Schlitterbahn to draw from Lake Travis

CEDAR PARK, Texas - On a winter walk, the grass looks a lot like what it did last summer in Cedar Park.

"Yeah, it was awful,” said resident Sarah Osborne. “It was really ugly.”

Osborne didn't like the Stage 2 water restrictions on her lawn. As officials announce the new Schlitterbahn Water Park , set to open in 2012, will buy water from the city, she hoped it wouldn’t lead to another round of restrictions in future dry spells.

Cedar Park gets its water from the LCRA's Lake Travis, which was alarmingly low during the drought. The water park, which will be near the intersection of FM 1431 and Parmer Lane, will need 23 million gallons a year. Looking at the layout, a riverwalk will be key in retaining and re-using that amount, as it filters and recycles every drop.

"So they're really not using that much water on a regular basis," said Melanie Carr, city spokesperson.

The water park would use about 20 percent of what a single-family residential development on the same property would use and half as much water as what a multi-family development would go through, according to the city. City officials said Cedar Park won't even have to adjust its contract with LCRA, because it already pays for enough water to meet the park's needs.

The park will pay the same amount as every other customer but make a lot more for the city in the long run: a $2.5 to $5 billion dollar impact over 30 years, 3,000 visitors a day, and 1,200 new jobs.

"It's really a great project for our city," said Carr.

The water park will also follow the same restrictions as residents when it comes to the drought. As much as Osborne wants green grass again, like many residents, she said she’s looking forward to the future economic incentive possibility even more.

"I just hope that it brings a lot more business to Cedar Park, and it brings more shopping and restaurants and more families to come up and live here, because I think it's a great place to live."

Those incentives only increase when you look at the property taxes a new study shows the park could bring in. Williamson County stands to earn $60 million, and the Leander Independent School District could make $177 million.