Along Hamilton Pool Road and Highway 71, the Water Provider Is Part of the Property

Duffy Lane, Glenfiddich Lane, Tavish Trail and Wester Ross Lane are inside Lakeway MUD 11. Lakeway MUD lists them separately from the rest of that district because their water comes from the West Travis County Public Utility Agency's treatment plant, so they follow WTCPUA's watering rules. As of Lakeway MUD's page updated in September 2026, the other MUD 11 addresses that draw from Lakeway MUD's own plant water two days a week. Same district, same mailing city, and a different irrigation schedule depending on which plant feeds the street.

In western Travis County right now, the utility and plant behind an address work like a property feature. They set how a yard can be watered, how steady the pressure is, and whether a new build can irrigate at all. Through 2028, that feature can change from one street to the next.

A buyer's question that didn't get answered

In August 2026, KXAN reported that homeowners in Provence, a master-planned community along Hamilton Pool Road, had boil-water notices on July 31 and on August 1, 13 and 26. Some of those notices also reached Belvedere and Rocky Creek. One homeowner who moved in that summer told KXAN she was never told about recurring water problems before she bought, even though she asked about the nearby water tower.

Why your pressure depends on your neighbors' sprinklers

WTCPUA serves Bee Cave and parts of western Travis and northern Hays counties. According to the Austin American-Statesman's Lake Travis View, the agency's vice president, Jack Creveling, told Bee Cave City Council in September that the whole US 290 system, the Hamilton Pool Road system and the area west on Highway 71 run on tanks, and that staff has to manage tank supply very carefully. He said that when commercial and residential customers ignore irrigation rules in the evening, "those tanks can run dry."

The agency's August 2026 FAQ gives the numbers. In the period it analyzed, about 84% of water use came in irrigation-sized bursts, and about 88% of that came outside the permitted Stage 3 days and hours. Overnight from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, roughly 5.27 million gallons went out in irrigation-sized bursts when no irrigation was allowed at all.

Overnight is when the tanks refill. Elevated tanks also hold the system's pressure, and when they run low, TCEQ rules can require a precautionary boil-water notice. WTCPUA has five elevated and 12 ground storage tanks across the SH 71 and US 290 systems, holding about 4.1 million and 5.5 million gallons. On the same tank system, one property's reliability depends partly on how much the surrounding streets water overnight. A buyer can't inspect that, but it comes with the house.

What the rules allow under Stage 2

WTCPUA moved from Stage 3 to Stage 2 on October 15, 2026. Under Stage 2:

• Lawns and beds get one watering day a week, assigned by address: 1 or 3 on Monday, 2 or 4 on Tuesday, 5 or 7 on Wednesday, 6 or 8 on Thursday, 9 or 0 on Friday. Commercial properties and HOAs water on Saturday, and nobody waters on Sunday.
• On that day, watering is allowed from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 7 to 10 p.m.
• Hand watering is allowed at any time.
• Enforcement starts with a warning, then fines of $500 and $1,000, then possible disconnection with a $500 reconnection fee.

The fines can actually be enforced. Creveling told the council that the agency spent about $5 million replacing retail meters across the system, and the new meters let it spot customers watering on the wrong day. At that same September meeting, one WTCPUA customer said he could water four hours a week while City of Austin customers a block away could water 30. For anyone who wants a large lawn, the provider line decides that, not the price.

The bill follows the same line

After LCRA sold its retail water business, Bee Cave, Hays County and Lake Pointe formed WTCPUA, which paid $154 million for the system in 2012. By law the agency can't levy property tax, so the Statesman reported its rates run higher for residents. Its rates page shows how the structure charges heavy outdoor use:

The three highest water tiers also carry surcharges of $2, $3 and $5. On an acre with irrigated turf, most of the summer bill is outdoor use priced at those upper tiers. Ask a seller for twelve months of statements. They show more than any estimate.

New construction may get a meter before it can water

This affects estate-lot buyers and anyone buying a home that hasn't been built yet.

WTCPUA's August FAQ says that in March 2026 the agency put a moratorium on new applications for service and won't accept them again until it can confirm more capacity. A separate notice effective March 26, 2026 says commercial service-extension applications go on a time-stamped waiting list with no fees and no review, and that applying doesn't guarantee service. The board will lift that hold once contracts for more water supply are in place.

Construction keeps going because the FAQ says projects that got service commitments earlier can take years to move through planning and building. Some of those commitments come with conditions. Under a board policy adopted July 11, 2025, which is still posted as in effect until the board changes it, meters can be set before the treatment plant expansion is finished, but irrigation isn't permitted until it is. A July 2026 board packet on a Hamilton Pool Road service extension says Mirasol agreed not to use delivered water for irrigation anywhere in the development.

So on a new home or a lot, the water question has two parts. Is there a commitment, and what conditions came with it? A sod-and-sprinkler plan drawn for a lot whose meter can't irrigate yet won't work on the timeline the buyer expects.

The calendar of fixes

WTCPUA's FAQ lays out the capital projects meant to relieve the system. These are the agency's posted expected completion dates:

Creveling told Bee Cave council that more supply is expected in summer 2027 and called the plant expansion "maybe the beginning of the end" of the reliability problems. He also said that when Rough Hollow moves from WTCPUA to Lakeway MUD in 2027, about 1.5 million gallons a day goes back into the agency's system. Treat all of these dates as plans. Anyone buying today will likely go through the summer of 2027 under the current system, so price in another tight season.

A slower market leaves time to ask

The sales pace gives buyers room for this homework. In September 2026, Travis County home sales fell 9.6% from a year earlier to 1,031, while the median price rose 2.6% to $497,400, according to Unlock MLS figures reported by KLBJ. Inventory was 5.8 months, and homes sold for 92.5% of original list price. With supply at that level, a buyer can take a few days during the option period to get answers in writing without losing the house.

Here are the questions we'd put to a seller or builder in WTCPUA territory:

1. Which utility serves the address, and which treatment plant does the water come from?
2. How many boil-water notices or outages affected the street in 2025 and 2026?
3. Can we see twelve months of water bills, including summer?
4. On new construction, what service commitment exists for the lot, and does it limit irrigation until the Uplands expansion is finished?
5. Do HOA landscaping rules still require turf that the current watering schedule makes hard to keep alive?

The rules, fees and timelines here come from the utilities' own postings as of fall 2026 and can change. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm your own property's terms with the utility and the right professional before you rely on them.

A few direct questions

Does every Lakeway address follow Lakeway MUD's schedule? No. Lakeway MUD's September 2026 update says customers in MUDs 12 and 13, plus listed MUD 11 streets that get water from WTCPUA's plant, follow WTCPUA's rules.

Is Stage 2 the long-term setting? WTCPUA moved to Stage 2 on October 15, 2026, and said conservation still matters. Stages change with demand and the season.

Can I keep new plantings alive between watering days? WTCPUA allows hand watering at any time under its posted guidelines.

Utility diligence on acreage and estate lots is part of how TXR Texas Real Estate handles every west Travis deal: who serves the address, what commitment comes with the lot, and what the bills show. If you're weighing a home or lot along Hamilton Pool Road, Highway 71 or US 290, we'll help you get those answers before your option period runs out. Work With Us.