Area leaders and community members heard plans Wednesday for the future of water in the Texarkana region during a meeting of Riverbend Water Resources District.
Susan Roth of Roth Consulting presented Riverbend's Regional Water Master Plan, which includes a new raw water line to TexAmericas Center, a new water treatment plant off Bowie Parkway at TexAmericas, extending the current pipeline to Clarksville and a new water treatment plant in Domino, Texas.
The plan is the result of Roth studying current infrastructure and projected municipal and industrial demands for the past two years.
Riverbend President Marshall Wood said they can't implement the plans, that it goes back to their 16-member entities to do so.
"All this goes back to the city councils," he said. "They have to vote on this. This is simply a guide and they have to let us know to what extent they want to pursue this."
Riverbend represents the counties of Bowie, Cass and Red River, TexAmericas Center and the cities of Annona, Atlanta, Avery, DeKalb, Hooks, Leary, Maud, Nash, New Boston, Redwater, Texarkana, Texas and Wake Village.
Wood added that it is urgent for the entities to approve the plan soon because the Texas Water Development Board is giving funding and loans at a low rate that could save up to $50 million.
Riverbend Executive Director and CEO Liz Fazio-Hale said accomplishing all the tasks in the plan would take a lot of effort and coordination from the area communities.
"This is a daunting task," she said. "We're not going to get it right the first time. We expect and welcome you to give us feedback. At the end of the day, this board cannot create or raise a regional rate. This is done for your benefit and the benefit of the communities."
Fazio-Hale went on to say Riverbend has spent $430,000 on the Regional Water Master Plan, $136,000 on a water and wastewater rate study, $40,000 on second cost estimates numbers for the water plan, $235,000 on a water availability model on Wright Patman Lake and $100,000 on a volumetric study in the lake they are doing in conjunction with the Sulphur River Basin Authority.
"That's a million dollars. Who else has done this for our community in the last two years, the last 20 years?" Fazio-Hale said. "They are studies. They can be put on a shelf or we can take action on them. At the end of the day, it's the communities that have to look forward and we look to you to make those decisions."
The plan includes several phases to facilitate construction of the infrastructure needed for future growth.
The new raw water intake and conveyance system for delivery of raw water to TexAmericas would be built first with predesign beginning in 2019. The goal is for it to be operational by 2022, but no later than 2026 due to current contractual obligations Riverbend has with TexAmericas to provide no less than 30 million gallons per day by that time. They must also eventually provide an additional 60 million gallons per day to TexAmericas.
The plan also includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers implementing the ultimate rule curve on Wright Patman Lake. It would raise the lake level to 228.64 feet, the level specified in the contractual obligation between the corps and the city of Texarkana, Texas. The lake is currently operated under an interim rule curve of 220 feet. Riverbend also plans to secure any additional water rights available once the lake is raised.
Design of the new water treatment plant would begin in 2022, with construction beginning the following year and design beginning on a new water treatment plant in Cass County.
By 2025, construction would be complete on the TexAmericas water treatment plant and it would begin to serve member entities outside Texarkana, Texas. Decommissioning would begin for the New Boston Road plant and approximately 50 percent of the city of Texarkana, Texas' water demands would be served by the new plant. Construction on the Cass County plant would also begin that year.
Decommission of the New Boston Road plant would be complete in 2027 and the city of Texarkana, Ark., would be served solely by the Millwood water treatment plant. By that time, the Cass County plant would be complete and functional.
Riverbend's Board of Directors approved posting the Regional Water Master Plan on its website, along with a second cost-estimates study, which looks more closely at the costs related with the projects.
These can be found at rwrd.org.
Riverbend will hold a work session at 10 a.m., Aug. 22 at Riverbend offices, 228A Texas Ave., New Boston, Texas. The next regular meeting will be held at 12 p.m., Aug. 29.