The setup
During an Aug. 26 Fort Worth City Council meeting, a financial agreement with the Texas Department Water Development Board was approved for an expansion project at Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plant. The expansion will deliver an additional 35 million gallons per day to the city, which will then be available to 33 wholesale customer cities.
The agreement is part of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Program with a 14% interest rate, according to city documents.
This is the second financing agreement for this water treatment. The first was approved May 14, 2024, for $125 million and closed Nov. 21, 2024, according to city documents.
The Texas Water Development Board approved the second resolution during a July 24 meeting for the $180 million project.
Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plant currently delivers 105 million gallons of water per day, and expansion will raise capacity by 33.3%, according to city documents.
What’s happening?
The project is needed to meet an increase in population in the city, which surpassed 1 million residents earlier this year. Staff projected a population increase of 550,000 from 2025 to 2045, according to city documents.
The water utility includes a 450-square-mile service area around Fort Worth, according to city documents.
According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the $235 million project is started June 1 with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2029.
The state document stated the 61,178-square-foot expansion is for three new buildings and two open-air canopies over chemical storage.
The background
Eagle Mountain Water Treatment opened in 1992 and is one of five water treatment plants within the city borders, according to the city website.
According to its Facebook page, Fort Worth maintains 4,040 miles of water distribution pipelines and provides water to 1.4 million people in Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, Parker and Wise counties.
Local cities and entities that receive water from Fort Worth include:
- DFW Airport
- Keller
- Roanoke
- Southlake
- Trophy Club MUD No. 1
- Westlake
The city owns Lake Worth, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for Benbrook Lake. The other four lakes are owned and operated by Tarrant Regional Water District, according to a Fort Worth Water Quality report.
Also on the agenda
A cost-of-service study of the five water and three wastewater customer classes was done to establish annual operating revenue requirements for retail water and wastewater services, according to city documents.
The study showed a need to increase retail revenue by 2.01% for the water system and 2.14% for the wastewater system. The rate change will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.
According to city data, the typical residential customer used 7,545 gallons per month for water and 4,485 gallons for sewer.
There will be rate tiers for commercial, industrial and irrigation customers in addition to residential customers, the first change made since 2016, according to the water and sewer fund budget.
According to the city website, efficient and typical water users would not see a change in their monthly charges. Residential customers whose monthly water use exceeds 8,977 gallons will see higher water bills.
What else?
The city will pay a tariff for retail delivery service with Oncor Electric, as part of the work at Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plant.
The contract is $854,596 for the installation of electric service and transfers for the new electrical building. Bond proceeds will be used to reimburse the Water and Sewer fund portfolio for this purchase, according to city documents.
