Views of the Neighborhood – Water

~ John W. Howell

Water is vital to all of us. In Lakeway, we have had very little rain for the last two months. This week’s View of the Neighborhood is focused on our Water supply

Here is a photo that was taken in May of the kayak launch site on Lake Travis.

Lakeway water

Here it was yesterday. Notice the water is twenty feet away.

A photo of the lake in May

A shot of the lake from yesterday. A lot of lawn. Lake Travis is the source of Lakeway’s water.

The Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD for short)

The District office. LMUD is a nonprofit organization providing water to the Lakeway community. In 2009 LMUD won the best tasting water in Texas competition. LMUD also developed water reuse systems for irrigation of the golf courses, airpark, and city property.

In the fall of 1987, the first elevated storage tank was installed in Lakeway to enhance water pressure.. It had a golfball design reflecting the resort nature of the community. The ball was hand-painted by a crew suspended by ropes 487 feet above the ground.

The second elevated storage tank.

The latest tank put into service in 2019 to meet the increasing demands of a growing city.

We are all very conscious of the need to conserve water.

53 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Water”

  2. What a difference 200 miles makes. It’s hard to believe you’re in drought, while we’re awash in a soggy mess and worried about too much water. With luck, you’ll get some rain with the coming front, and a change in the patterns will stabilize things a bit.

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  5. I only wish we could send over some of the rain we get in the UK, John. Living in the wettest city of the UK, I’d have plenty of spare water to send over to you. Do you have hosepipe bans because of the lack of rain?

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  6. We had lots of rain earlier, but it’s been over a month now and I’m actually longing for some soggy mess. Won’t be much of a fall for colors: The leaves are just turning brown and a good rain will knock them off. 😦 C’mon, rain, though!

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  7. Water is certainly going to be a critical issue for many communities in the future. Thanks for the peek at the situation in Lakeway.

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  8. I grew up in the desert and know how harsh the lack of water can be. That said, I live in the Ozarks now and water is abundant. I wish there was a way to even out the natural water distribution. Hope your day is perfect, John. 🙂

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  10. So that is why they make these “balls” way up high. I always wondered. As for your lake… yowzers, that is a huge difference. I do hope rain is coming soon for you.

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  11. Good morning, John,
    It’s my opinion that way too many people realize how precious water is. We can certainly survive without oil, but not without water. I wish everybody would heed that.
    Have a wonderful Sunday,
    Pit

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  12. What stark contrasts geography gives us.

    And the idea of being suspended by ropes five hundred feet off the ground? Michelangelo called . .he wants his crazy back!

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  13. I would NOT have wanted to be hanging from that height to paint a water tower, would you, John?? Looks like they did an admirable job though. I empathize with your water situation. It’s very dry here, too, and has been for about the same amount of time. Even the water retaining ponds are low. Seems northern Illinois (Chicago-lnad) has attracted the most rain. We’ve got cracks in our lawn as thick as a man’s finger (and that’s a man with huge hands, ha!)

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  14. It is good to know that Lakeway is aware of the importance of water. And you have a visual measurement with a lake to show the loss of water with something like the kayak launch. We all depend on each other and should not take water for granted!

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  16. I do hope you get some substantial rain soon! Have you considered a rain dance? We were inundated all spring … rain every bloomin’ day … but now it’s been over 6 weeks since we’ve had more than a sprinkle.

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  18. Great photos! Having a well for water we are very conscious of our water usage. Water is a very precious gift.

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  22. Weather on a coast or a major river, human civilizations have flourished around water throughout history. Populations grow & humanity takes water for granted – but then their comes a time of OOPS …. better yet, oh crap!

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    1. The LMUD group takes water conservation very seriously. We installed a new lawn and sprinkler system and after the first month’s reading, we got an e-mail letter from the district pointing out our increased usage. They suggested a leak test. We wrote back and explained the difference.

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  23. It’s so sad to see water levels drop so much. We’ve always lived near rivers – the Ohio and Little Miami. Too much water is more common here with Spring floods. I hope you get your much-needed water soon.

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