Leander lifts its drastic water restrictions after Lake Travis pipeline repaired

The city of Leander on Tuesday lifted its severe water restrictions that had forced residents and businesses to cut their use by two-thirds since Feb. 12, officials said. A 1,400-foot underwater pipeline in Lake Travis has been replaced by Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority contractors, they said.

"This section of the pipeline has failed multiple times in the past, and Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority, along with its partner cities, decided to replace it instead of repairing it," said Ty Meighan, a city spokesman.

The Brushy Creek Regional Utility water treatment plant was shut down during the repair, which reduced the city's water treatment capacity from about 24 million gallons per day to 9 million gallons a day, officials said. The city had to rely solely on its smaller Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant during the shutdown. The Sandy Creek plant also gets its water from Lake Travis.

While the pipeline was being repaired, Leander water customers used less than 9 million gallons of water every day, according to the city's website. "The pipeline work, which began Feb. 28, is complete and Leander is again receiving water from the BCRUA treatment plant," the website said.  

The city has returned to phase 2 water conservation, which allows one-day-a-week outdoor irrigation because of the drought. 

More:Leander customers asked to reduce water use until April because of pipeline repairs

The city is working to increase its water supply. Leander, Round Rock and Cedar Park are all part of a Brushy Creek Utility Authority project to bring them more water from Lake Travis. The project, already under construction, includes a deep-water intake in Lake Travis, a tunnel and a pump station to be completed by 2027, officials have said.