Source: Garland City Press (August 2008)

Keeping Garland’s Water Safe and Reliable

Each day, Garland citizens turn on kitchen faucets and clean drinking water flows into their homes through our water system. We flush toilets and our wastewater system does what it is designed to do. These systems work so well that we tend to take them for granted. In these days of increased environmental consciousness, most of us think more often about water conservation than about how our water and wastewater systems continue to meet our needs. So, what does it take to keep our system working?
 
To answer this question, it is important to talk about our water infrastructure — the pump stations, treatments plants, water storage tanks and thousand of miles of pipeline that make up our water and wastewater system. Until the early 1950’s, our water system had relied primarily on wells. At that time, the capacity of our wastewater system was periodically challenged by our population of about 11,000 people. The 1950s brought the worst drought in the city’s history. That drought was a strong factor in the establishment of the North Texas Municipal Water District by the federal government. The NTMWD began with nine member cities, including Garland, which purchased water from NTMWD. The water was, and still is, taken from Lake Lavon. Almost half of the City’s current water utility fund is allocated for purchasing water from NTMWD and its delivery to Garland homes and businesses.
 
At the time that we joined the NTMWD, the City of Garland began to build what is our modern day water and wastewater infrastructure. As our population has grown, our system has expanded capacity and coverage area to meet increased demand. While new pipeline has been laid and pump stations added to service new neighborhoods, parts of the original system have aged. Original water pipes were made of cast iron and wastewater pipes were clay tile, which have a lifespan of about 30 – 40 years. Increasing our system and replacing/repairing older parts of the system means incurring debt, so that the cost can be shared by all customers over the lifetime of the system. Almost half of our wastewater utility fund is allocated to debt service and processing and treating our waste water. Wastewater debt service is higher than water debt service because the City of Garland owns and operates two wastewater treatment plants. The debt service for wastewater decreases over time as the debts are paid off. However, new debt can be incurred to pay for continued updating and maintenance and to comply with ever-increasing government regulations.
 
So, the next time you turn on the tap or pull the plug in the bathtub, remember that the most important working parts of our water utility system are the parts you rarely see. That infrastructure is constantly maintained, monitored and upgraded by Garland Water Utilities. And that’s what it takes to keep our water and wastewater systems working so well that you can take them for granted.
 

 
Water and Waste Water fees are higher in Garland than many other North Texas cities and those fees have recently risen to cover higher operating and water costs. Another factor that pushes the fees higher is the debt service expense necessary to pay for the state-of-the-art facilities in Garland, most notably with wastewater. Garland is now very well positioned for service well into the future. Other cities that are cheaper now will see their costs and fees rising as they improve their facilities.
 

Projected NTMWD Rates per 1000 gallons through 2020

Higher costs are not just accepted and passed to consumers. Both departments are working to keep cutting expenses. A number of measures have been adapted over the last few years to constrain costs: 14 positions have been eliminated since 1994; tracking technology monitors vehicle locations and allows more efficient dispatch; trials using a 10-hour day/4-day work week show a 20% reduction in overtime; old vehicles are being replaced with new, more efficient vehicles; and consumer education and awareness increases department efficiencies and reduces need for costly new infrastructure.
 
Outside factors, however, will keep pushing water rates higher, too. The cost of water from the North Texas Municipal Water District will increase this year and for years to come. Again, debt service payments for improved infrastructure is the primary factor. One such factor is the ozonation improvements that NTMWD is constructing for 2013 service. According to NTMWD, ozonation very effectively inactivates Cryptosporidium, bacteria and other naturally-occurring organisms. Ozonation can reduce the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), which result from the interaction of chlorine and naturally-occurring organic material in the source water.
 
Other major projects are the artificial wetlands project for water recovery and pipelines to new reservoirs.