West Travis County Public Utility Agency

Overview

A Fresh Approach to Online Communication

West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) provides water and wastewater service across western Travis and northern Hays Counties, supporting more than 9,700 retail water connections and over 11,000 wholesale connections. With a growing service area and a complex utility system to manage, WTCPUA partnered with Powerful to redesign their website. Their goals were to reduce phone calls and emails by promoting self-service, improve transparency, and offer an intuitive experience that makes it easy for visitors to find the information they need.

Setting the Tone With Intuitive Design

WTCPUA set out to create a site that was easier for visitors to navigate—especially when completing high-priority tasks like paying a bill or starting service. To support this goal, Powerful introduced a brand-new blueprint; Sunnybrook, and WTCPUA was the first organization to implement it.

As the first site built on Sunnybrook, WTCPUA helped define how this new layout could serve public utility agencies. The blueprint introduces a fresh approach to design, incorporating dual-colored icons, curved accent lines, and a layout that feels both modern and approachable. These visual elements, combined with WTCPUA’s bold blue and yellow color palette, give the site a clean, professional appearance while maintaining a friendly tone.

The homepage is structured to guide visitors quickly toward top tasks, with large call-to-action buttons like “Pay Bill,” “Start Service,” and “Customer Service” placed front and center. This approach simplifies navigation and minimizes the need for visitors to search through menus, which in turn helps reduce the number of phone calls and emails to the office. The result is a more efficient, intuitive experience that aligns with WTCPUA’s goals and keeps everyday interactions as seamless as possible.

Increasing Transparency Through Strategic Design

WTCPUA also wanted their new website to serve as a reliable channel for public communication– one that made it easy to highlight initiatives, share resources, and keep their community informed. With Sunnybrook’s promotion-based layout, they now have a dedicated space to spotlight key topics in a way that’s timely, flexible, and visually engaging.

At launch, WTCPUA used these promotional sections to highlight water guidelines and AMI Meters FAQs—two topics that directly impact customers. Each section is designed to stand out, using bold imagery, concise text, and clear calls to action that link to internal pages with more detailed information. This structure helps visitors quickly understand what’s important and where to go next, without feeling overwhelmed.

Since the Sunnybrook layout was built to accommodate changing priorities, WTCPUA can update these sections seasonally or whenever a new topic takes precedence. Whether it’s conservation updates, infrastructure improvements, or service announcements, the layout gives staff an easy way to keep the public informed. This flexibility strengthens WTCPUA’s ability to communicate transparently, while ensuring visitors can always find up-to-date, relevant information right from the homepage.