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…

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…

Finding Alternative Water Sources for Irrigation
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Finding Alternative Water Sources for Irrigation

As published in the Lake Travis View, September 2023 Change is all around us. It’s inevitable. Things we once took for granted, set to operate on autopilot, need to be routinely reassessed. This is how progress is made (for better or for worse). But you can’t make smarter choices without first being educated on the…

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…

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…

Many Choices for Drought-tolerant Lawns
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Many Choices for Drought-tolerant Lawns

As published in the Lake Travis View, March 2023. Let’s break the cycle: mow, weed, fertilize…and water, water, water. Exotic turf grasses, such as Bermuda, Zoysia, or St. Augustine require a lot of maintenance and unfortunately, makeup the majority of lawns across Texas. They are the biggest reason why experts say 50 to 70 percent…

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…

As Lawn Watering Slows Down, Wastewater Charges are Calculated
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As Lawn Watering Slows Down, Wastewater Charges are Calculated

As published in the Lake Travis View, November 2022. Your water utility charges you for the clean water they supply to your home through the use of a water meter, but it requires a bit more creativity to determine how much to charge for the treatment of water flowing out of your home since wastewater…

Kindness Goes a Long Way in Customer-Provider Relationships
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Kindness Goes a Long Way in Customer-Provider Relationships

As published in the Lake Travis View, January, 2022. Think about how many services you use on a daily basis. How often do you interact with the providers of those services? Do you look forward to those interactions? …Do you think the providers look forward to interacting with you? As a provider of water and…

When Natural Disasters Strike, Be Prepared
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When Natural Disasters Strike, Be Prepared

As published in the Lake Travis View, February 2021. For the first time in history, the entire state of Texas was recently placed under a record-setting Winter Storm Warning when a frigid arctic blast gripped much of the U.S. Across the state, thousands of residents suffered hardships due to loss of power, water pressure, and…