Rise in water rates due to new project expense

LPR staff

Lockhart residents may have noticed a significant rate increase to their recent water bills.

The recommended adjustments from the city’s utility rate consultant, Raftelis, were to account for updated revenue and expenditure requirements, specifically for updates to the Carrizo Groundwater Supply Project (CGSP) operating and maintenance costs and debt service requirements and wholesale water costs, the city told the Post-Register.

The Carrizo Project should provide residents a long-term treated water supply to improve drought and operational resilience.

The city noted the groundwater development will generate a total of 15,000 acre-feet per year of groundwater which will be distributed to participating utilities including Lockhart, New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), and Goforth Special Utility District (SUD).

Lockhart averages 1.6 MGD (million gallons per day) of water consumption and peaks in summer at 2.6 MGD.

The city currently has four tanks – San Jacinto Elevated Storage Tank (EST), Wichita Street EST, Maple Street EST, and Cesar Chavez EST.

San Jacinto has a capacity of 250,000 gallons, followed by Wichita at 300,000. Maple Street and Cesar Chavez 500,000 gallons each. Lockhart’s total storage capacity is 1.55 million gallons.

Wichita and San Jacinto are the oldest of the tanks but are considered to be in appropriate condition.

Lockhart, with the Carrizo Project its latest addition, gets its water from several sources, including seven active wells southeast of the city, as well as 1 million gallons of surface water from Luling via the San Marcos River.

Lockhart continues to look for additional water supply.

The next 1-million-gallon tank will be constructed during Phase 2 of the Seawillow Ranch Development on FM 1322 and Seawillow Road. Later, Lockhart plans to construct a tank on the northwest side of the city.

The ongoing Downtown Revitalization Project includes drainpipes from an Austin distributor.

Water from downtown is being diverted to Town Branch Creek, with the only change now being the water is being placed in underground storm drainpipes.