Boil Water Notices

No Boil Water Notices Currently in Effect for LMUD Customers

At Lakeway MUD, keeping your water safe and your household informed are just a few of our top priorities. If you receive notice that your home or business has been issued a Boil Water Notice (BWN), please understand that these notices are required to be issued as a precautionary measure and do not necessarily mean that the water is unsafe—only that it is recommended to be boiled to ensure its safety until the notice has been rescinded (cancelled).

When is a Boil Water Notice issued?

A Boil Water Notice may be issued under the following conditions:

• A drop in water pressure below required levels, which may allow contaminants to enter the system.
• A water main break or line repair that compromises the integrity of the system.
• Power outages or system failures that affect water treatment or delivery.
• Natural disasters such as flooding or freezing that impact water quality.
• Routine water quality tests that show potential issues needing further investigation.

These notices are issued in accordance with regulations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and are intended to protect public health.

TCEQ is the State agency responsible for the regulation of public water supplies in Texas. They have the authority to require water systems to issue a Boil Water Notice (BWN) under certain conditions. These conditions are:

1. Water quality that does not meet TCEQ regulations;
2. Failure to keep adequate records of water quality; or
3. Loss of pressure for extended periods of time in the piping system, which delivers water to your location.

How might I be notified of a Boil Water Notice issued to my service address?

Boil Water Notices are highly localized incidences. For example, if the City of Austin issues a BWN, it does not mean that it is in effect in our area. A BWN is also not service area wide, so even if you hear of another Lakeway MUD customer being issued a BWN, it does not mean your addresses is also impacted. We make every attempt to notify our current customer on file with a service address that is under a BWN through the following methods when available:

• E-mail
• Voice Recorded Phone Message
• Text Message
• and/or publication by local media outlets and/or City of Lakeway e-blasts, when available or as needed

The same methods are used to notify customers when a BWN is rescinded (cancelled). This happens when lab test results confirm that no harmful bacteria or contaminants are present.

Please contact LMUD Customer Service to ensure your current and correct contact information is on file!

Boil Water Notices are a tool to keep you safe—and we’ll always work quickly to restore full service. If you have questions, please contact our customer service team during regular business hours. After hours emergency service is also available.

What should I do if a Boil Water Notice is issued for my service address?

If a BWN is issued for your service address, it is recommended that you take the following steps:

1. Boil tap water for at least 2 minutes at a rolling boil before using it for consumption, such as water used for:
   • Drinking (including providing water for pets)
   • Before adding food to water to cook or when preparing hot drinks, such as coffee or tea
   • Washing fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw
   • Making ice
   • Brushing teeth
2. Alternatively, use bottled water for these purposes.
3. It is considered safe to use tap water (without boiling) for non-consumption purposes such as for:
   • bathing or showering
   • doing laundry
   • washing hands
   • flushing toilets
   • take care not to ingest water accidentally
4. Only in the event of a “Do Not Use” Notice should tap water be avoided for all purposes.

What should I do after a Boil Water Notice is rescinded (cancelled) for my service address?

If lab tests show the water is safe for drinking, you do not need to take any additional steps, however, if you lost water pressure or if your water pressure was reduced, we recommend taking the following action:

• Flush Your Pipes: Run cold water taps for at least 2–3 minutes to flush out standing water in your home’s plumbing. Start with the highest faucet in your home, then open others one at a time moving from top to bottom

Homeowners may choose to take additional steps as precautionary measures to clear out any potentially contaminated water from your plumbing and appliances:

• Flush and Clean Appliances
  • Ice Makers: Discard the first three batches of ice made after the notice is lifted and clean the ice maker.
  • Dishwashers and Washing Machines: Run a cycle empty before use.
  • Water Filters: Replace filters (e.g., in refrigerators, under-sink systems, or pitchers) if they were exposed during the boil water period.
  • Water Softeners: Run through a regeneration cycle.
• Check and Clean Fixtures
  • Remove and clean faucet aerators and screens, especially if sediment is visible.
  • If you use a point-of-use filter or reverse osmosis system, follow the manufacturer’s guidance for cleaning or replacing filters and membranes.
• Refill or Sanitize
  • Drain and refill any water dispensers or water storage containers that were used during the boil notice.
  • Sanitize humidifiers, CPAP machines, or other devices that use water.

Preventative Measures by LMUD

Lakeway MUD water quality monitoring and record keeping systems are redundant systems that guard against the first two of the three conditions instated by TCEQ and therefore it is very unlikely that the first two conditions (Water quality that does not meet TCEQ regulations; Failure to keep adequate records of water quality) will occur, however still possible. The third condition (Loss of pressure for extended periods of time in the piping system, which delivers water to your location) is more common, such as when we are performing scheduled maintenance or responding to a main line leak repair to replace piping and or equipment and create the possibility of contaminants getting into our supply.

The third condition for a BWN may also be met if our water tanks loose adequate pressure. Our water storage tanks normally maintain water levels that will ensure adequate pressure throughout the system, unfortunately, it is possible for these tanks to occasionally drop to low levels or even drain completely when there are problems such as large water main leaks, pump failures, lightning storms, etc. Normally, when these things happen, an LMUD employee is able to correct the problem before system pressure is lost, but occasionally there is a loss of pressure in the system, requiring us to issue at BWN.

When a BWN is issued, we gather samples immediately from the affected area and take them to the Texas Department of State Health Services laboratory for analysis. This test typically takes twenty-four (24) hours to complete and must be started during normal working hours. As soon as we get the results, we notify affected customers that the water has been found safe to drink.

LMUD strives to provide safe water at adequate pressures at all times, however, occasionally, problems can occur.