Buda Mulling Numerous Options For Additional Water Supply

Buda City Council members recently began reviewing a $400 million Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) plan to deliver surface water and groundwater from Gonzales County to the city.

City officials are seeking an interim water supply until a project of the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency (HCPUA) to deliver water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer to communities along the Interstate 35 corridor becomes available in 2023, said Todd Ruge, the mayor of Buda. Earlier this year, city officials also approved a contract to deliver 1 million gallons of water a day from the Middle Trinity Aquifer.

The new option from the GBRA is among eight or nine alternatives being considered by the city, Ruge said. The general manager of the GBRA said he supports merging the water supply contracts with the HCPUA and Texas Water Alliance to produce cost savings for Buda and all other customers, including residents of Kyle and other communities. A committee reviewing and ranking water and wastewater projects will now add the GBRA option to those being studied, he added.