The North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies Princeton and 12 other member cities, is preparing to look past its own lakes for future water, including supplies that start in a neighboring state.
The district's board votes Thursday, Oct. 22, on Resolution No. 26-46, a statement of intent that would authorize the district's executive director to identify, support and pursue additional surface water sources. The board's Water Committee is scheduled to review it today.
The four tests
Under the draft resolution, a new source would have to meet four conditions before staff chase it:
- The water is surface water that may be underused and available for development.
- Developing it would cost an amount the district considers reasonable and affordable for ratepayers.
- It may come from inside Texas or originate in a neighboring state.
- It would yield enough reliable water to justify the raw-water pipes and other infrastructure it requires, alone or with other supplies, and would last 50 years or longer.
The resolution commits the district to no deal. Any final agreement for a new supply would come back to the board for approval, and the staff memo lists no funding request. District staff and its outside counsel, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, recommend adoption.
Why the district says it is looking
The staff memo says growth among member cities and customers is pushing regional demand up across the whole planning horizon, even though conservation has trimmed how much water will be needed. The district's long-range supply plan and the 2026 Region C Water Plan already list several strategies, and the memo says a mix of them will be needed.
