The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) will spend $123.5 million to improve water and wastewater systems statewide. In this round of funding, the new grants will supplement local funds to match on projects.
A selection of the highest-value project receiving financial support include:
The city of Granbury will use $57.8 million to advance efforts to prevent and treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Projects funded by the award will include building a water treatment plant (WTP) and making upgrades to the city’s existing WTP. The plants will leverage advanced treatment processes to reduce emerging contaminants.
Athens will receive $18.1 million to improve two of its wastewater treatment plants. Work will consist of installing a sludge pump station, replacing existing return activated sludge pumps along with associated control panels and alarms and buying mechanical sludge dewatering equipment. Plans for the plants include adding a peak flow storage basin, replacing an electrical and administration building, installing 1,800 feet of pipeline and adding flow meters.
The city of Cleveland will use $16 million to replace 142,000 feet of 6-inch water lines and install 32,000 feet of 12-inch lines to reduce water loss. The city also plans to create an asset management plan. In the city of Mount Vernon, $10.7 million will be spent to reduce water loss by replacing 50,000 feet of water lines, installing 2,000 feet of distribution lines and adding 11 fire hydrants.
The Greater Texoma Utility Authority will use $8 million to replace more than five miles of water lines on behalf of the Lake Kiowa Special Utility District. In addition, the G-M Water Supply Corporation – serving Sabine and San Augustine counties – will receive $5.2 million to replace 4,500 feet of water lines, install 2,000 feet of lines and expand its surface water treatment plant capacity.
The remaining entities receiving funding include:
- The city of Port Arthur will receive $4.8 million to identify water lines composed of lead or galvanized materials after completing an inventory of its water distribution system.
- The Sharyland Water Supply Corporation will spend $1.1 million to plan projects to drill three test wells as part of the preparation work needed to develop a brackish groundwater desalination facility.
- The Stryker Lake Water Supply Corporation will receive $1 million to replace around 19,000 feet of water lines, interconnections, service connections and relevant gate valves.
- Ropesville will spend $840,000 to install a reverse osmosis system. The project will rehabilitate an existing facility to house the equipment, build a 60,000-gallon finished water tank, a 5,000-gallon concentrate waste tank and develop infrastructure to discharge treatment effluent into the wastewater collection system.
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