LCRA’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved a $1.4 million contract with Key Enterprises to construct a five-mile, 16-inch pipeline to serve water to new developments on Hamilton Pool Road.

The Board took the action at its November 2005 meeting, nearly a year after the Board determined in December 2004 that LCRA would provide surface water to developments in the Hamilton Pool Road area. Since that time, LCRA staff has been conducting engineering and design, easement acquisition and other steps to move the project forward. Key Enterprises, based in Austin, was the lowest bidder of 10 bids for the construction project.

“This is the next step in a process the Board initiated almost a year ago, following an extensive public process, to provide water service to the Hamilton Pool Road area,” said Suzanne Zarling, LCRA’s executive manager of Water Services.

Construction timeline
Construction is set to begin in December 2005 on the line and is expected to be complete by mid-summer 2006. Total cost of the project is estimated at $6.4 million, including construction of the water line as well as improvements to an existing pump station, a new pump station and a ground storage tank.

The Hamilton Pool Road area will be served by the Uplands water treatment plant, 10-million-gallon-a-day facility that is part of LCRA’s West Travis County Regional Water System. It draws water from Lake Austin.

LCRA’s Board also approved funding for an impact fee study to set a water utility impact fee for residents who will be receiving water service of western Travis County and northern Hays County.

An impact fee is a one-time charge a customer pays to hook up to the utility system. The fee pays some of the infrastructure costs associated with providing service to new customers.

Impact fee steps
In a process specified in the Texas Local Government Code, LCRA will conduct the impact fee study in two steps. The first involves Board adoption of land-use assumptions for planning utility service in the impact service region and an associated plan to make capital improvements to meet the service requirements of a utility system serving the area.

The second step involves development of an impact fee. Each phase will conclude with a public hearing at an LCRA Board meeting to present information for or against the recommended results. These hearings are planned for the first half of 2006. The Board may adopt impact fees by resolution after the second hearing.

More > Background on Hamilton Pool Road water line plan
A vision for water and wastewater utility services in Central Texas
Details on the West Travis regional water supply and wastewater system