Summary: Since Fall 2022, water planners in Parker and Palo Pinto counties have been discussing a Regional Water Authority to gain a greater political voice with state lawmakers planning future water policy. However, this week the the partnership "looks dead in the water." Although Willow Park now has a dependable source of water from Fort Worth, there are many residents in the city who depend on their own water wells. In addition, Willow Park also uses well water to mix with the Fort Worth water.
Latest Update: Monday, 20 March, 2023
Palo Pinto/Parker water authority
Since Fall 2022, water planners in Parker and Palo Pinto counties have been discussing a Regional Water Authority (described by the red outline in the map) to gain a greater political voice with state lawmakers planning future water policy. However, this week the the partnership "looks dead in the water."
Although Willow Park now has a dependable source of water from Fort Worth, there are many residents in the city who depend on their own water wells. In addition, Willow Park also uses well water to mix with the Fort Worth water. Willow Park Civics > City > City Services > Water
The new Palo Pinto-Parker water authority, that was to help manage water to west Parker County, was to be an issue in the TX 88th Legislature. Texas House Rep for District 60 (includes Willow Park), Glenn Rogers offered to file a bill in the legislative session, but "'He (Rogers) hasn’t gotten us a bill back ... or one that’s finalized.'"
• Two-county water authority appears dead in the water, Weatherford Democrat, 17 March 2023 [.pdf] Excerpts. County commissioners on Monday took no action on a letter supporting legislation creating a two-county water authority with Parker County. Palo Pinto County Judge Shane Long told commissioners that he believes the state representative working on the measure in Austin still supports the plan to achieve a stronger local voice on water issues.
“But I believe he is of the opinion it’s got to be a multi-county water district,” Long said of Texas Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-Graford.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Jeff Fryer agreed it was premature to sign a letter endorsing the district as it’s been discussed so far — an expansion of the existing district that oversees Lake Palo Pinto, with maybe four new board members chosen by the two county commissioners courts.
“He (Rogers) hasn’t gotten us a bill back ... or one that’s finalized,” Fryer said.
• Parker, Palo Pinto counties discuss water partnership, Weatherford Democrat, 20 January 2023, Excerpts. Water planners in Parker and Palo Pinto counties are discussing a Regional Water Authority, described by the red outline, to gain a greater political voice with state lawmakers planning future water policy.
A joint meeting of the Mineral Wells city council and the board governing Lake Palo Pinto about forming a two-county water authority with Parker County ended with a decision to form subcommittees to recommend details of the partnership.
The meeting was attended by Palo Pinto County Judge Shane Long and Parker County Precinct 3 Commissioner Larry Walden, who said he was representing County Judge Pat Deen. (Though, he said he’d have attended regardless).
“As growth continues down I-20, the cities in the southwest part of our county cannot sustain growth,” Howard Huffman, general manager for the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1, told the 15 or so members of both his board and the city council gathered in joint session.
The two panels discussed details of the two-county partnership — those include its geographic footprint, makeup of its governing board and funding strategies — for close to 90 minutes before deciding to form subcommittees to iron out specific recommendations.
Their recommendations will flow into a so-called shell bill that Graford GOP Rep. Glenn Rogers has offered to file in the legislative session that’s underway in Austin. Rogers awaits a green light from the local officials to add it to the 16 bills he has authored.
A proposed map of the two-county Regional Water Authority encompasses the seven wholesale water suppliers serving roughly the western third of Parker County and the southeastern half of Palo Pinto County.
Those, plus the city of Mineral Wells, drink from Lake Palo Pinto. The planners also anticipate construction of Turkey Peak Reservoir, which is envisioned to begin filling immediately downstream of Lake Palo Pinto as soon as 2027.
The city is under sanction by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding the plant’s reduced capacity.
A new Turkey Creek Water Treatment Plant also is on the books, particularly with the 60-year-old Hilltop Water Treatment Plant the city and the wholesalers rely on operating at a 13-percent capacity deficiency.
There are 39,000 households and businesses depending on that water source.
Mineral Wells City Manager Dean Sullivan, who has spearheaded several multi-entity meetings to discuss water, said the demand on the Hilltop plant is 11.2 million gallons a day.
“We can’t meet that,” he told the group.
The boundaries of the new water authority were pretty much agreed upon, with Huffman noting it could be expanded in two years when lawmakers meet again in 2025.
Most, judging by comments, seemed to agree the board of the new Regional Water Authority will include the five members, appointed by the city council, who now run the lake board and hired Huffman.
Discussions of the board’s makeup were less certain beyond that. They began with the suggestion each county appoint two members for a total of nine.
“What we know is it has to be fair,” lake board President David Turk said, adding the new panel’s name can remain the same for now, since it essentially is an expansion of the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1. “We don’t care about the name. At some point, the name’s got to reflect the region.”
Long agreed the priority is to establish the statutory partnership by the easiest route.
“The expansion of it is way more important than the name,” Long said. “The expansion of it is way more important than how many people we put on there.”
He added he expects “balanced representation.”
Walden said all of Parker County that’s within the Brazos River watershed “needs to be in this regional group.”
The panels also bemoaned their counties’ lack of representation on the regional water planning groups that were created by the legislature in 1997 to map the state’s water needs in for the next 50-years. (The 50-year Master Water Plan is updated every five years, most recently in July 2021).
Parker County is among the 16 counties in Region C, stretching from Cooke and Grayson counties south to Freestone County -- but dominated politically by Metroplex counties.
Palo Pinto County is in Region G, 37 counties from Knox County in the north to Washington County, where Brenham is the county seat. It includes populous Waco, Georgetown and College Station.
“Moving to a Regional Water Authority makes us big enough that people have to listen,” Huffman said, citing a theme of the last joint meeting and this one. “We are in the space between the spaces that people pay attention to, aka the Metroplex and Abilene, Wichita Falls and Waco.”
After the two-hour joint session, the city council made several decisions during its regular session.
Those were led by approval of the first task order given to engineers hired to design elements of a 20-year comprehensive plan for the growing city.
Under the approved proposal, Gauge Engineering will design a pedestrian-friendly, eight square block neighborhood on either side of NW First Avenue.
That central, north-south avenue, has long been the main artery of the annual Crazy Water Festival. Under the plan, it will become pedestrian-only year round from NW Fourth Street south four blocks to West Hubbard Street.
The east-west side streets, bracketed by NW Second Avenue and North Oak Street (U.S. 281), also will be revamped with pedestrians in mind. The proposal from the Houston engineering firm says it will take into account the width of traffic lanes, sidewalks, curb offsets and rights of way.
The plan, which encompasses the city’s second Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, also includes landscaping designs and improved parking availability.
A TIRZ is a specified site in need of improvements where property taxes are frozen to encourage developers to make improvements with the savings. The increased property taxes created by new projects are then reinvested into the zone.
Cost of the preliminary design work by Gauge is $189,600.
The council on Tuesday also continued discussion of accepting ownership of the downtown dog park from Mineral Wells Leadership Class 27. The park remains under construction immediately north of the Crazy Water Hotel.
No action was taken, as the council instructed newly named Parks and Recreation Superintendent Carrie Stevenson to discuss a transfer with the nonprofit Leadership Class.
The council also emerged from closed session to reappoint members of the Mineral Wells Housing Authority and approve capital projects for Mineral Wells Regional Airport.
Those airport improvements are two projects that were combined to save expenses on concrete and other efficiencies.
They are building a shed to shelter the airport’s tractor and other equipment and tarmac rehabilitation near the terminal.
The project was awarded to D.R. Contracting and Construction Services, which submitted the only bidder, at $84,000.
• Lake manager suggests 3-1 representation on Palo Pinto/Parker water authority, Weatherford Democrat, 25 January 2023
The manager of Lake Palo Pinto on Monday proposed a three-to-one split of county representation on a two county water authority with Parker County.
Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1 Manager Howard Huffman also urged county commissioners to ensure water wholesalers supplying much of both counties be involved in operations of a proposed two-county Regional Water Authority.
Without elaborating, Huffman said he is "talking to" leaders in next-door Stephens County, too, since it is part of the Brazos River watershed.
"This morning, we don't know what this is going to look like," he said of the unformed water authority.
Early discussions have generally led to a consensus that the easiest legal route is to simply enlarge the water district that governs Lake Palo Pinto. The five board members, who are appointed by the Mineral Wells City Council, would remain on the new authority's board.
Leaders in both counties have discussed adding two voting members from each county. But Huffman on Monday recommended three be from Palo Pinto and one from Parker County.
Huffman said State Rep. Glenn Rogers' chief of staff recommended expanding the board to 13 members, but he asked it be kept to nine.
Rogers, R-Graford, has agreed to file a "shell bill" in Austin to be filled with operational details of the new authority as locals hone them down.
The state representative had yet to file that shell bill Monday.
Both Huffman and County Judge Shane Long emphasized the new entity will not run over the water rights enjoyed by Gordon, Millsap and other communities.
Long was adamant the new entity will not create any new property tax — unless residents vote one in.
All seem to favor creating the entity, to give the growing counties a voice amid larger communities vying for attention during the 88th Legislative Session that opened in Austin on Jan. 10.
"As one, individual voice, we've all been going to the (Texas) Water Development Board in Austin," Huffman said. "We're like little chicks chirping for money. … At some point, we have to take a stand for our region. And everybody needs to be speaking together with one voice. Otherwise, we lose our water."
• Regional water authority proposed for stronger political voice in long-term water planning, Palo Pinto Press, 26 January 2023, Excerpts. Howard Huffman is campaigning from meeting to meeting to make sure area citizens “have drinking water for the next 100 years.” Huffman is the general manager for the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1
• Palo Pinto County Water Supply Plan, by Brazos G Regional Water Plan, 2021, Excerpts. “Moving to a regional water authority makes us big enough people have to start listening,” continued Huffman. “It’s a simple step, we’re already doing the work. We just need Austin to give us a few words of language to put us in a better position… To become a bigger voice, a voice that Austin pays attention to.”
The desire to grab the ear of the capitol comes at a time when the area is facing a potential water crisis. With projects such as Turkey Peak and the aging Hilltop Water Treatment Plant facing a seemingly impossible cost barrier, the cry for advocacy in Austin is resounding.
The area is not without representation, however. State Representative Glenn Rodgers, R- Graford, and Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, met with the leadership and water planners of Parker and Palo Pinto counties late last year to discuss these issues.
We’ve had attempts over years and years and years and nothing has happened” said Larry Walden, Parker County Commissioner, Precinct 3, “We recognize that by working together we have a much stronger voice.”
• Parker, Palo Pinto counties seek water partnership, Willow Park Civics Blog, 29 December 2022
• Parker, Palo Pinto counties seek water partnership, Yahoo News, Weatherford Democrat, 26 Decemb] Excerpts. Excerpts Excerpt Excerp Excer Exce Exc Ex E r 2022 Excerpts. County commissioners on Monday took no action on a letter supporting legislation creating a two-county water authority with Parker County. Palo Pinto County Judge Shane Long told commissioners that he believes the state representative working on the measure in Austin still supports the plan to achieve a stronger local voice on water issues. “But I believe he is of the opinion it’s got to be a multi-county water district,” Long said of Texas Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-Graford. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jeff Fryer agreed it was premature to sign a letter endorsing the district as it’s been discussed so far — an expansion of the existing district that oversees Lake Palo Pinto, with maybe four new board members chosen by the two county commissioners courts. “He (Rogers) hasn’t gotten us a bill back ... or one that’s finalized,” Fryer said.County commissioners on Monday took no action on a letter supporting legislation creating a two-county water authority with Parker County. Palo Pinto County Judge Shane Long told commissioners that he believes the state representative working on the measure in Austin still supports the plan to achieve a stronger local voice on water issues. “But I believe he is of the opinion it’s got to be a multi-county water district,” Long said of Texas Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-Graford. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jeff Fryer agreed it was premature to sign a letter endorsing the district as it’s been discussed so far — an expansion of the existing district that oversees Lake Palo Pinto, with maybe four new board members chosen by the two county commissioners courts. “He (Rogers) hasn’t gotten us a bill back ... or one that’s finalized,” Fryer said.
• Texas Water Development Board approves $15,080,000 to the Parker County Special Utility District (Parker and Palo Pinto counties) for water system improvements, Texas Water Development Board >Texas Water Newsroom, 28 March 2019