day per week— due to ongoing drought conditions. However, Liberty Hill is expected to enact similar water conservation measures as Leander because the city receives between 400,000- 500,000 gallons of treated water from Leander each day, Neu said. If water demand is not reduced, Neu said the system may experience a drop in pressure, which could allow bacteria to enter the water and necessitate a boil-water notice as well as risk damaging the water system. The project is expected to wrap up the rst week of April, Neu said.
A separation in the underwater pipeline caused a shutdown of the BCRUA water treatment plant. Initial repairs were completed April 29, 2021. December 2020:
August 2022:
BCRUA contractors discovered a new leak in the previously
repaired pipeline. Repair work took place from Sept. 21-Oct. 5, and Leander was in Stage 4 conservation measures during this time.
February 2023:
BCRUA o cials noticed a reduction in water pressure and determined a ball joint connecting to the previously repaired section of pipe failed. Repairs were completed in March.
SOURCE: CITY OF LEANDER COMMUNITY IMPACT
“This isn’t, ‘A line just broke yesterday, and now we’re going to do something.’ This is absolutely intentional, and it is
on purpose. It is necessary so that we don’t have those problems.” LEANDER CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CHRIS CZERNEK
The pipeline being repaired transports raw water to the water treatment plant.
COURTESY CITY OF LEANDER
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