Brushy Creek utility authority hears progress on multimillion-dollar water projects; drought trigger highlighted

Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority members heard an update Wednesday on major water projects, from a $125 million Phase 2 raw-water delivery contract to the Phase 1D treatment-plant expansion, and were briefed on drought forecasts that could force changes to intake operations at Lake Travis.

Aaron Archer, a project engineer with Walker Partners, told the board the Phase 2 raw-water delivery contract is about 60% complete on a calendar-days basis and about 55% complete on a cost basis. He said contractors are working through a jointly reviewed recovery schedule and that recent iterations show the work trending back toward on-time completion. "The contractor has prepared a recovery schedule ... and it's working on weekends and additional work to bring the project up to speed," Archer said.

Archer reported work continues on an 8,800-foot cast-in-place concrete tunnel liner, pump-shaft casings (with one shaft left to drill and roughly three casings remaining to install and grout), and preparations for the pump-station building foundation. He said casing installation and grouting are expected to be complete around May under the current schedule.

On the Phase 1D water-treatment expansion, Archer said the authority issued a notice to proceed in May 2023 and the construction contract, valued at $17,000,000, ran past its original completion date. The contractor, Excel Construction, has submitted one change order for about $190,000; invoices to date total approximately $14,100,000 (about 83% of…