This week, LCRA is mailing information to lakeside residents reminding them that a contract is required to take water directly from the Highland Lakes.

About 5,000 residents who own property within 500 feet of the Highland Lakes will receive a letter and application for a domestic use water contract. Residents who already have a contract or do not take water from the lakes can disregard the letter. The Highland Lakes include lakes Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis and Austin.

LCRA, like many other river authorities and water districts in Texas, has a program that enables lakeside residents to take water directly from lakes for their domestic use. Domestic water use includes single household uses such as watering lawns and gardens and household consumption.

"It is a common misconception that lakeside residents have a right to take and use water from the lake. This is not true. Residents are required to have contracts with LCRA to take water that LCRA has stored in the Highland Lakes," said Mark Jordan, manager of River Management. "These contracts help us manage and account for water use to meet existing and future water demands."

LCRA estimates that as many as 5,500 pipes take water directly from the lakes. The agency is stepping up its public awareness and education program to make lakeside residents aware that they are required to have a contract with LCRA before they draw water from the lake. Following a public education effort last summer, almost 300 residents secured new contracts. LCRA also has streamlined its application process and has added an option for residents to apply for a contract online.

Information about how to get a contract is available on LCRA’s Web site at www.lcra.org/water/supply/contracts/domestic.html.