A proposed study of additional water lines that will connect existing infrastructure in the West Highway 71 and U.S. 290 areas is causing some concern among residents in western Travis County. The project will cause water rates to rise as well as bring added development and traffic to the area, Bee Cave officials said.

At the May 18 meeting of the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, president Scott Roberts requested agency staff study a system that would “loop,” or join, fragmented pieces of the system’s water line. By doing so, if a break occurred anywhere along the line, water could flow from either end to the break, or water interruption source, thereby providing continuous service to customers.

Despite the item not being listed on the agency's agenda, the board agreed to direct its consulting engineering firm, at an expenditure of $10,000, to study a system that would loop, or link, the agency’s U.S. 290 and West Highway 71 lines.

Although the item was tabled at the agency’s June 14 meeting, packet documents showed proposed pathways for the added water lines along Crumley Ranch Road and in the vicinity of Hamilton Pool Road (see inset).

Goodwin, who is also Mayor Pro Tem of Bee Cave City Council, said he brought the issue up at the city’s June 13 meeting to determine how members wanted its representatives to the WTCPUA—Goodwin and Don Walden—to act on the proposal.

When the WTCPUA staff calculates impact fees that are charged to new developments to begin utility service, they determine what it would cost to increase water to a certain area or upgrades to a plant, Goodwin said. The utility charges the impact fee to tie in or tap into the service but it only recovers 75 percent from the new customer—25 percent is recovered from existing customers, he said.

“If the loop happens, water rates will have to increase to cover the 25 percent cost that can’t be recovered by impact fees,” Bee Cave Mayor Caroline Murphy said.

Beside the possible increase in utility fees, board members voiced concern over the added development and ensuing traffic in the area that may result from the ability for new projects—including a multi-phase residential project, Provence, formerly Masonwood, planned for Hamilton Pool Road—to be promoted. Hamilton Pool Road is a two-lane roadway without shoulders or lighting and runs off West Highway 71.

“I think we have to protect Hamilton Pool Road,” Council Member Kara King said. “It is not able to handle the traffic it has much less more. And the cost, 25 percent, is substantial.”