Lago Vista water emergency restrictions may last another week

In working this problem, officials in Lago Vista may have found a problem that may be a Red Flag for communities downstream.

LAGO VISTA, Texas - Water is still flowing in Lago Vista, but residents are being told tough water restrictions are still necessary.

"Right now, we are asking residents to be patient and cooperate with us, we are asking to not do outdoor irrigation, refrain from doing hand watering and filing your pools. In the meantime, the staff is working very vigorously to get things back up," said City Manager Tracie Hlavinka.

The main problem is at water treatment plant 1 with the pumps. Replacements are not expected to arrive until next week. Water plant number 3 has been ramped up to supply the community, and a backup intake barge on Lake Travis was also activated.

"Our utility team has been working around the clock, and the thing is, they are working outside the box. So, they are really looking at everything they possibly can to get this back to a normal state," said Hlavinka.

Water pressure to fire hydrants is currently not a problem. An overnight fire put the water system to the test. Firefighters with Travis Co ESD 1 connected to hydrants and had more than enough water to knock down the flames at a home on Coyote Trail.

One person rescued from fire in Lago Vista

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused a fire at a home on Coyote Trail in Lago Vista Tuesday morning. Video courtesy: Travis County ESD #1.

"The water pressure is good, the city has done a great job in communicating with us, they have contingency plans in place," said Fire Chief Donnie Norman.

ESD 1 also has a backup water plan.

"We have, in our organization, 3 fire trucks that carry over 3,000 gallons of water. So, we have the ability to bring in nearly 20,000 of water with all of our resources, to ESD1 resources here," said Chief Norman.

The city swimming pool may be the biggest loss. It will remain closed during the water restrictions.

Because of the lower water levels at Lake Travis, the city council, next week, is expected to consider a new set of restrictions.

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A North Austin resident is voicing his concerns about a nearby middle school's watering schedule amid the city's stage one drought response restrictions.

In working this problem, officials in Lago Vista may have found a problem that may be a Red Flag for communities downstream. Initially, it was thought a zebra mussel infestation was also clogging the Lago Vista intake pipes. But, an inspection found something else, organic sponge like material.

"Right now, until we get it tested, we don’t know how Red Flag it is. We do know it is a type of debris that thought we wouldn't see, we all thought it would be Zebra Mussels, unfortunately, it is not turning out to be the normal culprit, and so we are investigating that to full extent to see how we can mitigate this."

The city has made the LCRA aware of the organic material and will provide an update when the lab results come in. FOX 7 is told the substance has not affected the quality of the water that’s provided to homes and businesses.