New Kyle pipeline will help ensure the city doesn't run out of water, officials say

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – A new pipeline is being built to help ensure Kyle has enough water to support the city’s consistent growth amid pervasive drought.

Alliance Water, a regional water authority, is nearing completion of its Carrizo-Wilcox Water Project, a 20-mile pipeline that will bring groundwater from the Carrizo-Wicox Aquifer, a large aquifer that spans 60 Texas counties, to Kyle. Once the pipeline is active – around February 2025 – it will be Kyle’s fifth water source. 

“Our current supply of water is around 5.7 million gallons a day,” said Mike Murphy, Kyle’s director of water utilities. “[The pipeline] is going to add an additional 1.7 million to that.”

Severe drought that has troubled the entire region has led to a shrinking water supply in Kyle. The city remains under Stage 3 drought restrictions, and in the spring, the city council approved a contract to buy water from neighboring San Marcos.

Staff said last month that the city will likely not come out of Stage 3 before fall 2024.

“Water is always going to be a concern, [but] I don't think we should be worried about it,” Murphy said. “We've got ample water to do our day-to-day business now. And with this 1.7 million coming on in February, it's going to add to that."

Murphy said by 2027 the pipeline’s input into Kyle will increase to 2 million gallons. 

“By 2027, we'll be in really good shape,” he said. “This is going to increase our water portfolio, which is what we're trying to do right now in Kyle.”