Cruise by the Lakeway Swim Center and you may notice that there has been quite a bit of construction going on in that area lately. You have Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD) to thank! No, it’s not a pleasant site, but the improvements being made will benefit our community as a whole. It’s all part of the Out of District Wastewater (ODWW) Project, extending the public sewer system to the original 17 sections of Lakeway, which is an area of about 1,000 properties currently primarily serviced by septic systems. It’s an unfortunate scenario that with the majority of these septic systems dating back to as early as the founding of Lakeway (1962), more and more of them are failing, creating an increased risk of contamination to our beloved Lake Travis…not to mention an intense headache for the owners of these properties! The project is expected to take another seven years to complete, but the majority of the critical infrastructure is being put in place now, hence all the ruckus!

The project is expected to take another seven years to complete, but the majority of the critical infrastructure is being put in place now, hence all the ruckus!

LMUD’s ODWW Project began in 2018 after a survey of affected residents indicated that about 80 percent were interested in the option to connect to a public sewer system rather than stay on septic. Attempts had been made in the past by developers to initiate such a system, but they proved too costly for most residents to consider. Under the current plan by LMUD, property owners who opt in to connect pay minimal to no upfront fees to get connected and then a base rate in addition to their usage fees after they are connected.

The most visible construction by the Lakeway Swim Center is the result of extending the sewer line and a recycled water line from the most northern end of the Airpark, across each of the taxiways, across Lakeway Boulevard and Trophy Drive, and up behind Highlands to LMUD’s wastewater treatment plant. LMUD outsourced this work to Austin Engineering Company, Inc. (AECO). Their winning bid of $4.589 million includes a new lift station, force main, and improvements to LMUD’s S-5 Water Recycling Plant.  This portion of the ODWW Project began in April 2020 and is expected to be completed by February 2021.

For more information about the ODWW Project, click here.