LCRA, Pedernales Electric Co-op award $25,000 grant to aid area firefighters
Double Horn Creek Water Supply Corp. will install new 40,000-gallon water tank in area where closest fire hydrants are miles away
Nov. 15, 2021
LCRA and Pedernales Electric Cooperative representatives present a $25,000 grant to the Double Horn Creek Water Supply Corp. for a new water storage tank to support firefighting efforts. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Lark Camacho, Spicewood Fire Rescue assistant fire chief; Roger Trejo, Double Horn Creek WSC board member; Pilar Chiodo, Double Horn Creek WSC board secretary and treasurer; Cathy Sereno, City of Double Horn mayor; R.G. Carver, city alderman; Curtis Raetz, Double Horn Creek WSC board president; Sam Stacks, Spicewood Fire Rescue fire chief; Jared Fields, PEC public affairs representative; Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Susan Patten, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; James Oakley, Burnet County judge; Harry Brunner, Double Horn Creek WSC board member; Joe Don Dockery, Burnet County commissioner, Precinct 4; Karen Maxwell, city secretary; Susan Carver, city volunteer; and Sig Sereno, city volunteer. In the cab of the firetruck are Travis Rounds and Joshua Nugent.
SPICEWOOD, Texas – A grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Pedernales Electric Cooperative will help the Double Horn Creek Water Supply Corp. install a water storage tank to support area firefighting efforts.
The $25,000 Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with over $100,000 in matching funds, will allow 40,000 gallons of water to be stored in an area of Burnet County where the nearest fire hydrants are several miles away.
The tank will benefit the communities of Spicewood, Double Horn and Round Mountain, and a large part of the eastern Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department response area, said Curtis Raetz, president of the Double Horn Creek WSC Board of Directors.
“The location of the firefighter water storage tank is critical,” Raetz said. “The nearest fire hydrant is 5 miles away, and this is an area with growing neighborhoods and where there’s risk of wildland brush fires.”
The storage tank will be in the western part of the Burnet County Emergency Services District No. 9 service area, and will be accessible to area fire departments at no cost.
Raetz said the community has enthusiastically supported the project, which is expected to benefit the area for decades to come.
“We’re a nonprofit, and when we started going to get approval from our membership for this project, they said, ‘Rather than a rebate on our water bills, we would much rather have this money go to fire protection,’” Raetz said.
The community grant is one of 32 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Pedernales Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.
About PEC
Founded in 1938 by then-Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson, Pedernales Electric Cooperative Inc. is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 363,000 accounts across Central Texas. An industry-recognized leader providing outstanding member service and reliable electricity, PEC conducts its business via a transparent and democratic process and highly encourages member participation.
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