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Josephine staff say a 1.5-million‑gallon ground storage tank and pump upgrades are needed to avoid summer shortages
Summary
City staff and consultants told the Josephine City Council at a work session they need a 1.5 million gallon ground storage tank and new pumping capacity by 2026–2028 to meet peak demand while regional transmission upgrades are completed; estimated immediate cost is about $4 million and staff propose using reserves rather than debt.
City staff and outside consultants told the Josephine City Council during a work session that the town needs immediate water‑system investments — including a 1.5 million‑gallon ground storage tank and additional pumping capacity — to get through high‑use summer periods until a regional transmission line comes online in 2028.
Kimley‑Horn consultant presentations to the council identified the gap between existing storage and regulatory guidance. The consultants said Josephine’s current total storage (about 1.2 million gallons across Pump Station 1 and Pump Station 2) is below the North Texas Municipal Water District guidance for maximum‑day conditions and recommended adding a 1.5 million‑gallon ground storage tank “ASAP,” arguing that ground storage can be designed and built faster than elevated storage and would provide needed breathing room through 2027–2028.
The consultant also described required pump upgrades to meet Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) minimum pumping capacity while elevated storage is not yet available. The presentation said the city will need, at minimum, two 2,700‑gallon‑per‑minute pumps and two 1,500‑gallon‑per‑minute pumps to meet firm capacity and peak‑hour demands, with the currently recommended configuration supporting the city through about 2027; with elevated storage online in 2028, the same pumping improvements would then serve the city past 2033.
Council discussion cited a previously proposed booster pump station tied to developer timelines and North Texas Municipal Water District approvals that consultants said would have cost about $9 million for roughly 18 months of utility service and was therefore judged impractical. Instead, staff and consultants recommended building ground storage on an existing pump‑station property to give the town flexibility and local control over supply.
Melissa (finance) told the council the city has about $12 million in unrestricted funds, with roughly $4 million representing a six‑month operating reserve. Staff recommended using reserves to fund the ground storage tank (estimated at about $4 million) rather than issuing debt; councilmembers asked for continuing reserve‑level monitoring to ensure the city maintained targeted operating coverage.
Next steps discussed included completing design and submitting required TCEQ notifications and approvals by summer so construction could start and have the tank in service by 2026. Elevated storage still was listed as required by 2028; council and consultants said elevated storage typically requires 14–18 months to construct, so planning and procurement must start soon.
Why it matters: Josephine’s service area is growing rapidly, and staff said peak‑season watering patterns create short windows of stress on the system. Without additional storage and pumping capacity the town risks service interruptions or regulatory noncompliance during peak weather periods.
What’s next: Staff said they will return to council with updated design schedules, cost refinements, and financing details. The council indicated support for proceeding with design and for planning to use reserves to accelerate the project rather than issue short‑term debt.
