Hundreds of Highland Lakes residents have done the responsible thing in the past year and applied for domestic use contracts to pump water from the lakes. Now LCRA plans to step up its efforts to ensure more residents do the same.

Pumping water stored in the lakes without a contract is a violation of state law. LCRA estimates that roughly 5,500 residents use pumps to pull water from the lakes for lawn watering and other uses in or around their homes. A year ago, fewer than 80 had the necessary contract to make the action legal. Now, after an intense outreach effort, more than 800 have applied for contracts.

Starting in December, LCRA employees will begin visiting residents in lakeside neighborhoods to provide information and answer questions about domestic use contract requirements. LCRA representatives also will meet with area homeowner and property owner associations to discuss the requirement. In addition, LCRA is updating a survey to identify those who are pumping water from the Highland Lakes without a contract.

“This is a matter of equity and fairness,” said LCRA General Manager Tom Mason. “It’s important that everyone follow the same rules when we’re dealing with a precious and limited resource like water.”

LCRA also is developing ways to draw positive attention to those who have domestic use contracts. This could involve providing customers a means to visibly mark their intake pipes to show they have domestic use contracts.

LCRA prefers to use education to address the issue instead of enforcement, but is committed to ensuring the law is followed. After this next round of public outreach, staff will discuss further strategies for compliance with the LCRA Board of Directors.

The minimum domestic use contract is for three-quarters of an acre-foot of water at a cost of $113.25 per year. This amount of water is sufficient to meet the landscape needs of a house on a lot up to a half-acre in size.

The contract requires that water is used in an efficient, non-wasteful manner so that everyone is equally sharing the responsibility of managing our limited water supplies to ensure there is enough water for the future. Residents must follow a watering schedule of no more than two times per week with a possibility of further water-use restrictions during severe drought.

“LCRA needs to account for that water and the only way that they can do that is for people to apply for contracts,” said Mary Ann Hefner, a member of the LBJ/Marble Falls Regional Council, one of seven regional councils that provide two-way communication between LCRA and communities in its service area.

Hefner, who is also first vice president of the Kingsland Chamber of Commerce, has had a domestic use contract for her home for two years and said several of her neighbors also have signed contracts. “When you think about the cost spread out over 12 months, I think it’s a very economical way to get water. It’s the right thing to do,” she said.

LCRA does not collect taxes. The money it collects from water rates, including domestic use contracts, helps cover LCRA’s cost of managing and protecting the water resources of the Colorado River basin. This includes protecting life and property during floods and programs that protect water quality. The money also is used to maintain dams and other critical infrastructure, as well as administer water conservation programs.

Domestic use contracts also are important because they help LCRA account for the water pulled from the lakes by residents. This helps during long-term planning to ensure that a sufficient water supply will be available for existing and future water needs.

For more information about the program, go to LCRA’s web site at www.lcra.org/water/domestic or call LCRA’s Domestic Use Contract Hotline at 1-800-776-5272, ext. 3231 or 1535.

Editor’s Note: The Domestic Use Program and other programs that affect Highland Lakes residents will be discussed at the following meetings: