| Lower Colorado River Authority (Texas) | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | LCRA |
| Motto | "Water, Energy and Community Services" |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Type | Government-owned corporation |
| Purpose/focus | Water conservation and reclamation, power generation |
| Headquarters | 3700 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703 |
| Region served | All or part of 61 counties in Texas |
| General Manager | Thomas G. Mason |
| Main organ | Board of Directors |
| Website | http://www.lcra.org/ |
The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas. These services include electricity, water, flood management, water and wastewater utilities, public parks along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River, and community and economic development services to rural and suburban communities.
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The Fayette Power Project is a three-unit coal-fired power plant near Fayette County that provides 1,025 megawatts for LCRA. One of the units is owned by LCRA. The other two units (and the power they produce) are co-owned by Austin Energy. Lake Fayette is the cooling pond for the project. LCRA uses coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming as fuel.
The Sim Gideon Power Plant is a three-unit natural gas-fired plant in Bastrop County that provides 620 megawatts. The Lost Pines Power Project 1 (owned and operated by GenTex Power Corporation, a wholly owned affiliate of LCRA) is a natural gas-fired combined-cycle plant adjacent to the Sim Gideon plant and the two form the Lost Pines Power Park. This plant can generate up to 545 megawatts. Lake Bastrop is the cooling pond for the Lost Pines Power Park.
The Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant is a single-unit gas-fired plant in Marble Falls that provides 420 megawatts.
LCRA buys natural gas on the open market and stores it at the Hilbig Gas Storage Facility, an underground reservoir near Rockne. The facility can hold up to 4 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
The Lower Colorado River Authority operates six hydroelectric dams along the Colorado River in the Central Texas area that provide a source of renewable energy, and also formed six lakes which collectively are known as the Texas Highland Lakes:
LCRA purchases 116 megawatts of wind power from the Texas Wind Power Project (35 MW), the Delaware Mountain Wind Farm (30 MW) and the Indian Mesa Wind Farm (51 MW) under long-term contracts.
LCRA distributes electricity to wholesale electric customers - mostly municipal utilities and electric cooperatives - via a network of over 3,700 miles of transmission lines.
LCRA manages water quality, water safety and recreation on the Highland Lakes (except Lake Austin, which is managed by the City of Austin). LCRA also monitors and protects water quality throughout the river basin.
LCRA's community services programs provide matching grants for community development projects and local park projects, assist communities in planning for economic development, help attract tourism and businesses, and train community leaders.
LCRA operates more than 40 public parks, recreation areas and river access sites along the Highland Lakes and lower Colorado River. Several LCRA parks have natural science centers that offer outdoor educational and recreational programs for youths and adults.[1]
In 1934, the Texas legislature authorized the formation of the Lower Colorado River Authority to complete the Buchanan Dam, where construction had been idled in 1931 following the financial collapse and bankruptcy of the Samuel Insull-controlled public utility holding company.[2]