[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5973994,"mediaKeyId","5829801-4381a97faede89d3942bddf4be5e3532","parentId",5829801,"title","LCRA outlines multi-billion-dollar water-supply options, from aquifer storage to East Texas transfers","audioSeconds",2227,"startMs",790000,"endMs",3017000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829801-4381a97faede89d3942bddf4be5e3532&start=790&end=3017","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829801-4381a97faede89d3942bddf4be5e3532/thumbnail_790000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5973994/Texas/LCRA-outlines-multi-billion-dollar-water-supply-options-from-aquifer-storage-to-East-Texas-transfers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5973994-2bc07862e8ccbb1fc4264aa0f05facc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1774927508&Signature=DU3r1yFWRiyoT0kvKk7j8vaLy1exdFxgNUFeFssmj5w5IfCsUzZY4QXzHePIxTtjZqGxRcADOsvvG~p~pjwCaZAjOpv7VDBOIX8t2NPVkGvnbMm79o48yX1B052zxOx3Js4KkmUs3D7Hd5Xj89Sxw3mn48xG6X6Ws~uzgm8J7gE~NDzcXpa2U50NpDEzNKvDBwpGVx13MqBieeBwlRECBitdRlyROeqJYEQSh628X5MupIkkFueIvRAInPDilXVbuSVDIWWqCnSZK~EcgLos3EH4HlMgZ-PKoQ7shMUKuVvavpGLcAIlcBpLobxRo-2k09Bb3yZNHITV0tvG~2c9lQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)","date","2025-09-25T21:05:28.603Z","article","At the Sept. 24 Water Operations Committee meeting, LCRA staff presented a multi-part briefing on potential and in‑flight water-supply projects intended to meet long-term demand in the upper reach of the Colorado River basin. Monica Masters, LCRA staff, said the authority’s Water Supply Resource Report (WSRR) recommends “a target of new firm water supply of 60,000 acre feet for the upper reach by 2040.”

Why it matters: committee members were shown planning options that range from lower-cost conservation measures and groundwater development to very large, multi‑billion‑dollar projects that would require broad partnerships and likely state or federal participation. Phil (LCRA staff) prefaced the presentation by emphasizing the intent to show “what if” scenarios and said explicitly, “some of these projects are just what ifs. Some are real.”

Staff described four broad categories of supply strategies. First, capture-and-store strategies that keep Colorado River water in the basin for later use, including aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and conceptual off‑channel reservoirs (OCRs). ASR was estimated to yield roughly 22,000 acre‑feet of firm yield with capital costs near $900 million to $1 billion. Conceptual OCRs (locations considered included Bastrop, Fayette and Colorado counties) were modeled at a wide range of firm yields (roughly 29,000–73,000 acre‑feet depending on size and configuration) and capital costs that staff estimated in the range of about $1.9 billion to $4.1 billion per OCR.

Second, optimizing the Arbuckle off‑channel reservoir and operating it with other OCRs could increase combined yield (staff estimated scenarios from about 49,000 up to roughly 72,000 acre‑feet of firm supply) but also raised combined capital cost scenarios in the multi‑billion‑dollar range ($4.1–$4.5 billion in example scenarios). Third, staff presented new non‑Colorado River supplies such as purchasing groundwater from willing sellers (example yield ~25,000 acre‑feet; cost ~ $600 million) and an East Texas transfer option using a large existing reservoir such as Toledo Bend. The East Texas transfer analyses showed a potential LCRA share of roughly 66,000–200,000 acre‑feet depending on scale, with a notional LCRA capital share of about $3 billion–$7 billion; staff noted such a project would likely require multi‑entity collaboration and significant state or federal support. Fourth, seawater desalination off the Gulf was presented as a technically feasible but capital‑intensive option (plan example ~30,000 acre‑feet at an estimated cost of about $3.6 billion), with brine discharge, intake and treatment and local siting considerations discussed.

Staff stressed that many of these illustrations were conceptual and that final siting, permitting, transmission routing and customer demand would determine feasibility and cost. Monica Masters noted the WSRR “includes a list of potential projects. It doesn't necessarily tell us which project is gonna be next, or if we're even gonna do it.” Committee members repeatedly asked about gravity and pumping tradeoffs, energy costs, and how capital costs would be financed. LCRA staff and board members said financing large interbasin transfers or major OCR networks would likely require state or federal participation, long-term rate structures, and partnerships with other entities.

In‑flight and nearer-term projects were also summarized. Staff reported Arbuckle construction is complete, the reservoir filled and tested, and mechanical equipment is under inspection after sitting idle; the Lake Bastrop water-supply project was described as initial design with an estimated current project cost of about $85 million to provide up to 10,200 acre‑feet per year (this estimate excludes customer conveyance pipelines). The Griffith League Ranch groundwater project (purchased groundwater rights) holds permits to about 8,000 acre‑feet per year; staff said they plan to drill two wells, likely in 2026, expected to deliver the initial new supply. Conservation efforts were cited as delivering about 22,000 acre‑feet per year as of 2024 and staff described increases to the conservation cost‑share grant program (the maximum incentive credit was raised to 400 acre‑feet of water saved from a prior lower cap), which staff said has increased interest from firm customers.

Staff also reported a notable industrial inquiry in Matagorda County: HIF Resources submitted a 12,000 acre‑foot contract for hydrogen fuel production; most other large industrial inquiries remain at exploratory stages. Committee members discussed financing mechanisms including Texas Water Development Board low‑interest loans and a recently passed state constitutional amendment (to be voted in November) that staff said could provide additional funding on a competitive basis.

No committee motion was taken to select or commit to any of the conceptual projects; the presentation was framed as planning and evaluation. Multiple speakers urged continued technical work and interagency discussions, and staff signaled they will proceed with permitting and targeted pilot work (for example, a demonstration project to test targeted bay and estuary inflows using canal gates and university partners).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","LCRA Water Operations Committee meeting Sept. 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the Sept. 24 Water Operations Committee meeting, LCRA staff presented a multi-part briefing on potential and in‑flight water-supply projects intended to meet long-term demand in the upper reach of the Colorado River basin.","taxTitle","Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Departments and Agencies, Executive, Texas","taxId",17433,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5974000,"LCRA: Basin largely drought-free but outlook leans drier as La Niña watch issued",485,284000,769000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829801-4381a97faede89d3942bddf4be5e3532&start=284&end=769","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829801-4381a97faede89d3942bddf4be5e3532/thumbnail_284000.jpg","/articles/5974000/Texas/LCRA-Basin-largely-drought-free-but-outlook-leans-drier-as-La-Niña-watch-issued","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5974000-2b458a74342d95d7d0dc779e6ee49916/orig.mp4?Expires=1774927508&Signature=TqPqS1SHUKoo53NkjV8wnNKqxMb7JBg77-XdNMEMBuCotmKeJJShIIsKq-C2rb68pxPYxpDV~xNpjLBMuXOyyHh~~4XDGpDE4-FmCx3g5QhfgyPgnzuz1hc0mq1mVSnmnb2JSTBCUtwxWVdsz-Z4opRVQ7EK0haXx1iKUAz5oClJjkj3Ea5yP13F3t6~VE8MDHiV643Jnt1k2rZqpXyiJgkwCMNJ2ImtGAGth176AdD8EguR9pCr-P8kssLMvqNgnc6izL7y8tKX5smXX~DwCBTrl0SJE-8gOVhPzfl1LwGvnHqWIZn~ZQ7IEZ8JuqIyQJIL~8IsVKIZ7i-LaycxkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Sept. 24, at a meeting of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s Water Operations Committee, LCRA staff presented an update showing the Highland Lakes system remained well above storage levels seen during the 2015 drought of record, but near-term outlooks lean drier. Kelly Payne, LCRA staff, told the committee that as of early September combined storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis was about 1.8 million acre-feet, roughly 90–92% full and “still over a million acre feet more than we were 09/01/2014,” a comparable point during the drought of record.

The report matters because lower inflows and a seasonal shift in precipitation patterns could reduce future reservoir gains and affect water supply planning for central Texas. Payne said August inflows returned “to more of a dry pattern,” reporting about 23,228 acre-feet of inflow for August, roughly 40% of the long-term average for the month. He said the medians for August were near long-term normals, but rainfall distribution left parts of the basin drier than others.

Payne summarized basin conditions: roughly 53% of Texas and 45%–50% of the LCRA basin experienced some level of dryness by mid-September, with about 55% of the basin drought-free and roughly 40% classified as abnormally dry. He described that the I‑35 corridor showed moderate to severe drought conditions while much of the Hill Country remained comparatively wet. Lake Travis was reported near 673.75 feet mean sea level on Sept. 1 and around 672.15 feet at the committee’s morning check; Lake Buchanan was reported at about 1,018.34 feet. Combined storage was approximately 1,800,000 acre-feet as of Sept. 1.

Payne also reviewed seasonal outlooks from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center and said the CPC has posted a La Niña watch, estimating about a 56% chance of weak La Niña developing in late fall and persisting through early winter. Payne noted that La Niña historically corresponds with drier-than-normal fall and winter in Texas and that the CPC outlook currently shows no strong trend for September but leans toward below-normal rainfall October through February and above-normal temperatures for the same period.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about recent rainfall patterns, localized totals, and agricultural operations connected to basin conditions. Payne reported that Garwood agricultural operations had contracted slightly more than 14,000 acres for second-season rice and about 4,800 acres for supplemental uses, versus roughly 21,000 acres planted for the first season. He emphasized that monthly rainfall was spatially uneven: portions of the Northern Hill Country near Coleman received less than a quarter-inch in August while isolated Hill Country totals of 3–4 inches were reported elsewhere.

The committee did not take formal action on the basin update; members used the presentation to frame planning and to ask staff to incorporate the climate outlook into supply projections. Payne concluded by inviting questions and noting the CPC’s seasonal projections would inform ongoing operational planning.","LCRA staff told the Water Operations Committee on Sept. 24 that combined storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis remained well above the 2014 drought benchmark, but inflows were below average for August and forecasters see elevated chances of La Niña and below-normal rainfall this fall and winter.","actionData","errors"]

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LCRA outlines multi-billion-dollar water-supply options, from aquifer storage to East Texas transfers

LCRA: Basin largely drought-free but outlook leans drier as La Niña watch issued