What we know
Amid rising concerns over water infrastructure, McGuire and Jason Miller, assistant director of public works, discussed the potential for a city-wide development moratorium.
The northern portion of the city is already under a temporary development moratorium, as previously reported.
“It's a very serious matter, and this might be the time to look at more drastic action when it comes to the boundaries of the moratorium, to include consideration of the entire city of Conroe,” McGuire said at the April 23 workshop. “I know that's a lot to swallow, but we are looking down that road.”
Miller said last April, the city was producing 15.4 million gallons a day. This year, the number has increased to 17 million, which is a million and a half more.
“We went from a connection point of 40,750 [connections] to 49,189 [connections],” Miller said. “That's extreme growth, ... and so there's huge concerns that we have.”
The city is at 85% water capacity, which is still within the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s threshold, as previously reported. Before the development moratorium was enacted in August, the city was at 96% capacity, McGuire said.
View the current development moratorium boundaries below.
What they’re saying
McGuire said the city has added Water Well No. 27 online and plans to add more infrastructure, including:
- Water Plant No. 29, anticipated to be online in July
- Water Plant No. 30, scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year
- Water Plan No. 32, for which a bid has been awarded
- The bypass line to Water Plant No. 15, with construction set to start soon
Council member Harry Hardman said enacting a city-wide moratorium is a “nuclear option.”
“Before we trigger that nuclear option, I want to make sure that we get it, because we have one shot at this, ” Hardman said April 24.
Quote of note
“I don’t want to be in a moratorium, but if that’s what we have to do in order to protect the citizens that we have now ... that’s what I want to do,” council member Marsha Porter said in the April 23 meeting.
How we got here
Last April, city staff first raised concerns with City Council about the strain on Conroe’s water capacity, according to prior reporting. By May, officials estimated that addressing critical infrastructure needs would require approximately $50 million in funding, as previously reported.
In response, City Council approved implementing seasonal irrigation restrictions last June, limiting watering from May through October to help conserve water amid growing demand, per reporting.
A temporary development moratorium for the northern portion of the city was then enacted in August before being extended in December and again in April, according to prior reporting.
Stay tuned
City officials will present a more in-depth look into the city’s water infrastructure needs during a special city council meeting at a later date.
View the map of Conroe’s city limits below.
