The Lower Colorado River Authority is holding a public meeting Monday, March 8, to discuss ways to meet the long-term water needs in the lower Colorado River basin. The public is invited to attend. The meeting will be at the LCRA Service Center, 3505 Montopolis Service Dr., Building A, in Austin. An open house begins at 6 p.m. The discussion will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
At the meeting, participants will study and offer comments on a wide range of options in the draft Water Supply Resource Plan, which examines ways to supply water to the region for the next 90 years. Costs for the alternatives discussed in the plan vary from $3 million to $1.6 billion and public input will be crucial in helping the LCRA board choose a plan to supply water for future generations.
People may offer input on the plans by attending the meeting Monday or by completing an on-line form at www.lcra.org/watersupply/index.html. The draft Water Supply Resource Plan is posted online at: www.lcra.org/library/media/public/docs/water/wsrp/wsrpdraftplanrevsiedjan2010.pdf
The meeting Monday will help the LCRA as it prepares to set a long-term strategy that best serves the water needs in the lower Colorado River basin.
LCRA began the planning process began in mid-2008 with input from the public on water supply options and planning priorities. From there, the LCRA staff prepared the draft Water Supply Resource Plan, which includes three strategies to demonstrate the wide range of water supply options for the region.
Strategy I maximizes the benefits of LCRA’s existing water rights. At a cost of between $3 million and $5 million, it would meet projected firm water demands for at least 50 years, but would not meet firm demands through 2100. It would rely primarily on water from lakes Travis and Buchanan and through amendment of the four downstream water rights now used primarily for irrigation.
Strategy II pairs the benefits of existing water rights with significant conservation effort. At a cost of between $225 million and $525 million over 40 years, it would meet firm water demands to 2100. Aggressive conservation in this strategy would require LCRA to almost double the amount of water savings identified in the current LCRA water conservation plan adopted in the spring of 2009.
Strategy III is the most expensive option, with costs ranging from $721 million to $1.6 billion. It relies on existing water rights, current conservation programs and building one or more new supplies, such as an off-channel reservoir, desalination, aquifer storage and recovery, and groundwater importation.
The deadline for public input is March 19. To read the draft plan and give input, visit www.lcra.org/watersupply/index.html or e-mail watersupply@lcra.org.