PUA update: El Niño outlook, lake levels and planned water-wastewater expansions explained

At the March 24 council meeting, Jack, a West Travis County Public Utility Agency appointee, briefed the council on regional water conditions and the PUA's capital projects.

Jack said the emerging El Niño pattern typically brings cooler, wetter weather and can help refill aquifers and lakes. He cited Highland Lakes storage and said, "We're about 84% full," noting the Highland Lakes have roughly 2,000,000 acre-feet of capacity and that municipal use across Central Texas is about 300,000 acre-feet per year. He described planned capacity increases: a water-plant expansion that would raise production to roughly 33,000,000 gallons per day and a Bowles wastewater treatment expansion of about 500,000 gallons per day to meet future demand.

Jack told the council the PUA is finalizing designs for pipeline "plumbing" to carry added capacity to growth areas (particularly toward FM 1626/71 corridors) and that wastewater TLAP permits limit how effluent can be distributed — many golf courses currently receive effluent under contract. He said rate increases are being phased in after years without adjustments, noting the last water retail increase was in 2016 and wastewater in 2017.

Council members asked about gray-water/effluent reuse for parks and school irrigation and whether the agency could serve Central Park. Jack said the PUA believes it has capacity to serve Central Park but that detailed bores and line extensions would be needed and are contractual; he flagged that crossing under major roads or through floodplain areas carries additional cost. Council welcomed coordination on converting irrigation to effluent where feasible, and city staff agreed to explore routing and cost options with the PUA.