New water tunnels under Lake Travis provide a lifeline for 3 Williamson County cities


Posted: Fri, 9 Jan 2026 08:54 AM - 16 Readers

By: Kailey Hunt


The Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA), a partnership between the fast-growing Williamson County cities of Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock, has reached a major milestone in its $225 million water delivery project. As of early 2026, all underground components—including two 11-foot-wide tunnels and a 300-foot-deep main shaft beneath Lake Travis—have been completed. This innovative system replaces the current vulnerable floating barge pumps in Sandy Creek Cove, which can fail when severe droughts cause lake levels to drop dramatically. The new deep-water intake allows water to be drawn reliably from far below the surface, even during extreme low-water conditions, and transported via gravity through the tunnels to a new pump station before reaching the cities' treatment plants.

The project, which began construction in 2022, aims to boost BCRUA's water supply capacity to 145 million gallons per day, providing a safe, reliable, and cost-effective regional solution for these rapidly expanding communities. Officials emphasize that regional collaboration has made the expensive infrastructure feasible, with Round Rock alone set to gain up to 40.8 million additional gallons daily—enough to support growth for the next 30-40 years. Full completion of the system is expected in 2027, marking a critical step in building drought resilience amid ongoing water challenges in Central Texas. This effort highlights the importance of cooperative planning to secure future supplies in one of the state's fastest-growing areas.



Read Full Story at: Kailey Hunt

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