DALLAS - The growing Austin suburb of Pflugerville may not have enough water to support that growth by 2030, according to city officials.
While cities across Texas are making contingency plans for water shortages, Pflugerville and local governments depending on the Lower Colorado River Authority are facing a growing threat due to prolonged drought in Central Texas.
The city expects to make a decision within five years on how to obtain more water than it is currently allowed from the Colorado River, which feeds a series of reservoirs upstream that have been reduced by drought.
"We certainly want to avoid large spikes in rates," assistant city manager Tom Word told the Austin American-Statesman, pointing out that the Lower Colorado River Authority has proposed raising prices for some customers. "But I think everyone needs to understand that water in the future is going to be more expensive than water today. We've used all the cheap water."
Demand for water is projected to increase by about 37% between 2010 and 2030 as Pflugerville's population spikes by more than 40%, according to a 2013 water master plan. The 12,000 acre-feet of water per year provided by the LCRA will be insufficient by 2013. The LCRA contract ends in 2042.
The city, whose population nearly tripled between 2000 and 2010 to 46,936, plans to spend $45 million on water infrastructure over the next five years, officials said.
The 2013 draft study recommended that Pflugerville buy an additional 6,000 acre-feet of water per year from LCRA at an estimated cost of $88.2 million. To supply the water, the city would need larger pumps than it currently uses.
LCRA's main reservoirs, Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis, are both around 35% full after years of drought. Water is piped from the two lakes to Lake Pflugerville, where it is treated for use as drinking water. An LCRA spokeswoman said additional water could be sold only if it were available.
The city has negotiated with private water providers but rejected offers because the bids were too high. If the city did decide to buy water from private operators with groundwater to sell, it would need to build pipelines and pumps to bring the supply to Pflugerville users.
Pflugerville took a two-notch downgrade to A1 from Aa2 by Moody's Investors Service Feb. 18, amid plans to finance a water park with a $23.5 million loan that analysts considered risky.
Pflugerville's general obligation ratings are AA by Standard & Poor's with a stable outlook.
