Shenandoah residents and business owners can expect their first water rate increase since 2010 effective Oct. 1 to fund a new water plant and a Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District fee increase.


The need for a third water plant is based solely on an increased water demand due to citywide commercial and residential growth, city officials said.


“We’ve always tried to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to providing water to our residents and as we add [MetroPark Square and Centro], we are going to start reaching our water capacity,” Mayor Ritch Wheeler said.Shenandoah set to add third water plant by winter


The new water plant costs approximately $2.4 million and will be located on the east side of I-45, just north of Conroe ISD’s Woodforest Bank Stadium, City Administrator Greg Smith said.


A tentative timeline puts the construction start date in May and the completion date in December. Once a project bid is awarded, more construction details will be available.


“We have more front doors, more grass, several new hotels and Memorial Hermann—our largest water user—which is continuing to grow,” Smith said. “The plant is not necessarily needed today—this is just giving us an additional resource to     handle our future growth.”


Shenandoah previously had three water plants until 2015, when one of the plants was decommissioned for producing an insufficient amount of water.


Shenandoah’s water rate is $2 for a base consumption of 5,000 gallons and increases based on personal consumption. An increased water usage rate was introduced during the Feb. 1 meeting however, City Council has yet to make a decision on the new rate. The item will likely be discussed during the March workshop and the council meeting and again at the spring town hall meeting in April. City         officials did not comment on what rate increase options the council is considering.


“The benefit to residents here is that we’re able to hold off on the rate increase until October,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to have one from LSGCD, so we’re going to hold off and do both at the same time.”


Because the city does not separate water usage rates based on residential locations, Smith said the plant and rate increase will affect the entire city.


“I encourage all residents to come to public city meetings to educate themselves on the decisions that the city is making and why those decisions are made,” Smith said. “It’s critical to have input from our residents—nobody likes water rate increases but, unfortunately, sometimes they are necessary.”