Polished Pool Finishes in Lakeway, Texas

Lake Travis fill water and a polished finish

Which water reaches the pool

The City of Lakeway provides no water service itself. Lakeway MUD names five other districts serving parts of the city: Travis County WCID 17, Travis County MUDs 11, 12 and 13, and Hurst Creek MUD. On the Texas Water Development Board's service-area map, WCID 17 covers about 39.7% of Lakeway's Census area and Lakeway MUD about 32.3%, and since August 17, 2026 Lakeway MUD has served about 4,800 customers in Rough Hollow and The Highlands of Lakeway.

What the 2025 reports measure

Lakeway MUD's 2025 report, for water drawn from Lake Travis, lists hardness of 184 ppm, calcium of 39.9 ppm, total alkalinity of 146 ppm and pH 7.8. WCID 17 lists hardness of 185 ppm for 2025 and calls its water moderately hard to hard, and Travis County MUD 12's water, bought from the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, came in at 184 ppm.

What that means on fill day

The National Plasterers Council's start-up card brings total alkalinity to 80–100 ppm and pH to 7.2–7.6 on the first day, so Lakeway MUD's 146 ppm and pH 7.8 both start above that range and come down with muriatic acid pre-diluted in a bucket of water. The Council warns that high fill-water levels can scale a finish, and that a positive saturation index leads to mineral scaling, metal staining or discoloration. SGM describes an acid start-up that is sometimes used where fill water is high in alkalinity or hardness, but says that used alone it gives the least desirable result, a streaked look.

Lakeway's rules for pool work

Permits and minor repairs

Lakeway lets an owner make minor improvements and repairs without a permit only when no structural, electrical, mechanical or plumbing system is altered, and it lists additions such as swimming pools and patios among the work that needs one. The code doesn't name resurfacing, so a refinish that stays on the surface is a question for Lakeway Building and Development Services, while one that alters plumbing or structure falls outside the permit-free minor repairs. The City has adopted the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, sets the residential pool and spa permit fee at $1,050, and requires every contractor and subcontractor to register each year, at $25 each.

Upkeep, aprons and barriers

City code says pools and hot tubs are to be well maintained and not allowed to deteriorate into a run-down condition. Pool aprons more than 30 inches but less than 6 feet above grade need safety railings or plants dense enough to do the same job, and above 6 feet they need guardrail-standard railings at least 36 inches high, with pickets less than 4 inches apart. Pool barriers follow the adopted pool code, guardrails don't count as a pool enclosure, and above-ground, one-piece and temporary pools are banned, with permanently installed swim spas and hot tubs excepted.

Acid-wash water and the storm drain

The makers' polishing sequences start with an acid wash, and Lakeway's illicit-discharge rule, which covers both the city limits and the ETJ, lets only stormwater into the storm sewer system. Dechlorinated pool water is a defense only when total residual chlorine is under 1 ppm, the pH is between 6.0 and 10.5, and it carries no harmful amount of chlorine, muriatic acid or other pool chemical.

Architectural boards

A Lakeway permit application includes proof that the project went to the subdivision's Architectural Control Board, where one applies; the City's history notes that the original Lakeway board no longer exists.