Conroe City Council greenlights systemwide water modeling evaluation

During its June 26 meeting, Conroe City Council approved a contract with engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam Inc. to conduct a comprehensive hydraulic water modeling evaluation across the entire system.

The details

The study will create a full system model that ties together the city’s many standalone water models and incorporates recent and future infrastructure additions, including new water wells and plants, Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and director of public works, said in the meeting.

“It gives us a working tool, something that we can use for our planning purposes, design purposes,” McGuire said. “ It's the next big step in understanding the impacts of our water system to help better convey to the council how it works and the impacts and the constraints within it.”

The contract with LAN totals $196,670, according to the agenda item. The modeling project will evaluate how the entire system functions based on current data, identify challenges and provide guidance for capital improvement projects, McGuire said.

“This gives us a roadmap for the future,” Mayor Duke Coon said. “When we’re gone, the next councils and mayors can continue to build on it.”

The model will also serve as a training tool for engineering staff, helping the city build in-house knowledge for future infrastructure modeling, McGuire said, with the goal for city staff to complete the work in the future.