Lakeway City Council has voiced support for water conservation bills put forward by state Reps. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, and Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, during the 89th Texas Legislative Session.
The overview
Goodwin, who represents a number of Lakeway residents living in Texas House District 47, said that many of her constituents have voiced concerns regarding water levels in Lake Travis and increasing development in the region. To address some of these concerns, Goodwin has put forward a number of bills aimed at conserving water and ensuring that existing water infrastructure is maintained.
At a City Council meeting held March 17, Goodwin shared two bills, House Bills 1432 and 359, which both address the rights of homeowners to conserve water through various landscaping methods.
The details
One bill put forward by Goodwin, HB 1432, aims to protect homeowners’ right to use drought-tolerant landscaping, sometimes known as “xeriscaping.” This practice involves using native plants which require less irrigation. Some homeowners’ associations, or HOAs, in the region have required residents to remove drought-tolerant landscaping, which the bill would address, Goodwin said. Additionally, homeowners would be entitled to draw up their own landscaping plans or designs, subject to HOA approval, Goodwin said.
“We don’t want to take all control away from the HOA. ... We want to simply make sure that people are able to conserve water on their lawns,” Goodwin said.
Another bill put forward by Goodwin, HB 359, would prevent HOAs from charging fines if, during a drought, homeowners are unable to water their yards. For example, during Stage 2 water restrictions, which LCRA recently instituted March 3, homeowners are only allowed to water their lawns once per week, often leading to brown grass. If HB 359 were to pass, HOAs would no longer be allowed to charge homeowners for this.
The bill is currently moving forward with a Senate hearing March 18 and House hearing March 19, Goodwin said.
What else?
Although Rep. Troxclair was unable to attend the March 17 council meeting, Goodwin stated that she supported a bill Troxclair had put forward, HB 1344, which would allow the Texas Water Development Board to assist with projects in low income areas.
Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance also asked Goodwin about a new Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority, or BCRUA, project for Cedar Park, Round Rock and Leander which will harvest water from Lake Travis and tunnel it to these northern municipalities.
In response, Goodwin highlighted similar local entities like the Lower Colorado River Authority and stated that planning processes could be improved.
“The LCRA does water planning, and actually another bill that I have is around making sure that they’re doing the best planning possible—because right now they do look at past history and not the future expectations,” Goodwin said.
The LCRA is currently capable of selling off water rather than conserving it in case of an unexpectedly dry period, Goodwin said. Firm water supplied by the authority can be provided to cities or industries even during the driest drought periods, according to the LCRA.
No other bills were formally endorsed by Lakeway at the meeting. Around 10,000 bills have now been filed in the legislature, with the filing deadline having ended March 14, according to city documents.
