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Leander public works warns drought could force emergency barge use; deep-water intake work to extend supply
Summary
City utilities staff told council that prolonged drought and low Highland Lakes inflows could require use of emergency barge sources this year unless lake levels recover; long‑term deep-water intake and treatment projects are under way with expected completion in 2027–28.
Leander public works officials on May 15 briefed the City Council on drought conditions affecting the Highland Lakes that supply regional water, saying inflows remain low and contingency plans — including emergency barges — may be needed if lake levels fall further.
Kelly Crowder, assistant director of utilities, presented updated inflow data and the city's contingency timeline, noting that combined storage in Lakes Travis and Buchanan stood at about 942,000 acre-feet at the time of the presentation. "If we keep following the same trend, LCRA is predicting the lake level in October to be somewhere in the range of 6 23," Crowder said, describing model projections that would require staging emergency measures.
Why it matters: Leander and other Central Texas utilities draw from the Highland Lakes system. If levels fall past critical thresholds the city may have to shift to emergency supply configurations, reduce outdoor watering allowances, or decommission near-shore intakes until levels recover.
Details from the briefing - Current conditions: Crowder showed inflows for April and noted inflows in 2025 were far below historical averages (tens of thousands of acre-feet per month versus a historical mean higher than that). The LCRA drought-monitoring categories had expanded areas of severe and exceptional drought. - Contingency thresholds: Staff said they would begin staging the emergency barge into position around an elevation near 630 feet; if the lake drops into the low-620s the city would need to proceed with more significant emergency measures, and Sandy Creek intake would be at risk around 618 feet. - Emergency capacity: If BCRUA (the regional intake) is taken offline, staff said Sandy Creek would provide limited capacity and the city’s emergency barge would have a smaller production envelope (figures discussed in the briefing described progressive capacity limits down to single-digit million gallons per day under extreme lows). - Long-term projects: Crowder updated council on the deep-water intake (BCRUA Phase 2) being built with regional partners; construction began in 2022 and staff said the intake is expected to be substantially complete in 2027 (re-baselined to April 2027) and that the Phase 2a treatment capacity expansion is targeted for completion in May 2028.
Discussion and staff direction Council members asked clarifying questions about stage definitions and intake thresholds; staff explained city stages differ slightly from LCRA stage names but track similarly for watering limitations. Crowder said staff is preparing to move the emergency barge into position if the LCRA stage progresses toward more restrictive levels and will coordinate timing with regional partners.
What’s next: staff will continue monitoring inflows and lake elevations and report updates. The city’s multi-year deep-water intake and treatment expansion remain the long-term mitigation strategy, with construction and permitting milestones continuing through 2027–28.
Sources quoted and referenced in this article are Kelly Crowder, Assistant Director of Utilities, and city staff presentation materials.
