Round Rock Tap Water Safe Post-Flood, Except At Some Schools

ROUND ROCK, TEXAS — The city's water supply is safe despite a far-reaching "boil water" notice in nearby Austin but some Round Rock ISD schools located within the capital city's boundaries have been forced to implement safeguards, officials said Monday.

Austin water officials early Monday implemented a far-reaching water-boil notice after historic flooding compromised the water supply there. The flooding caused the quality of the water supply to become cloudy amid higher volumes of debris, mud and silt, prompting a need to stabilize water treatment plants. In the meantime, residents were asked to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking with it as it might contain bacteria.

But in Round Rock, water is drawn from a different source that was not as impacted by last week's historic flooding, city officials said. The majority of City of Round Rock’s water is provided through surface water from Lake Georgetown, which is operated by the Brazos River Authority (BRA), officials explained. The BRA also supplements the water in Lake Georgetown via a 28-mile pipeline from Lake Stillhouse Hollow near Belton, officials added.

Wells drilled into the Edwards Aquifer provide a small portion of the city’s water, city officials noted, typically less than 5 million gallons per day. Although the city has contracted to purchase Lake Travis water from the Lower Colorado River Authority in the future, this water is not currently being used by the city, according to a municipal advisory.

In short, none of Round Rock’s water is treated through the City of Austin water treatment system, officials said. In Austin, Austin Water Utility receive their drinking water from the Colorado River as it flows into Lake Austin.

Print a map of Austin Water’s Service Area

Nevertheless, several Round Rock ISD schools are City of Austin water customers and are therefore affected by the boil water notice, city officials said. According to Round Rock ISD officials, several affected schools have been provided with bottled water while food services workers take necessary precautions as it relates to food preparation, according to city officials.

Affected Round Rock ISD schools are: Anderson Mill, Canyon Creek, Caraway, England, Joe Lee Johnson, Jollyville, Laurel Mountain, Live Oak, Forest North, Pond Springs, Purple Sage , Sommer, Spicewood, Canyon Vista, Deer Park, Grisham, Pearson Ranch, McNeil, Westwood and Wells Branch.

Meanwhile in Austin, utility officials weren't able to provide timeline as to when the boil-water notice would be lifted: “Historic flood waters flowing into our water supply lakes contain very high levels of silt that makes it challenging for the water plants to produce the volume of water needed to supply customers at this time," City of Austin officials said in a press release.

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