Upper-basin stakeholders laud ‘sound’ water plan after LCRA decision

By James Walker

Central Texans’ primary drinking water supply will be significantly better protected by a new plan for managing the water in the Highland Lakes, stakeholders from the Colorado River’s upper basin said after what many termed a historic vote this week.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) board of directors -- often bitterly divided into largely upper- and lower-basin camps -- voted unanimously Wednesday, Sept. 17, to approve a revised Water Management Plan (WMP) that includes stronger protection for the utility’s premium-paying firm customers like the cities of Austin, Burnet, Marble Falls and others who serve the more than a million people in the region.

“The importance of the LCRA Board action today should not be understated. The LCRA Board's commitment to sound water management principles marks a new day for firm water customers in the basin,” state senators Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) and Kirk Watson (D-Austin) said in a joint statement after the vote.

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.