The Texas Water Development Board approved $3 billion for 17 water projects, including a major reservoir expansion. Corpus Christi also received funding for a seawater desalination plant to address water scarcity concerns in South Texas. Other cities and regional water authorities across the state will benefit from the financial assistance programs to improve water supply and wastewater treatment systems.
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The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) put its stamp of approval in late July on financial assistance totaling just above $3 billion for 17 water and wastewater projects through the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing water and flood plans. The department administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood mitigation and agricultural water conservation projects across the Lone Star State.
The program includes two funds: SWIFT and the State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas (SWIRFT), the latter of which issues revenue bonds through SWIFT.
The largest portion of the latest round of assistance, totaling $747.5 million, is going toward the Brazosport Water Supply Corp. in Brazoria County for a reservoir expansion project, the board noted in a news release.
By using the SWIFT program, Brazosport Water Supply could save approximately $90 million over the life of the loan, according to TWBD, and allow the corporation to complete planning, acquisition, design and construction work for the Harris Expansion Project, which will almost triple the storage capacity of the adjacent Harris Reservoir through an off-channel reservoir and associated infrastructure.
Dow Chemical proposed the project, according to the Galveston District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and plans to build the approximately 51,000-acre-ft., off-channel reservoir on a 2,500-acre site. Work will include a new intake and pump station along the Brazos River next to and west of the new reservoir site, as well as an outfall.
The USACE said that the proposed reservoir will improve the reliability of water supply during droughts for Dow's operations and for the industrial and community users that rely on Dow's water supply. The new facility will be used primarily as additional storage to the Harris and Brazoria reservoirs but will operate as the primary reservoir during drought conditions.
Other water supply projects approved by TWDB went to the:
- Upper Trinity Regional Water District (covering Fannin, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Grayson, Hunt and Wise counties), $320.8 million. Additionally, a similar district facility in Denton and Collin counties is due to get $162 million.
- Coastal Water Authority in Harris County, which includes Houston, $320 million
- Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1, headquartered in Dallas, will receive $200 million to build a facility designed to also serve nearby Parker County.
- City of Denton in Denton County, $195.8 million
- City of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, $125 million
- City of Greenville in Hunt County, $90.5 million
- Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (Guadalupe, Comal, Hays and Caldwell counties), $87.7 million
- Bistone Municipal Water Supply District in Limestone County, $16 million
Four new wastewater improvement system upgrades in Texas also will receive funds from TWDB. They are:
- The Alliance Regional Water Authority (Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal and Bexar counties), $138 million
- The Canyon Regional Water Authority (Atascosa, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Wilson counties), $24.9 million
- The city of Austin (Travis County), $22.1 million
- The city of Marshall (Harrison County), $11.35 million
Other construction projects that were funded this summer by TWDB included a pair of seawater desalination plants. Just above $535 million will help build a facility in Corpus Christi (Nueces County), while $10 million will help pay for a desalination plant for the Laguna Madre Water District in Cameron County.
Finally, the capital city of Austin is due to receive $25 million to assist in its effort to upgrade its water system.
The state of Texas is helping with funds for a desalination plant to be built in Corpus Christi, a state lawmaker said recently.
In late July, the Texas Water Development Board (TWBD) approved $535 million in multi-year financing for Corpus Christi's Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant, according to Democratic Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, who represents the cities of McAllen and Corpus Christi.
With many communities in South Texas concerned about future drinking water and agricultural water supplies, Corpus Christi asked for help in funding the treatment plant project.
"I commend the city of Corpus Christi for their proactive approach to ensure our families and businesses have a sustainable water supply for multiple generations," Hinojosa said in a statement. "Converting our sea and brackish water into reusable water is just one key component to providing a reliable, sustainable water base for future economic development and jobs in the region."
He added that Corpus Christi receives the money from SWIFT through the TWBD. The fund has supplied billions of dollars to Lone Star State communities for water management over the past several decades.
This also is the second low-interest loan the city has received from SWIFT for the desalination plant.
Four years ago, Corpus Christi was awarded $222 million to build what was planned to be a 20-million-gal.-per-day desalination facility. Today, though, the plant is expected to cost $758 million, and the current plans call for it to process 30 million gal. per day.
The treatment facility in Corpus Christi will produce potable water and is expected to be fully integrated into the city's regional water system by 2028.
The city's new Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant will be at the intersection of Nueces Bay Boulevard and West Broadway Street.
"Seawater desalination is a proven solution that will relieve water scarcity for Corpus Christi Water customers across seven counties of the [Texas Gulf] Coastal Bend," the municipality noted on its project website. "World-renowned experts continue working with Corpus Christi Water to ensure seawater intake and return flow are handled in an environmentally responsible manner."
Water Scarcity Big Concern in South Texas
BorderReport.com reported in July that Corpus Christi has pursued funding for a desalination water treatment plant for more than a decade.
Hinojosa said that the city has also worked to secure an additional reliable water source to withstand future droughts and growing water needs from a burgeoning population in South Texas.
Corpus Christi supplies water to roughly 500,000 people and relies on surface water from four sources and one treatment facility that handles about 25 billion gal. of water each year, according to BorderReport.com.
Besides the Corpus Christi-McAllen area, several other South Texas communities are worried about their future water sources.
For instance, Laredo municipal officials project that that city could run out of water by 2044. In addition, Texas's only sugar mill shut down in February in Santa Rosa because there was not enough water for the thirsty plants.
And Hidalgo County, on the U.S.-Mexico border, has declared a disaster due to drought, a scarcity of rain and a lack of water payments from its neighbors to the south.
According to the latest data by the International Boundary and Water Commission, Mexico owes the United States 1.75 million acre-ft. of water over a five-year cycle that ends in October 2025.
However, Mexico has barely paid one year's worth of water, and experts worry the country won't be able to pay its debt when the cycle ends.
"The future prosperity of communities throughout the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley continues to be threatened by water shortages," Hinojosa said. "As Texans, we tend to be reactive to address issues as they come up. But when it comes to water security, we must be proactive by implementing solutions that result in new or additional sources of water."
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