Lakeway Municipal Utility District: A ‘MUD’ We Can All Be Proud Of!

When was the last time you thought about your water utility provider? In all likelihood, it was the last time you turned on a faucet and no water came out. Or, maybe it was the last time you paid your water bill. Perhaps it was the last time you had a leak and had to employ a plumber to fix the problem. If you are not thinking a lot about your water and wastewater provider, chances are they are doing a good job for you.

Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD) provides Water, Wastewater, and/or Reuse Water to over 4,000 homes and businesses in the City of Lakeway. Depending on the season, anywhere from 2 to over 5 million gallons per day of fresh water are provided to our customers for drinking, bathing, irrigating, etc. With that kind of volume going to that many customers, it’s pretty amazing we don’t think about it more often!

Here are a few interesting facts about LMUD you may not be aware of:

• LMUD was established in 1972; we have been serving a large portion of the Lakeway area for over 40 years! Other Water and Wastewater providers service the remainder of the City of Lakeway and The Hills.
• TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the governing body for all MUD’s in Texas) recognizes LMUD as a premier organization and often uses LMUD as an example and model for other utilities.
• Our water has been recognized as the #1 drinking water in Texas, and #3 in North America!
• We have received the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle Award for Financial Transparency for the sixth year in a row! LMUD was the first Municipal Utility District to receive the award.
• All Board meetings are video recorded and posted on the LMUD website for public viewing. All committee meeting minutes are posted on the website as well.
• The LMUD Water Operations Office Received Gold Certification from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for the energy saving and environmental friendly design.
• LMUD  received a Platinum Level Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Lakeway for extensive and ongoing efforts to help mitigate wildfire risk in the City of Lakeway.
• Our credit rating with Standard and Poor’s is AA-, the highest rating attained by any MUD in the State of Texas.
• We make full use of our water, without wasting! Virtually all of our Wastewater is processed through our plants and returned to customers as reuse water to be used for irrigation. None of our wastewater is returned to the lake. This means that we save on average 485,000 gallons daily from being pumped out of Lake Travis, in addition to the extra costs that would be incurred to treat and deliver that water. That’s about 177 million gallons per year of savings applicable to our precious supplies in the lake as well as our resulting water rates!
• Despite rising costs in every expense area, we have managed to reduce recurring real dollar expenses every year for the last 5 years! The only exception was in 2012 when we had the additional expense of purchasing the raw water barge from the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority), but our recurring expenses were still less than in 2011.
• We have managed to keep our tax rate level (or lower it) for the last 5 years in a row even with increased rates for materials and labor.
• As of this date, we have replaced our old customer meters with updated electronic models at 100% of our customer base. These new meters allow us to read the meters electronically, and give our customers hour by hour profiles of their usage in order to help detect areas of improvement.
• Our 5 member Board of Directors and 19 Committee Members meet monthly to lend their expertise to improving and guiding LMUD. All of these Lakeway residents serve with no compensation and donate their time willingly, providing great value to our organization.
• Our staff is available 24/7 to deal with emergencies; the Lakeway Police Department lends us a hand by contacting our “on-call” personnel when needed.
• We have experienced drought conditions for the majority of the last 5 years; we had to enact “Stage 3” Water Restrictions up until June of 2015.  With the rains we had during the Spring, we were able to move to Stage 1 Restrictions. The Lakeway residents have been extremely supportive at each stage. While we have had to issue a few warnings about off-cycle watering, we have not had to issue a single fine for continued abuse.
• Our Management team has 58 years LMUD management experience and 102 years of total management experience. Combined with the countless years of experience our Board and Committee members bring to the table, we are led by highly qualified seasoned veterans who are dedicated and focused on achieving our goals.

So, the next time you turn on the faucet, you might remember that “you are in good hands” (to borrow a phrase!). All of us at LMUD understand that we work for you, and it is our goal to keep you pleased with and proud of Lakeway MUD, your water service provider. Please feel free to contact us via our website, email, or phone call should you have any questions or suggestions. And, thanks to all for the tremendous cooperation you have afforded us through these trying drought conditions.