AUSTIN, Texas — Central Texas could see a major new source of water as the Lower Colorado River Authority considers building another reservoir to help meet rising demand fueled by rapid growth.
The potential reservoir, which could have a capacity up to three times as large as Lake Austin’s, is being proposed in Colorado County next to Eagle Lake.
“Planning for new water supplies is top of mind for everybody,” LCRA Executive Vice President of Water John Hofmann said.
LCRA announced the plans Wednesday, saying the new reservoir would be larger than its most recent addition, Arbuckle Reservoir. The proposed reservoir’s capacity is estimated between 48,000 and 80,000 acre-feet of water.
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During an LCRA board discussion, the project was described as “a potential strategy to helping us meet our goal of 60,000 acre feet of water supplies by 2040.”
The proposed site is on an LCRA-owned 2,000-acre tract near a lake intake and a pump station in Colorado County. The announcement came as LCRA voted in favor of staff’s recommendation for the future water management plan.
Hofmann said the project could help the region keep up with demand driven by “record growth,” adding, “New sources of water supply are really difficult to come by, so when you can find a place that works, and you’re able to go in and get the proper authorizations to be able to do it, it’s a big deal for our region to add new supply.”
LCRA is conducting feasibility tests to determine whether the area can support a large-scale reservoir before moving forward.