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Richardson officials proposed $22.9 million in water and wastewater projects, including maintenance and capital improvements, for the city’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget.
Planned projects include water and wastewater pipeline replacements, tank and station upgrades, and manhole rehabilitation at Spring Creek.
City staff gave an overview of water and wastewater system maintenance strategies and ongoing construction projects to City Council on June 1.
The overview
Close to $7 million for the proposed projects would come out of the city’s utility fund budget, while almost $16 million would be covered by the city’s debt capital plan for larger projects.
Director of Public Services Eric Robison said Richardson has seen a gradual reduction in average water use since 2013, when the city began investing heavily in infrastructure and preventative maintenance. The city’s water use is now consistent with regional trends, Robison said.
“It shows that our preventative maintenance programs, like our waterline replacements [and] our tank and valve rehabs, are being a good, beneficial use of those dollars,” Robison said.
A closer look
Robison proposed $2.29 million in utility fund operations for water projects in FY 2026-27, on par with the estimated $2.27 million spent on water operations this past year.
The proposed budget will cover upgrades at Eastside Pump Station and Renner Tower, engineering evaluations of Lockwood and Centennial towers, annual hydrant testing, inventory replacement and several other maintenance projects.
Robison also proposed $5.15 million in the city’s utility fund debt capital plan for water projects, which covers major infrastructure projects. Upcoming projects in FY 2026-27 include construction on water main replacements at Bishop Avenue, Belaire Drive and St Lukes Drive, as well as several tank and station upgrades, new permanent generators for three pump stations, and new valves at Apollo Road and Jupiter Road.
The specifics
Assistant Director of Engineering Katie Barron proposed $4.7 million for wastewater in the FY 2026-27 utility fund budget, a slight increase from the projected $4.56 million spent this year. Several ongoing pipe rehabilitation projects will continue next year, Barron said, as well as manhole rehabilitation at Spring Creek.
Barron also proposed $10.75 million in utility fund debt capital for larger improvement projects, the majority of which will go toward wastewater pipeline replacement.
Barron said the city is working on two significant multi-year projects on wastewater infrastructure in Cottonwood Creek and on Greenville Avenue, and additional planned projects will occur on Richland Park, Custer Parkway and the Promenade sewer.
Also of note
The yearslong project to improve Richardson’s Water Pressure Zone 825 is almost entirely complete, Barron said. The project aimed to increase water pressure in the northwest area of Richardson to help accommodate future growth.
Improvements have included an expansion of Northside Pump Station II, a new five-million-gallon ground storage tank and waterline improvements, as well as several projects undertaken by North Texas Municipal Water.
Barron said all of the physical improvements are complete, and the only remaining work is testing of the new generator, which is expected to take a few months before the city brings the system online in the fall.
What’s next
Barron said city staff plans to finalize water and wastewater maintenance programs ahead of budget discussions this summer.
