Burnet County Commissioners discuss water issues with Bell County, nearby cities
BURNET — Burnet County commissioners interested in developing a regional water system are visiting other areas to see how the resource is managed and preserved in those areas.
The commissioners recently met officials from the Bell County Water Control and Improvement Districts and the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority.
“We will visit one or two more regional systems over the next year as we begin our water supply infrastructure plan,” County Judge Donna Klaeger said.
During their visits to the Bell County and Brushy Creek groups, officials from the two groups discussed organization and maintenance of their routine water operations, she added.
Burnet County recently received a grant of more than $138,000 from the Texas Water Development Board for long-range water planning.
During the next several months, the grant will fund a study to help county and city officials determine whether it is possible to establish a regional water system for Burnet County and part of Llano County.
“Burnet County is not in the utility business,” Klaeger said. “However, we are a partner with our cities to study current and future needs and what the (water) infrastructure will need in the future to meet those needs.”
State law authorizes the Bell County districts to control and improve the storage, preservation and distribution of water for irrigation, power and other uses.
Brushy Creek RUA includes Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock, all of which receive water from Lake Travis through contracts with the Lower Colorado River Authority.
According to data compiled by the Lower Colorado Regional Planning Group for Region K, which includes Burnet County, the county population will rise from 47,160 in 2010 to 115,056 in 2060, an increase of about 144 percent.
Also during the next 50 years, the county’s water supply will rise from 16,203 acre-feet per year in 2010 to 16,518 acre-feet by 2060, a increase of nearly 2 percent. However, water demand in the county will rise about 130 percent, Region K officials have predicted.
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, or support the needs of a family of four for one year.