Leander lifts harsh water restrictions after pipeline repairs

After weeks of enhanced city-wide water regulations because of repairs to the Bushy Creek Regional Utility Authority raw water pipeline, Leander has returned to its once-a-week irrigation schedule — which represents Phase 2 of conservation measures. The city announced the change in a Monday press release.

Restrictions were the result of the water utility finding a leak in a 36-inch pipeline in August. The pipeline transfers raw water from Lake Travis into the regional utility’s water treatment facility and is Leander's primary source for treated drinking water.

The pipeline was taken out of service September 21 for repairs. As a result, the city prohibited all outside water use in early-September and enacted Phase 4 of its conservation measures both prior to and during repairs.

During that time, capacity at the city’s Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant was limited to 9 million gallons per- day, roughly half of the city’s average water use of 18 million gallons per- day. According to the press release, Leander water customers brought water usage down to roughly 7.2 million gallons-per-day during that time.

“We are thankful for the hard work of our BCRUA contractor, Thalle, who has worked nonstop since repairs began, and for the great coordination with our partner cities, Cedar Park and Round Rock,” City Manager Rick Beverlin said in a statement. “We also appreciate the many Leander residents who stepped up to the challenge to conserve water during this time. We know this affected all residents and are grateful to now move to Phase 2 water conservation.”

In addition to resuming its once-a-week irrigation schedule, the city will resume water connections for construction activities, new water meter installations and the approval of pool permits. The splash pads at Lakewood and Bledsoe parks will reopen Friday and remain open through October 30, when they will close for the season.

Irrigation days in Leander are based on the last digit in both residential and commercial addresses: Day Commercial Residential Address ending in Address ending in Tuesday: 1, 5 or 9 Wednesday: 2, 4 or 8 Thursday: 0, 3 or 7 Friday: 1, 5 or 9 Saturday: 2, 4, 6 or 8 Sunday: 0, 3 or 7 Hand-held watering is allowed at any time.