Spicewood Beach 'rain catcher' skirting area water woes
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Members of the Spicewood Beach community in Burnet County are relying on the Lower Colorado River Authority to haul in water from an outside source after the area’s wells dried up last month.
However, Lakeside Beach resident Bill Baty waits for no one.
Baty is able to water his garden, take long baths and has plenty to drink thanks to own backyard. He catches rain from his roof, which then runs in pipes to tanks behind his home.
Baty has been rain harvester for 10 years. When his tanks are full, he has almost 10,000 gallons worth of H2O. He said an inch of rain can produce about 1,000 gallons of precious water.
"We process our own drinking water, that's the only water we use in the house,” he said. “It's a lot better than the chemical-enhanced that is pumping through houses.”
While Mr. Baty drinks aplenty, his neighbors in the eastern part of the county continue to rely on the LCRA to haul in water, and even with fresh water coming in, the area remains under Stage 4 restrictions. Officials with the river authority say they are working to find a solution to Spicewood Beach’s non-existent water supply, but that the answer could be costly.