The Fort Worth City Council took a step toward enhancing the city’s water and sewer infrastructure during its Oct. 21 meeting. Council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of $180 million in revenue bonds to the Texas Water Development Board.

The details

According to city documents, the project objective is to expand the Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plant capacity to treat water by 35 million gallons per day. Expanded treatment technologies will include:
  • Raw water ozonation
  • Flocculation
  • Sedimentation
  • Bio-filtration
  • Membrane filtration
  • Disinfection
Council members approved the project in August. Increasing treatment capacity at the plant will allow the city to serve the region’s growth, while providing more redundancy and flexibility in the system. City documents state construction on the expansion project began this past summer and is planned to be completed in the summer of 2028.

Quote of note

“Fort Worth Water staff are dedicated to delivering water, wastewater and reclaimed water services to our customers in the most efficient, reliable and affordable manner,” Fort Worth Water Director Chris Harder said. “That starts with water quality but also includes reinvestment in our infrastructure, reducing water loss through breaks and leaks, financial stewardship, and planning for future growth and regulatory changes.”


The backstory

Fort Worth and other North Texas cities are expanding and upgrading their water systems to accommodate the area's population growth and improve water safety testing.

When the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new regulations April 10 regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in public water utility systems, often referred to as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” nearly 50 in Texas—including Fort Worth’s—had levels above the EPA’s limits. A November 2024 EPA report states PFAS are considered an “urgent threat,” and exposure to certain PFAS includes increased risk of some cancers and organ damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry applications and consumer products since the 1940s. According to the EPA, PFAS can get into drinking water when products containing them leach into groundwater or are released in the air, ending up in rivers and lakes. They are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily, which can cause some forms to last in the environment for 1,000 years or more.


On Aug. 26, the Fort Worth City Council approved a $4 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board to help fund a project that will remove PFAS from water coming out of the city’s southeast landfill.

City records state Fort Worth possesses a drinking water treatment capacity of 497 million gallons per day and a wastewater treatment capacity of 166 million gallons per day.