Work flows along on water treatment plant
TEXARKANA, Texas — The year brought progress on the design of a multimillion-dollar project that would create about 15 jobs and relocate water treatment operations for Texarkana and several other area Texas cities.
Construction is slated to begin in 2025 on Riverbend Water Resources District’s Johnny L. Branson Regional Water Facility. The facility — which will expand water intake from Wright Patman Lake and treat up to 30 million gallons per day — will be at Texamericas Center in Hooks.
Project design is expected to be complete by the end of January, at which time Riverbend will select a construction team.
The project initially was estimated to be $200 million. At a September public meeting, that figure was called into question by a representative of Pape-dawson Engineers, the program manager for the expansive Riverbend undertaking.
“Do we think the 200 million is going to pay for this program,” Kim Keefer asked about the dollar amount of the loan Riverbend secured in August 2020 from the Texas Water Development Board. “Probably not.”
Keefer said since the project’s inception about five years, “We’ve had COVID. We’ve had supply chain issues, and we’ve actually had five years of inflation.” Those factors likely will drive up the project’s cost.
The final price tag will follow what Keefer describes as “a very aggressive value engineering process” to ensure construction is as cost-effective as possible.
Riverbend Executive Director Kyle Dooley said the project analysis should begin around the start of 2024.
The new treatment plant will be southwest of the intersection of Bowie
Parkway and Maple Street, just north of the current Ron Collins Wastewater Treatment Facility at Texamericas Center. Nearly 14 miles of new pipelines will be needed to integrate the facility into the current water system, Dooley said.
Routing for the pipelines — including which private land will be needed for rights-of-way — will be determined during the value engineering process.
The current water treatment plant, at 2700 New Boston Road, has served the Texarkana area well for 50 years but is no longer capable of meeting regional water needs, Dooley said.
“The current plant treats approximately 18 million gallons per day. The new plant is being designed to treat up to 30 million gallons per day, along with the ability to be expanded if needed in the future,” he said.
Twelve of Riverbend’s 18 members are working to together to bring the new plant to fruition by paying on the project’s debt, which they have done since September 2020. They are the city of Texarkana, Texas; Annona; Avery; Central Bowie County Water Supply Corp.; Hooks; Leary; Maud; Nash; New Boston; Oak Grove Water Supply Corp.; Redwater; and Wake Village.
“The 12 entities right now are paying $1.20 per 1,000 (gallons),” That’s going to double to $2.40 a 1,000 — still a deal in the water world,” Keefer said.
The entities collect the money through a fee included on residents’ monthly water bills.
Dooley said it should take about 30 years for the project members to repay the loan, which is made through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
“Once the debt is retired, each of the 12 members have an undivided interest in the plant and facilities based on their pro rata share of the debt repayment,” Texarkana City Manager David Orr said in an earlier Gazette article.
Constructing the plant and intake system would be an economic driver by ensuring access to safe and reliable water, Keefer said.
The water treatment facility is named after a former, longtime New Boston mayor Johnny Branson. Branson died in May.