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Henderson council approves $75,000 feasibility study to bring Lake Stryker water to city
Summary
The Henderson City Council approved a $75,000 work order with Stokes & Associates to study pipelines, conveyance routes and plant options to bring reserved water rights from Lake Stryker into the city’s system. The study will inform funding applications and a potential multi‑year construction timeline.
Henderson City Council on March 2025 approved a $75,000 feasibility study with Stokes & Associates to evaluate infrastructure needed to deliver water the city reserved at Lake Stryker into Henderson’s distribution system.
The study will examine pipeline routes, tank and pump siting and whether to convey water to the city’s existing northern surface water plant or to construct a second plant on the south side of town. "Our work order today is for $75,000 for that study," said Neil, an engineer with Stokes & Associates, during the presentation to council.
The study matters because the city holds approximately 7,400,000 gallons per day in reserved water rights at Lake Stryker and now wants to determine the most economical way to put that supply into service. Currently the city draws surface water from the Sabine River—via a joint pipeline and pump station shared with Kilgore—and also produces treated water from local wells. Neil told the council the Sabine River pipeline has experienced erosion and routing problems and that the city’s surface plant is about 27 years old while some pipelines predate it.
The feasibility report will compare options including routing conveyance lines along highway rights of way, constructing a new south‑side surface water plant to reduce long north‑to‑south pumping, and required storage and pumping capacity. Stokes will also produce cost estimates to support future funding requests, the firm said. Neil recommended the Texas Water Development Board as the most likely funding source and outlined a multi‑year timeline: study and application preparation this year, at least a year before a funding application could be filed, roughly 18 months to learn if funding is awarded, and a likely 2 to 2½ years for construction if funded.
Council members who moved and seconded the item voted to approve the work order during the meeting; the motion carried. Council discussion noted state legislative focus on water projects and the strategic value of securing conveyance for Lake Stryker rights to meet 50‑to‑75‑year demand projections.
If the city approves construction after the study, staff will return to council with recommended project scope and funding options.
