Buda City Council approved a feasibility study at the Aug. 2 council meeting that will look into the possibility of utilizing aquifer storage and recovery, a system that stores water in an aquifer for later use.

ASR adds drought resilience to a water supply, said Buda Water Specialist Brian Lillibridge. It can create a safe buffer when water is scarce.

“You store the water away when you’re not in a drought scenario, and then when you get to a drought situation, you’re able to retrieve it,” Lillibridge said. “It’s important to us because when Barton Springs declares a drought, that’s when all the permitted users start getting cutbacks in how much they can pump.”

Projections indicate Buda faces a water shortage of 30,000 gallons of water a day beginning in 2017 if the city is unable to secure an additional water source. Buda’s deficit could climb to 950,000 gallons of water a day by 2023. In July, Buda finalized a water-sharing deal with the cities of Kyle and San Marcos to meet the city's short-term needs and create long-term water supply solutions.

The feasibility study will examine the possibility of taking the water in the Edward’s Aquifer and storing it in the Middle Trinity Aquifer that extends across the central and northeastern part of Texas. Part of the study will focus on how much groundwater the city can reasonably expect to store, Lillibridge said.

Buda awarded a contract to CH2M, a Colorado-based engineering services company. The feasibility study will cost about $92,000 and should be completed by the beginning of 2017, Lillibridge said.

Innovative water sources are an important part of the city’s future, Lillibridge said.

“You have to identify unique sources or maybe sources that didn’t seem viable in the past,” Lillibridge said. “In Buda, we’re in the position that there’s not going to be one big project that solves everything.You don’t have all your eggs in one basket. That’s a good thing.”