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.
Phase 1 of the project included the construction of a floating barge and raw water system on Lake Travis, pulling roughly 32 million gallons of water per day from the lake. However, officials say the barges are susceptible to drought conditions. Once the deep-water project is finished, the barge system will be discontinued.
“This is going to give us protection under severe droughts,” said Michael Thane, Round Rock Public Works director. “So when the lake is dropping, we’ll still be able to pump water.”
The details
The deep water intake project, which began in 2022, includes the construction of a two-mile pipeline delivering water from intake screens to a new pump station. A raw water transmission tunnel and pipeline will move the pumped water to existing Cedar Park, Leander and BCRUA water treatment plants.
Thane said the combination of BCRUA projects, along with its other sources, secures Round Rock’s water well into the future.
“This will take us a long way out there—probably around 2070 and 270,000 customers,” he said. “So we have water under contract that can meet our demands for the next 45 years.”
Going forward
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.
