Boerne Utilities ensures long-term water capacity through planning for future growth

Utilities Director Michael Mann told the Boerne City Council on March 11 that the city is expected to have water capacity for the next 20-40 years, based on the city’s projections.

“Somewhere between 2060 and 2070—we feel comfortable that we have enough water until then,” he said.

Mann said that while the city is facing a prolonged drought, he is confident city staff is being proactive about what forecasted development it can provide water to based on current supply and projected growth.

The situation

As of May 6, Canyon Lake is at a capacity of 46%, according to the Texas Water Development Board. This limits the amount of water municipalities can pull from the lake, raising resident concerns.

According to the 2023 water quality report, water pulled from Canyon Lake makes up around 59% of the city’s drinking water. Mann said that based on current projections, the city should be fine longer than other areas due to Boerne having its own lake.

On April 22, Kendall County Commissioners discussed approving a future resolution to ensure the capabilities of regional providers.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Chad Carpenter stressed the importance of long-term planning.

“What if we get 10 inches of rain and every lake fills up? Does that fix our problem? No, because we are still having millions of people moving to Texas,” Carpenter said.

What’s being done

Should the city need to increase water capacity to serve residents, options available include the purchase of regional water and the expansion of reclaimed water or treated wastewater systems.

Mann said pulling water from a regional source would be costly, considering regional utilities are also facing drought conditions, which can lead to a higher demand. The largest upcoming water-related project is the $20 million expansion of the treatment facility at Boerne Lake, which the city has allocated $2.75 million toward so far.

“If we make the investment to expand the reclaimed water system now to the areas that aren’t served by it, we can ensure future growth in that system,” council member Quinten Scott said.

Council member Joseph Macaluso said the city’s responsibility is to ensure that residents within the city’s utility have access to water.

“We cannot be a regional utility provider for 78006 and the regional ZIP codes. We just don’t have the resources for that,” Macaluso said.

Diving deeper

Mann said the city is limited by the state on how much water it can pull from the lake due to conservation efforts.

When drought conditions occur, city officials ask residents to conserve water usage to ensure future availability. A contributing factor to conservation efforts is the utilization of reclaimed water.

While surface water made up around 72% of the water distributed in 2024, groundwater made up 15% and reclaimed water made up 13%. The use of reclaimed water instead of potable water led to the conservation of around 156 million gallons in 2024.

“Without reclaimed water, we would already be short right now,” Mann said.

The outlook

During the March 11 City Council meeting, Boerne staff presented four scenarios for city growth and water demand, projecting when the city could run out of its existing water supply.