The Lower Colorado River Authority, or LCRA, awarded a $100,000 grant to the city of Cedar Park to help fund improvements to the city’s reclaimed water system. LCRA water conservation coordinator Stacy Pandey presented a check to City Council at its Feb. 12 meeting.
The project
Eric Rauschuber, the city's director of public works and utilities, said a project to expand the production capacity of the reclaimed water system and use it to irrigate local parks is currently in the design process.
This is the first phase of an effort to rehabilitate and expand the city's water reclamation facility, city documents show. Last year, city officials approved contracts working toward the facility's expansion, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The grant comes from the LCRA Firm Water Conservation Cost-Share Program, which aims to reduce reliance on the Highland Lakes water supply by helping fund projects that conserve and reuse water, according to the organization's website.
Today, the city’s water reclamation facility treats about 2.5 million gallons of wastewater per day, according to Rauschuber. He explained that the water is used for public works activities like sewer pipe cleaning and street sweeping, as well as for irrigation of Brushy Creek Sports Park.
What they’re saying
“If there’s one thing this council always agrees on, it’s that we need to be smarter about how we use water in our city, and this is a prime example of listening to feedback we get from our citizens and drawing on [Rauschuber’s] expertise—and the generosity of the LCRA,” Cedar Park Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said.
