Posted: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:16 AM - 10,368 Readers

By: Jenna Hiller

Cedar Park is working on a water contingency plan, because if the level at Lake Travis drops below 620 feet, their water intake could be in trouble.

If the drought continues, that could happen by next summer. Meanwhile, the city says it is looking for a $6.5 million quick fix.

"The plan actually calls for us to build a new water floating intake barge, and moving that to a deeper location at the lake," City of Cedar Park spokeswoman Melanie Carr said.

The city wants to put a barge about 5,000 feet from the current one, into water that's 20-feet deeper. The project should start in September and take six to seven months to complete.

"They need to do whatever's necessary to ensure that we have an adequate water supply for this region," Curtis Carr, who lives in Cedar Park, said.

The City of Cedar Park said what's necessary is a $6.5 million investment for the short-term solution.

"If lake levels were to rise back up again, the new one would go away, and we'd go back to using our current one that's right outside of our water treatment plant," Melanie Carr said.

By 2013, the city doesn't plan to use either barge, rather the city hopes to have a deep water intake complete by then.

The new barge intake would be funded either from Cedar Park's utility reserves or from issuing a utility reserve bond.

The city also hopes to share the cost with the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Jonestown Water Supply Corporation.