With the League City City Council’s approval Oct. 8, the city and other entities will spend the next several years designing and repairing a water line that supplies nearly three-quarters of the surface water and expanding a power plant to provide more water in a city that continues to grow.

The 42-inch southeast transmission line runs from the Southeast Water Purification Plant to League City’s booster pump station along Hwy. 3 in Webster. The line, constructed in 1971, has experienced multiple failures in recent years and needs to be replaced before a catastrophic failure, according to city documents.

Seven participants will pay for the $117.8 million water line repairs. League City will pay about $62.6 million of the cost, Public Works Director Jody Hooks said. City Manager John Baumgartner said the project will be paid through sold debt and cash on hand.

The project will be designed through 2020, and construction will occur from 2021-24, Hooks said.

In addition to repairing the line, the City Council-approved agreement among League City, Houston and the Gulf Coast Water Authority secures 20 million gallons per day of raw water capacity required to continue to expand League City, which is only halfway built out, according to the documents. 

The Southeast Water Purification Plant will be expanded within the next five to 10 years or as development dictates. The estimated cost is $100 million, all of which League City will be responsible for paying, according to the documents.

As part of the deal, League City is required to pay 10% of the city of Houston’s raw water rate until the southeast transmission line repairs and power plant expansion are completed, an annual cost of $530,000. After, the fee will be increased to 25%, or $876,000 annually, according to the documents.