Domestic Water 

Ray, who has a weekend place on Lake Buchanan, waters his lawn by pumping water from the lake. Connie, who lives in a house on Lake Travis, has a system which pumps water from the lake, filters and treats it, providing not only lawn irrigation water, but household and drinking water as well. 

LCRA has recently begun contacting Highland Lakes waterfront property owners asking them to sign water sales contracts if they have any domestic water use. Many waterfront property owners around the Highland Lakes question whether they should have to pay LCRA for their domestic water taken from the lake. One group, which is resisting being charged for the water, states that riparian rights apply to their domestic water use, and the water is rightfully theirs. Some believe that since LCRA has not questioned their use of lake water for many years, they should not do so now. Others say that since they pay a premium in property taxes for their waterfront property, their use of lake water is paid for in their taxes.in property taxes for their waterfront property, their use of lake water is paid for in their taxes. 

Why now? Some observers believe that LCRA has been reluctant to press the issue of collecting a fee for domestic water use because the group of waterfront property owners is a particularly affluent and influential group. The administrative task of identifying, contacting and negotiating with thousands of small volume water customers is probably another factor that explains LCRA's tardiness in attempting to collect fees for domestic water use.