Brushy Creek regional water projects proceed; Leander staff warn drought risk remains

Leander city and regional project managers told the City Council on June 17 that major regional water projects serving Leander remain under construction while the city monitors drought triggers that could affect raw-water intakes.

Aaron Archer of Walker Partners, speaking for the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA), said the phase 2 raw-water intake and conveyance project on Lake Travis is about 64% complete, with a construction contract value of roughly $225 million and a scheduled substantial-completion date in February 2027. Archer said most deep underground mining and tunnel lining has been completed and the contractor has submitted a recovery schedule after some shaft construction took longer than anticipated. He also reported only one modest owner-directed change order to date.

At Leander's water treatment plant, staff said phase 1d is nearing completion. The contract for that expansion was about $17 million and the contractor was roughly 90% complete, with commissioning and startup work remaining. Phase 2a ' a larger plant expansion ' is on schedule for bidding later this summer; preliminary cost estimates exceed $100 million, and Leander is a 52% participant while Round Rock will take the remainder.

Why this matters: the regional work is intended both to expand capacity and reduce drought vulnerability by placing intakes in deeper lake water. Council and staff said those projects will increase the city's water supply resiliency but emphasized that drought planning remains necessary while work continues.

Drought triggers and contingency plans - Lake levels: staff reported Lake Travis near elevation 637 feet during the briefing. They repeated a firm threshold: if Lake Travis drops below about elevation 623 feet, BCRUA's floating intake would need to be decommissioned. That elevation is a primary contingency trigger cited during the briefing. - Emergency and backup capacity: staff described ordered steps if low lake levels continue: activate emergency barges, rely on alternate take points such as Sandy Creek (which they said would supply 12 MGD, or emergency 9 MGD), and ultimately, operate the deeper intake when complete. Staff said current forecasts do not project the 623-foot threshold being crossed in 2025 but noted the lake's typical seasonal decline and persistent drought risk.

Project finance and schedule highlights - Phase 2 intake and conveyance: $225 million contract; 64% complete on work and 55% billed on a cost basis; mining and tunnel work complete; one small change order recorded; substantial completion expected February 2027. - Phase 1d plant expansion: $17 million contract; roughly 90% complete; startup and commissioning under way. - Phase 2a plant expansion: estimated over $100 million; permitting nearly complete and project expected to be advertised for bids later this summer. BCRUA and Leander have submitted SWIFT (Texas Water Development Board) applications and expect financing steps to occur in July-October (SWIFT approval, financing agreements, bond sale, and bond closing) if the project proceeds on schedule.

Council reaction and next steps Council thanked staff for detailed reporting and asked a few clarifying questions about construction progress and drought-resilience timing. Staff said BCRUA has developed contingency plans, and that the current forecasting does not indicate an imminent need to decommission floating intakes in 2025. Staff said they will report back if forecasts change and will continue permitting and financing steps needed to keep plant expansions on schedule.

Provenance: Walker Partners presented the construction and schedule details during the BCRUA update; Leander staff supplemented the drought-forecast and contingency discussion during the water update portion of the meeting.