Smart Meters Lead to Smarter Conservation
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Smart Meters Lead to Smarter Conservation

As published in Lake Travis View, April 2025. One of the most effective ways to ensure sustainable water use is through advancements in water metering technology. Over the past few decades, water metering has evolved significantly, enabling utilities, businesses and residents to make smarter, data-driven decisions in their water use through transparency with unprecedented accuracy….

Transforming water management for a sustainable future
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Transforming water management for a sustainable future

As published in Lake Travis View, February 2025 Technology evolves, but water, in its purest form, is a constant need. As the supply and demand for clean water ebbs and flows, methods continue to evolve for treating water to drinking standards and distributing it to local homes and businesses. Policy must follow suit to help…

Home plumbing maintenance aids in water system resilience
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Home plumbing maintenance aids in water system resilience

As published in Lake Travis View, January 2024. Water utilities invest a lot of time and resources toward the maintenance of their community’s water supply and sanitation systems to help ensure its resilience, sustainability and safety. However, it is often overlooked that residents are indispensable partners in this ongoing effort to maintain a reliable water…

Rainy weather here, but drought far from over
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Rainy weather here, but drought far from over

As published in Lake Travis View, November 2023. We are each faced with making personal choices every day, but those who are tasked with making decisions that affect others in life-altering ways bear the heavy burden of responsibility. For Central Texas water industry leaders during this past summer, we faced unprecedented challenges set by record-breaking…

Local water districts urge conservation as drought continues
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Local water districts urge conservation as drought continues

Community Impact: September 2023, By April Kelley, Katy McAfee When the Lower Colorado River Authority entered Stage 2 of its drought contingency plan on Aug. 12, local utility districts followed suit by enforcing their own water restrictions. Most of the Lake Travis area remains under Stage 2 restrictions, including the Travis County Water Control and…

The value of examining your water bill
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The value of examining your water bill

As published in Lake Travis View, October 2024. There are at least two sets of separate plumbing subsystems running through every modern home or place of business: pipes that supply clean, drinking water in and those that carry used water (known as “wastewater”) out. The water running through these subsystems must be treated for the…

The shifting value of water throughout generations
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The shifting value of water throughout generations

As published in Lake Travis View, May 2024 Water is a vital resource, for both essential and indulgent purposes, yet how Americans use and value it can vary significantly across generations. Recent studies and surveys reveal distinct patterns in water consumption among different age groups shaped by the historical context, values, and technology of their…

Proactive and Reactive Strategies of Water Planning
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Proactive and Reactive Strategies of Water Planning

As published in the Lake Travis View, May 2023 Water is a precious resource, especially in Texas with the state’s ever-growing population and fluctuating climate conditions. Even when the floods come, there is a drought right around the corner, requiring a constant need to manage and conserve water resources effectively. Water conservation plans and drought…

Set It, But Don’t Forget It: Sprinkler System Checkup
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Set It, But Don’t Forget It: Sprinkler System Checkup

As published in the Lake Travis View, April 2021. Yes, your grass is green, but watering too much at the wrong time in the wrong way is not only wasteful, but also harmful to your lawn…and budget. Green grass with less water is possible with regular checkups for your in-ground automatic irrigation system. Strapped for…

Drought provides opportunity for effecting behavior change
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Drought provides opportunity for effecting behavior change

As published in the Lake Travis View, September 2022 Behavior is shaped by perspective. It is not inherently right or wrong; it’s just an expression of beliefs and understanding acquired through knowledge and experiences. But even in our increasingly polarized society, people can change their behavior if faced with an alternate viewpoint that, over time,…

Drought Management is in Effect (and Has Been)
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Drought Management is in Effect (and Has Been)

As published in the Lake Travis View, May 2022. Many of you will remember living through the drought that started in 2011. Texas experienced the driest year on record as well as its second hottest, according to the National Weather Service, with only 14.8 inches of rain and Austin reporting over 90 days that climbed…