As the second most populous state in the country, Texas has a large and continually growing demand for water. The state’s population growth creates positive opportunities, but it also creates challenges when it comes to managing critical infrastructure, namely water.
That’s why we’re pleased to see the city taking steps to safeguard our most precious natural resource.
Lufkin’s city council authorized a contract with Performance Services of Texas Inc. for the installation of: 15,428 solid state ultrasonic meters with advanced metering infrastructure; a SCADA control system for all water and wastewater components; 12 pressure plane valves with remote monitoring and control; and 10 large main valves also with remote monitoring and control.
City records indicate residential and commercial customers used 2.678 billion gallons of water, but the city only billed 2.213 billion gallons. That missing 465 million gallons represents approximately $1.6 million in additional revenue each year.
The replacement meters would give the city better control of the local water flow — something that would have been useful in preventing some of the problems we experienced during Winter Storm Uri.
In addition, the new meters should:
- Minimize the amount and percentage of lost water;
- Capture unrealized water revenues;
- Improve customer satisfaction;
- Improve water billing efficiency and timeline and;
- Minimize future maintenance operational cost.
But disaster recovery isn’t just about getting critical water operations back up and running’ it also requires becoming more resilient and preventing future system failures.
Water woes are not a problem unique to Lufkin. Communities across the state are dealing with a wide range of challenges for managing and safeguarding their water resources.
Texas is home to nine major aquifers that supply much of its ground water, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency. Texas’ surface water sources consist of 15 major rivers, 188 major reservoirs, seven major estuaries, eight coastal basins and the Gulf of Mexico.
The state’s groundwater levels are declining, according to two reports published recently by Texas State University and the Environmental Defense Fund. Seven of 20 aquifer systems analyzed in the state are being overpumped, according to a story about the findings in the reports published by the San Antonio Express-News.
The problem with surface water is that its availability generally matches precipitation trends in Texas, where the semiarid climate leaves the state prone to extreme droughts. Precipitation varies across the state, with East Texas receiving far more than any other region.
That’s why the state’s metropolitan areas are always trying to swallow up access to as much water as possible from “water rich” East Texas to support their “water poor” area.
Nearly nine million acre-feet of additional water supplies will be needed to meet the state’s demand for water by 2070, according to the Texas Water Development Board’s 2017 State Water Plan. An acre-foot represents the amount of water — 325,851 gallons — that would cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot.
The water infrastructure challenges facing Texas are daunting. The city’s move to install solid state ultrasonic meters with advanced metering infrastructure is a step in the right direction. It’s an example of the efficient water management and water conservation projects necessary to address the state’s current and future water needs.
Lufkin Daily News
