SJRA aims to deliver surface water by summer 2015

The San Jacinto River Authority continues to install water lines in Oak Ridge North as it works to deliver surface water from Lake Conroe to some Montgomery County residents by summer 2015.

"The deadline is to deliver surface water by 2016, and we are ahead of schedule," SJRA spokeswoman Ronda Trow said. "We feel we should be able to deliver by the summer of 2015. We are ahead of schedule, and we are under budget. Things are going really well."

One of several groundwater reduction plans working to reduce the region's reliance on surface water set by the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, SJRA's plan to pump water from Lake Conroe is the largest groundwater reduction plan in Montgomery County.

The authority has finished installing a 16-inch water line in Oak Ridge North in a utility easement along Oak Ridge Forest Lane and along Hanna Road, Trow said. Restoration of that area is expected to be completed by March 2015 as construction crews will repair affected pavement, restore the nearby hike and bike trail, re-establish vegetation, perform a leak test and disinfect the water lines.

Crews are concurrently building a utility facility at the Southern Montgomery Municipal Utility District to control water delivery, which will be complete in October. Trow said heavy construction noise would subside by the end of September.

A pipeline will also be installed along Maplewood Drive in early 2015, Trow said. The authority and the city of Oak Ridge North will hold a town hall meeting in advance of construction on Maplewood Drive.

The authority would not elaborate on the details of Maplewood Drive construction as contracts for construction work have not been finalized, Trow said. However, the Maplewood Drive pipeline is expected to be completed by summer 2015.

The authority also plans to launch a water quality campaign for all of its customers by January, Trow said.

"The SJRA expects very high quality water to be delivered," Trow said. "We are building a very high-tech water treatment facility at the dam, and our water quality outreach should start no later than January."