Water Planning 

 Please visit our dedicated Water Conservation Page for information on ways to save water!

Planning for Future Water Needs

 Current Water Supply

The City holds historic public water supply rights to pump 275,000,000 gallons annually from the Edwards Aquifer. However, the amount permitted to pump per month, absent any drought curtailments, varies from 17,325,000 in December and January up to 33,275,000 in August. The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District manages pumping from the Edwards Aquifer, and through its policies can curtail the City's pumping rights by as much as forty percent during times of drought.

To stabilize and increase the water supply, the City entered into a contract with GBRA in 2002 to secure up to 1,000,000 gallons per day, sourced from Canyon Reservoir (Canyon Lake) in Comal County. In 2011, the City secured an additional 500,000 gallons per day through GBRA from the same source, bringing the total to 1,500,000 gallons per day. Assuming the maximum daily amount was pumped from GBRA's supply line, the City has access to 547,500,000 gallons annually through GBRA's Canyon Reservoir facility.

Water Supply in the Future

Buda's growth means the City is constantly preparing its infrastructure for future demand. Water is no different. Since 2007, the City of Buda partnered with Alliance Water to plan for and provide long-term water solutions.

Who Is Alliance Water? 

Alliance Water, formerly known as the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency/HCPUA, is a Regional Water Authority formed in January 2007. Its purpose is to resolve its sponsor participants' long-term water needs, including the City of Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, and the Canyon Region Water Authority. Alliance Water is on a mission to provide long-term, sustainable water solutions and strives to be stewards of the environment, provide transparent and responsible operations, and deliver clean, reliable water.

Alliance Water is a political subdivision of the State of Texas created through the passage of Senate Bill 1198 in the 85th Texas Legislature. A water authority can develop water supplies, transport water, and/or develop wastewater treatment facilities. This collaboration allows entities to work in tandem to improve the economies of scale on water (or wastewater) projects that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.

In its mission to provide Buda and the other partner cities with safe and reliable water, Alliance Water continues to make progress in developing a new water supply for Buda.

Nearly all the projects for the Carrizo Water System have started construction. Construction is underway for the Water Treatment Plant, Maxwell Booster Pump Station, the South Inline Elevated Storage Tank, and Pipeline Segments A, B, D, and E.  The final design for the Segment C pipeline and North Elevated Storage Tank is expected to be completed Summer of 2023 with construction starting in 2024.

Buda, Alliance Water, and More 

Due to the cost of the Alliance Water improvements to produce & transport water, Alliance Water partners have developed a water-sharing plan for existing water supplies to defer construction of the project until water is needed by the aggregate of the partners. The City of Buda has entered into an interim agreement with the City of Kyle and the City of San Marcos through Alliance Water to provide the City with up to 1,000,000 gallons per day of water through the existing GBRA pipeline. It is anticipated that Buda's share of the Carrizo-Wilcox water will be available this year, at which time the interim water will be allocated back to Kyle and San Marcos.
 
 Even with the Alliance Regional Water Authority, Buda continues to be proactive in seeking additional sources of water in order to secure its future and preserve the quality of life that continues to attract citizens to this wonderful city. The City is currently in the beginning stages of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery pilot well which will allow the City to store excess Edwards Aquifer water in the Trinity Aquifer for use during peak summer demands and potentially as a long-term drought water supply storage option. 

Visit the Alliance Water website at www.alliancewater.org to learn more about their efforts to bring safe and reliable water to Central Texas.