Lakeway MUD starts Stage 3 water restrictions due to drought; water rates to increase

Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
The Lakeway Municipal Utility District has started Stage 3 water restrictions that include increasing water rates for top water users.
The Lakeway Municipal Utility District has started Stage 3 water restrictions that include increasing water rates for top water users.

The Lakeway Municipal Utility District announced on Friday that it has started Stage 3 of water restrictions because the drought has decreased the level of Lake Travis.

The district has 10,000 customers and serves most of the city of Lakeway.

The restrictions will result in water rates being increased based on water usage starting on Sept. 1 for customers who use more than 30,000 gallons of water every two months, according to a district news release.

The restrictions include a prohibition against people holding events involving the use of water such as car washes or water slides. Under the Stage 3 restrictions, no new pools may be installed, pressure washing is prohibited and people can only wash their cars at commercial car washes or gas stations, the release said.

More: Lakeway MUD: Proactive and reactive strategies of water planning

It said customers can continue to use an irrigation system once a week between midnight and 10 a.m. and/or between 7 p.m. and midnight on a designated day. The schedule can be found on the district's website. No irrigation is permitted between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Watering with a hand-held hose is permitted at any time.

The Lower Colorado River Authority requires all water utilities that use the Highland Lakes as their raw water source to implement additional drought-response measures when the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan reaches 900,000 acre-feet (45% full), the release said.

This level will be reached this weekend, according to the LCRA River Operations Report, The restrictions require all of the LCRA firm water customers to reduce use by 10% to 20%, according to the release.

Water rates will be increased for top water users based on usage beginning on Sept. 1. Customers who use more than 30,000 gallons of water per billing cycle, which is every two months, will see an increase of $1 per 1,000 gallons. Customers using over 50,000 gallons will see an increase of $2 per 1,000 gallons, the release said.

It said customers using over 80,000 gallons per billing cycle will see an increase of $3 per 1,000 gallons and customers using over 100,000 gallons per cycle will see an increase of $4 per 1,000 gallons.

Customers using below 30,000 gallons, which district officials said was approximately 70% of customers, will see no rate increase, the release said. The bills will be sent on Dec. 1.

Lakeway MUD customers can use a new WaterSmart portal, which provides registered users the ability to track their hourly and daily water usage, self-identify and resolve leaks, understand where their water is being used, compare their water use to similar households, and set water-use alerts, the release said.

The LCRA offers the district's customers rebates to help offset the cost of upgrading or evaluating the efficiency of existing irrigation systems, maintaining landscapes and pools, and testing your soil.

Customers also can use the WaterMyYard program, which sends customized weekly watering advice for your specific lawn and irrigation system based on local weather data.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Lakeway MUD starts Stage 3 water restrictions; water rates to increase