Region K plan calls for extra reservoirs along Colorado River
BURNET — If the population continues growing as projected, extra reservoirs will be needed after 2060 to meet the water needs of the Highland Lakes, a planning group predicts.
That is the outlook of the Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group for Region K, said Bill Neve, a member and a Burnet County commissioner.
The creation of small off-channel reservoirs below Austin will prevent water shortages in the future, he said.
“You would not have to build them all at once, and they would not require a pipeline,” he added.
At the same time, the cost of water will rise as well.
The Region K group unveiled its regional water plan last week during a meeting at the Burnet Community Center.
The plan recommends construction of off-channel reservoirs to offset periods of lower levels in lakes Buchanan and Travis and supply more water for Region K consumers beyond 2060, Neve said.
“They would give us the biggest chance of catching more water,” he added.
The cost is not known.
Strains on the lower Colorado River, such as the recent 2.5-year drought that seems to have ended with recent rains, remain a concern, officials said.
This is not the first time the subject has been broached to create off-channel reservoirs to collect extra water, but in one case it has led to a legal battle.
The San Antonio Water System last year filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Travis County against the Lower Colorado River Authority after LCRA said there wasn’t enough water in the Highland Lakes to share with San Antonio.
The two agencies were partners in a joint water-supply study that had suggested the possible construction of an off-channel reservoir in Wharton County near El Campo.
LCRA claims the proposed reservoir would be insufficient for the Highland Lakes.
A state district judge dismissed the suit after ruling that LCRA was immune because of its status as a quasi-government agency. SAWS officials have filed an appeal.
The current Region K plan covers the years 2010-2060, Neve said, adding the plan is updated every five years. It addresses surface and groundwater issues.
There may be some “small problems” in certain areas of the region during the next 50 years, Neve added.
For instance, the amount of groundwater in Bastrop County may be over-allocated, and counties outside of Region K have indicated they want Bastrop groundwater.
“That will not work – because (Region K) needs that water,” Neve said.
Remote areas outside of the Highland Lakes in Region K may face a water shortage of perhaps 2,500 acre-feet, Neve added.
An acre-foot is the volume of water — 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons — that will cover an acre to a depth of one foot.
However, for the most part, Region K members predict current water supplies will meet demand in the Highland Lakes during the next 50 years.
“We are in pretty good shape,” Neve said. “If there is no drought — there is no problem at all.”
As mandated by Legislature more than 10 years ago, the Texas Water Development Board established the Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group to represent “diverse and often competing interests for water supply” among 16 regions.
Region K includes Burnet, Bastrop, Blanco, Colorado, Fayette, Gillespie, Hays, Llano, Matagorda, Mills, San Saba, Travis Wharton and Williamson counties.