The water pipeline construction project led by the San Jacinto River Authority will soon be complete as the agency prepares to deliver water from Lake Conroe to parts of Montgomery County by the end of the summer.

The new pipelines that have been installed throughout the county are a part SJRA’s groundwater reduction plan. The $500 million plan was put in motion to meet the requirements for groundwater reduction mandated by the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District in 2012. South County water users will now be able to reduce their dependence on groundwater, which comes from underground aquifers, and develop a long-term source of water for the future, according to SJRA officials.

Mark Smith, GRP administrator with the SJRA, said although the LSGCD has mandated that groundwater pumpage must be reduced by 2016, and all pipeline construction must be finished, SJRA plans to have the entire project complete before September.

“Right now, we are already in the fine-tuning stages,” Smith said. “Each contractor is disinfecting the pipes in their sections to get [them] clean, and most of the pipeline is complete. So we are ahead of schedule.”

The SJRA’s efforts also include construction of a new water treatment facility located at the southeastern end of Lake Conroe, which will be complete by the end of the summer.

Smith said when the pipes and water plan are complete, water from Lake Conroe will be filtered and chlorinated. The water will then be pumped through high-service pumps that will push water through the pipeline and to water facilities located throughout the county.

Smith said pipeline construction was completed in The Woodlands earlier this year, along with Conroe and the Rayford Road area, with work soon to be complete in Oak Ridge North and the Imperial Oaks area.

Surface water qualities

Along with newly installed pipelines comes concern by the SJRA of new tastes, odors, chemicals and overall quality of the filtered water.

Smith said after reviewing the results of a similar GRP in Harris County, the SJRA discovered residents in the area experienced brown water coming through their pipes and an unpleasant  taste. By adding chemicals to water being filtered from Lake Conroe and sending it through what is called a Granulated Activated Carbon system, clean and pure water will be generated throughout the pipeline, Smith said.

“People can taste the difference,” he said. “We adjust the taste by sending water through the GAC and adjusting the treatment process. We will also go to a receiving facility and do a taste test. Once that’s all done, we’re able to generate good water and the contractors address any issues.”

Cathy Turner Jones, general manager of the LSGCD, said that with SJRA’s pipeline planning and the design of the water treatment process, SJRA officials have made significant efforts to ensure that quality surface water will be available to residents throughout Montgomery County.

“Based on the information that I have seen, I believe the SJRA is taking all the precautions that are necessary in order to ensure that the quality of the surface water is going to be the same—if not better—than the current water that is being supplied throughout the county,” Jones said.

When the water does make its way through parts of Montgomery County, Jones said the SJRA’s filtration process would also act as a positive move toward utilizing new sources of water for the county.

Jim Stinson, general manager for The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency, said when the WJPA provided input and worked alongside the SJRA, there care was put into the design plan of the water plant and pipe system so the taste of the water would be no different than before.

“We have consulted with the SJRA, and a lot of time has been taken to reduce the taste and odor of the surface water,” he said. “We were struggling before with [the taste of] groundwater, and this whole plan is a new water supply for the future. I think the water will be the same, and the biggest impact is that this helps preserve groundwater.”