Regional deep-water intake project a step closer to finish line

A project to draw water from the deepest parts of Lake Travis to supply the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority—which serves, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Leander—has marked another step forward, with crews recently completing upgrades to the raw waterline along Trails End Road, according to an update from the city of Leander on Feb. 5.

Once completed, the BCRUA’s Raw Water Intake project will have the capacity to pump 145 million gallons of raw water from the lake per day. The project is meant to help the three cities meet future water demands by providing a stable source year-round and making each city’s water supply more resilient in times of drought.

The background

The deep water intake project, which began in 2022, includes the construction of a 2-mile pipeline delivering water from intake screens to a new pump station. A 78-inch raw water transmission tunnel and pipeline will move the pumped water to existing Cedar Park, Leander and BCRUA water treatment plants.

The project

Leander Communications Manager Ty Meighan said work on the raw waterline included tying the Sandy Creek and BCRUA water treatment plants into the pipeline and performing repairs. That line runs up Trail’s End Road from Lake Travis and connects to the BCRUA water treatment plant.

The BCRUA plant was temporarily shut down to complete the repairs, during which time the city of Leander relied entirely on the Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant. As of early February, the BCRUA plant is back online.

Both Phase 2 and Phase 2A of the project is expected to finish by the summer of 2027. Meanwhile, the organization is planning for Phase 3 of the water system, which will expand the BCRUA’s water treatment plant to have a capacity for 106 MGD per day, although a timeline for the project hasn’t been determined.

One more thing

While the work was underway, the city moved to Phase 3 Water Conservation due to the water system’s reduced capacity. The city’s website says that in Phase 3 conservation, all automatic watering systems must be turned off, with only handheld watering allowed.

With the work completed, the BCRUA plant is back up and running, so the city has moved back to Phase 2 conservation. In Phase 2, automated watering is allowed one day a week on designated days. The automated watering schedule can be found on the city’s website.

Grant Crawford contributed to this story.