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Thursday, December 25, 1997

Central Texas town searches for solution to water shortage

LEANDER, Texas (AP) -- Edna Bon zips in and out of the shower each morning, not because of her hurried schedule, but because of low water pressure.

"It just goes tinkle, tinkle. That's it. I have to just jump in and out because it's not enough water to cover, to keep warm," Ms. Bon said.

Ms. Bon is one of a handful of Woods of Crystal Falls residents complaining about low water pressure in southwest Leander, northwest of Austin.

Problems in Ms. Bon's neighborhood, especially in houses that sit atop hills, are the latest water woes for residents of Leander, which historically has been plagued by inadequate water facilities and supplies.

The City Council, in an attempt to address problems in Woods of Crystal Falls and other areas, has asked the city engineer to study possible solutions and to devise a water master plan.

Such a study should have been done years ago, Mayor Charles Eaton said.

"The city is plagued by a lack of planning in its past," Eaton said.

Leander has been consumed in the past with finding enough water to keep up with recent yearly growth rates of 20 percent, said Fred Jay, president of Jay Engineering Co. Inc., who has served as Leander's city engineer since 1993.

Leander has a contract pending with the city of Cedar Park, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Brazos River Authority that will allow the city to get water from those sources as soon as the summer of 1998 and for at least 30 years, Eaton said.

The city currently buys water from Cedar Park.

Eaton said the contract with Cedar Park and the river authorities should be final in January.

The water study will evaluate the city's topographic features and existing water storage tanks and pipelines. A hydraulic analysis will find the weak points of the water distribution system and point out the most cost-effective manner to correct problems, Jay said.

The study should be completed in 90 days and cost $20,000, he added.