Shane Saum
Councilmember
Dear fellow Council Members,
Below is a proposed resolution for our June 5th meeting to send to LCRA as they consider updating their Water Management Plan and in light of concerns CWTC and citizens have expressed. Let me know your thoughts and edits.
City of Lago Vista Resolution No. 2025-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS, URGING THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY (LCRA) TO PRIORITIZE WATER STORAGE IN LAKE TRAVIS, ENSURE EQUITABLE WATER MANAGEMENT AMONG MUNICIPALITIES, AND ENGAGE LAKESIDE COMMUNITIES IN CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR WATER SECURITY AND CONSERVATION
WHEREAS, the City of Lago Vista and its residents rely on Lake Travis as their primary source of drinking water, economic activity, and emergency services, and the lake's water level directly impacts fire response, tourism, infrastructure, and quality of life; and
WHEREAS, Lake Travis contains more direct municipal drinking water intakes than Lake Buchanan, including those serving fast-growing communities across Central Texas, making its water levels uniquely important to regional supply security; and
WHEREAS, the current Water Management Plan (WMP), based on data through 2016, does not adequately reflect ongoing hydrologic shifts, inflow declines, or municipal growth; and
WHEREAS, the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA) infrastructure allows up to 145 million gallons per day of Lake Travis water to be withdrawn by Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock, cities that together hold firm water contracts totaling over 77,000 acre-feet annually; and
WHEREAS, communities such as Lago Vista have adhered to strict drought restrictions, including 2-day-per-week watering schedules, while some larger users have not implemented comparable conservation, undermining regional drought response efforts; and
WHEREAS, LCRA has maintained that it is not responsible for setting local drought enforcement policies; however, as the provider of stored raw water, LCRA can and should require conservation parity among all firm water customers, especially during declared drought stages; and
WHEREAS, calls for more frequent and data-driven WMP updates have been met with concerns about modeling resources, yet reasonable triggers (e.g., low Combined Storage or over-commitment of firm supplies) can create an adaptive framework without burdening agency operations; and
WHEREAS, the Region K Water Planning Group serves a valuable purpose but cannot replace direct engagement with lakeside cities that are uniquely vulnerable to Lake Travis storage policies;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS, THAT:
The City of Lago Vista urges LCRA to maintain current annual withdrawal limits for Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock, and to commit publicly that no increases in firm water contracts tied to the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority will be issued unless regional supply and conservation targets are met.
The City requests that LCRA establish and enforce minimum drought response standards among all municipal firm water customers during drought declarations. These standards should include uniform outdoor watering restrictions and public reporting of compliance to ensure equity across the basin.
The City calls for transparent, monthly publication of all firm water withdrawals from Lake Travis, categorized by customer, to build public trust and allow data-informed policy adjustments.
The City supports revising environmental flow release policies to reduce required outflows from Lakes Travis and Buchanan when Combined Storage falls below 1.3 million acre-feet. This measure would avoid prematurely draining supply reservoirs while still honoring ecological needs through more tailored releases.
The City urges LCRA to update its operational policies to reflect Lake Travis's status as the primary municipal intake reservoir in the Highland Lakes system and to revise water retention thresholds accordingly.
The City requests that LCRA adopt a formal trigger-based WMP update process, with required revisions when:
Naturalized flow and evaporation data change materially;
Combined Storage drops below 750,000 acre-feet;
Firm commitments approach 90% of projected year 2032 supply capacity.
The City of Lago Vista requests that LCRA: a. Formally invite Lago Vista elected officials and city staff to all Water Management Plan stakeholder meetings and technical briefings; b. Establish a Highland Lakes Municipal Stakeholder Advisory Group, distinct from Region K, composed of cities with direct intakes from Lakes Travis and Buchanan; and c. Provide quarterly updates to stakeholder cities on modeling progress, proposed operational changes, and opportunities for public comment.
The City requests that LCRA conduct and publish a review of its raw water delivery infrastructure to identify leak losses, schedule repairs, and ensure that conservation efforts by communities are matched by agency efficiency.
The City urges that WMP modeling incorporate the economic, public safety, and infrastructure impacts of sustained low Lake Travis levels, including impacts on firefighting capability, marinas, boat ramps, and local tourism.
The City calls on LCRA to work creatively with communities like Lago Vista to identify local projects and infrastructure enhancements that could capture and store floodwaters during future high inflow events. These could include:
Expanded off-channel storage options
Emergency water impoundment areas
Enhanced retention basins or decentralized recharge zones Such projects could increase resilience and reduce the volume of water that must be released downstream during flooding events.
The City also urges LCRA to evaluate the viability of adjusting water levels in other non-drinking water reservoirs, such as Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, which do not serve as critical storage sources, in order to reduce excessive drawdowns from Lake Travis.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be delivered to:
The LCRA Board of Directors
The General Manager of LCRA
State Representatives and Senators for the Highland Lakes region
The Central Texas Water Coalition
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
The Texas Water Development Board
PASSED AND APPROVED this ___ day of ___________, 2025.
Below is a proposed resolution for our June 5th meeting to send to LCRA as they consider updating their Water Management Plan and in light of concerns CWTC and citizens have expressed. Let me know your thoughts and edits.
City of Lago Vista Resolution No. 2025-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS, URGING THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY (LCRA) TO PRIORITIZE WATER STORAGE IN LAKE TRAVIS, ENSURE EQUITABLE WATER MANAGEMENT AMONG MUNICIPALITIES, AND ENGAGE LAKESIDE COMMUNITIES IN CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR WATER SECURITY AND CONSERVATION
WHEREAS, the City of Lago Vista and its residents rely on Lake Travis as their primary source of drinking water, economic activity, and emergency services, and the lake's water level directly impacts fire response, tourism, infrastructure, and quality of life; and
WHEREAS, Lake Travis contains more direct municipal drinking water intakes than Lake Buchanan, including those serving fast-growing communities across Central Texas, making its water levels uniquely important to regional supply security; and
WHEREAS, the current Water Management Plan (WMP), based on data through 2016, does not adequately reflect ongoing hydrologic shifts, inflow declines, or municipal growth; and
WHEREAS, the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA) infrastructure allows up to 145 million gallons per day of Lake Travis water to be withdrawn by Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock, cities that together hold firm water contracts totaling over 77,000 acre-feet annually; and
WHEREAS, communities such as Lago Vista have adhered to strict drought restrictions, including 2-day-per-week watering schedules, while some larger users have not implemented comparable conservation, undermining regional drought response efforts; and
WHEREAS, LCRA has maintained that it is not responsible for setting local drought enforcement policies; however, as the provider of stored raw water, LCRA can and should require conservation parity among all firm water customers, especially during declared drought stages; and
WHEREAS, calls for more frequent and data-driven WMP updates have been met with concerns about modeling resources, yet reasonable triggers (e.g., low Combined Storage or over-commitment of firm supplies) can create an adaptive framework without burdening agency operations; and
WHEREAS, the Region K Water Planning Group serves a valuable purpose but cannot replace direct engagement with lakeside cities that are uniquely vulnerable to Lake Travis storage policies;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS, THAT:
The City of Lago Vista urges LCRA to maintain current annual withdrawal limits for Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock, and to commit publicly that no increases in firm water contracts tied to the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority will be issued unless regional supply and conservation targets are met.
The City requests that LCRA establish and enforce minimum drought response standards among all municipal firm water customers during drought declarations. These standards should include uniform outdoor watering restrictions and public reporting of compliance to ensure equity across the basin.
The City calls for transparent, monthly publication of all firm water withdrawals from Lake Travis, categorized by customer, to build public trust and allow data-informed policy adjustments.
The City supports revising environmental flow release policies to reduce required outflows from Lakes Travis and Buchanan when Combined Storage falls below 1.3 million acre-feet. This measure would avoid prematurely draining supply reservoirs while still honoring ecological needs through more tailored releases.
The City urges LCRA to update its operational policies to reflect Lake Travis's status as the primary municipal intake reservoir in the Highland Lakes system and to revise water retention thresholds accordingly.
The City requests that LCRA adopt a formal trigger-based WMP update process, with required revisions when:
Naturalized flow and evaporation data change materially;
Combined Storage drops below 750,000 acre-feet;
Firm commitments approach 90% of projected year 2032 supply capacity.
The City of Lago Vista requests that LCRA: a. Formally invite Lago Vista elected officials and city staff to all Water Management Plan stakeholder meetings and technical briefings; b. Establish a Highland Lakes Municipal Stakeholder Advisory Group, distinct from Region K, composed of cities with direct intakes from Lakes Travis and Buchanan; and c. Provide quarterly updates to stakeholder cities on modeling progress, proposed operational changes, and opportunities for public comment.
The City requests that LCRA conduct and publish a review of its raw water delivery infrastructure to identify leak losses, schedule repairs, and ensure that conservation efforts by communities are matched by agency efficiency.
The City urges that WMP modeling incorporate the economic, public safety, and infrastructure impacts of sustained low Lake Travis levels, including impacts on firefighting capability, marinas, boat ramps, and local tourism.
The City calls on LCRA to work creatively with communities like Lago Vista to identify local projects and infrastructure enhancements that could capture and store floodwaters during future high inflow events. These could include:
Expanded off-channel storage options
Emergency water impoundment areas
Enhanced retention basins or decentralized recharge zones Such projects could increase resilience and reduce the volume of water that must be released downstream during flooding events.
The City also urges LCRA to evaluate the viability of adjusting water levels in other non-drinking water reservoirs, such as Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, which do not serve as critical storage sources, in order to reduce excessive drawdowns from Lake Travis.
- The City requests that LCRA annually publish a clear report to member cities detailing:
- Total inflows and outflows from Lake Travis;
- Justifications for water releases;
- Emergency drought response triggers;
- Current and proposed floodgate operational policies;
- Long-term strategies for balancing drought resilience and downstream obligations.
The LCRA Board of Directors
The General Manager of LCRA
State Representatives and Senators for the Highland Lakes region
The Central Texas Water Coalition
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
The Texas Water Development Board
PASSED AND APPROVED this ___ day of ___________, 2025.
