Williamson County commissioners approved an almost $500,000 contract with engineering firm Freese and Nichols on Oct. 20 to create a countywide water infrastructure plan.
"It's a long time coming," Judge Steve Snell said at the meeting.
What happened
The water study will look at current and future sources of water in the county, as well as treatment and distribution options, to provide project suggestions that water providers can consider implementing, according to a county news release.
In order to reduce the tax burden for county residents, the study can also help secure state and federal funding for water projects, officials said. The contract with Freese and Nichols costs $498,700 and is anticipated to be completed in a year.
"The price of water is so expensive these days," Snell said. "It's expensive to get the right, it's expensive to transport it, it's expensive to treat it, and I think we're seeing the price of water utility bills going up. This is an effort to have all of our partners together to save money on the cost."
The history
County officials first established a regional water coalition—an advisory committee with representatives from cities and water providers—in November 2025. The coalition has been meeting since then for the purpose of hiring a consultant to begin the study, according to county documents.
"It has been an incredible partnership with our cities and our water providers, and this is one giant step today ... to help secure the water of Williamson County for the people who are here today and identify new sources of water for our growth in the future," Snell said.
Although the county is not a water purveyor, the county is working to guide cities and utilities in coordinating water procurement, infrastructure planning and conservation efforts, officials said.
"With the tremendous growth that we've experienced just over the last two decades and more to come, this is such an important issue, and a difficult issue, and an expensive issue," Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said.
