Lower Colorado River Authority

By William D. (Dee) Haddock
Marble Falls City Council Member

As I begin this letter, I want to make clear that I am writing this as an individual member of the Marble Falls City Council, and I am not speaking for the Council as a whole.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Lower Colorado River Authority officials denied a request from the city of Marble Falls to desilt Lake Marble Falls, adding the waterway was not created for water supply storage nor lake recreation but for flood control and power generation.

LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson responded in a letter dated Oct 10. to a city council-generated request for dredging on the waterway which runs primarily through the south side of the community.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

As authorities closed a portion of Lake LBJ at the 1431 Bridge Aug. 14, Kingsland Municipal Utility District crews installed several hundred feet of new wastewater line which was pummeled by debris and buried under at least 8 feet of sand during the October flood.

“We were doing an emergency wastewater line replacement,” said Anita LaBier, general manager of Kingsland Municipal Utility District (KMUD). “We've had a couple of issues.”

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

City officials have proposed an 8 percent increase in the water and wastewater rates for residents due to a decrease in post flood water usage connected to aftermath restrictions as well as a reduction in water use tied to smart meters.

Special to The Highlander

The Lower Colorado River Authority announced Thursday, July 11, it has signed a contract to add 141 megawatts (MW) of solar power to its generation portfolio to serve its wholesale customers beginning in 2021.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Marble Falls Fire Rescue unveiled the state of local fire service with several new personnel, facility upgrades and training features during the entity's annual report to city leaders.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Water quality was on the table for discussion at the Horseshoe Bay City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19, as council members considered several fluid topics.

Special to The Highlander

The refill of Lake Marble Falls is scheduled to begin on March 18 and conclude by the end of the day on March 21.

LCRA temporarily lowered lakes LBJ and Marble Falls in December to assist lakeside property owners in recovering from recent historic flooding along the Colorado and Llano rivers. The drawdown made it easier for residents to remove debris, dredge and maintain or repair docks, retaining walls and other infrastructure.

Unforeseen circumstances such as floods or extended power emergencies could prompt LCRA to change or cancel the drawdowns. Equipment and tools should not be left in the lake unattended and should be removed from the lakebed when not in use.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A watchdog group announced a victory in oversight of the Lower Colorado River Authority which can result in improvement recommendations or event potential abolition of water authorities, if they entity demonstrates either wasteful spending or propagates duplicate or unnecessary programs.

Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Contractors with the Texas Department of Transportation have picked up the pace in construction of the Ranch-to-market 2900 Bridge as the Lake LBJ refill was completed on Feb. 27.

The eight-week, 4 ft. drawdown assisted lakeside property owners with construction, maintenance, dredging and repairs in the wake of the October flood event.

“Our barges and cranes need the additional water to operate,” TXDOT's Austin District Engineer Terry McCoy said in a statement.

TXDOT is also partnering with the Lower Colorado River Authority to remove debris and damaged pieces of the bridge, which was swept away in the flood.

Although the lake will be re-opened to boat traffic, recreationists are asked to pay attention to an interim navigation protocol.