The city will promote an aggressive water conservation program in an attempt to use water more effectively, said Deputy City Manager Mike Etienne at the meeting.
“We know we are in dire straits when it comes to water,” he said.
What you need to know
Liberty Hill’s city council and staff have been discussing solutions to address the city’s long-term water shortage problems. The city is at a point where it must address its water supply to avoid shortages in the future.
“We know that our population growth, and also the demand for water, exceeds our current supply,” Etienne said. That awareness led to calls for conservation in the city’s water master plan, he said.
“Our goal is to make Liberty Hill a water conservation city. We want to foster that culture,” he said.
Zooming in
The first step in implementing the city’s conservation program was to conduct a leak study, Etienne said. The city surveyed 56 miles of water lines in August 2024 and found approximately 26 leaks. Repairing the leaks supplied between 900,000 and 2.5 million additional gallons of water per month, Etienne said.
One conservation tool mentioned in the presentation was the city’s WaterSmart Portal, which is enabled by water meters that provide virtual data.
Water customers can create a profile to see their bill, be notified if there is a leak in their pipes and receive customized suggestions for water conservation, said Katie Amsler, director of community engagement and communications.
What else?
City Manager Paul Brandenburg said 60% of Liberty Hill’s drinking water is going toward irrigation. He noted that in addition to looking for new sources of water, it’s important to incentivize people to conserve water.
“This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” he said. “There’s more to do with this. We have a lot of initiatives going on right now trying to find new water, but let’s be wise about what we currently have and be good stewards of the water that we currently have.”
A full list of water initiatives can be found on the city’s website.
