BLANCO, Texas — The City of Blanco is demanding that its water supplier store more water specifically for the City after seeing tank levels drop to dangerous lows earlier this month.
Blanco's city attorney sent a legal demand to the Texas Water Company, accusing it of keeping water from Blanco by prioritizing delivery to other customers.
"Intentionally or not, the company’s initial communications about the cause of the issue were clearly misleading," the City said in its announcement about the legal demand. "During the midst of this emergency, including the day-of, the [Texas Water] Company made verbal and written demands to Mayor Mike Arnold to pay for replacement of the pipeline that serves Blanco and other nearby users. Over time the Company has made similar demands to previous Blanco mayors, even though these claims against the City have been refuted by previous attorneys for the City. In resolution of those claims, the Company also proposed yet again that the city sell its water rights and ownership stake in the jointly owned pipeline and holding tank."
The City said it believes the company's actions are a violation of the law and a violation of a "long established memorandum of understanding" between the City and the company.
The City is now asking that the Texas Water Company keep at least 500,000 gallons, or 10 feet, of water in the Stallion Tank that supplies Blanco and "never again force Blanco to a higher level of restrictions than other communities on the same system."
Blanco is also asking for formal mediation between the City and the Texas Water Company to permanently resolve the issues, with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) involved.
According to the Texas Water Company, it gets its water from Canyon Lake in Comal County. That lake is currently just two feet away from its record low, set in 2009.