|  CRA's Board of Directors is expected this fall to consider a recommendation for the route and size of a water pipeline to serve new and existing communities on Hamilton Pool Road.
Engineering and design studies of the planned five to seven miles of the pipeline must be completed before a recommendation can be developed by LCRA staff. "Until staff finishes those studies we won't know the size of the line we're going to recommend," said Janet Stephenson, LCRA's West Travis County regional manager for Water and Wastewater Utilities. "The line will be large enough to reliably serve new development on Hamilton Pool Road and right now that's all we know." Minimum capacity of the line will be 12 inches to ensure adequate capacity to fulfill LCRA's existing contracts. The recommended route of the pipeline is likely to follow Hamilton Pool Road. The Board can approve the size and route of the line recommended by staff, or it can consider alternatives. Last December, the LCRA Board gave staff approval to enter into contracts for the sale of water to four planned subdivisions, with more than 750 homes, on property along Hamilton Pool Road. LCRA plans to complete construction of the water line by June 2006. Water service will be available to residences in these new subdivisions soon after construction is completed. In June the Board initiated an impact fee study for this area. Residents will pay a fee when they connect to the water line to offset the impact of the need for additional capacity to the West Travis County Regional Water System. Landowners are responsible for constructing internal water distribution facilities. LCRA will review the design of these facilities, and LCRA has the right to inspect all phases of their construction, Stephenson said. LCRA has no current plans to provide wastewater service to these subdivisions. LCRA staff is continuing discussions with the residents of about 700 existing homes and subdivisions in the area to gauge interest in service from the Hamilton Pool Road line. |
